Honesty and Integrity in Our Writing
Honesty and Integrity, Intertwined
The dictionary states that Integrity means:
"the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness"
How does this apply to our website writings?
My oldest son made quite a striking statement yesterday that made me think.
His words were simple.
"I don't trust the product reviews on blogger sites. Most seem to just want me to buy products that make the most money. They don't even know the products they are promoting."
Well, then. That really made me think.
I am pretty careful to only list the products that I really believe in. I might not own all of them, of course. But I have some experience or research into them. It's important to me that my readers trust what I say.
But how do my readers know that?
One of my friends a few years ago was known as a very honest used car salesman. It sounds like a conflict, doesn't it? Everyone knows the stereotype of a used car salesman. The term usually means dishonest!
But Bill was honest beyond compare. His friends knew it. And so did his customers. He had many who came back time and again. And he relied on referrals from his happy customers, too.
“Speak with honesty, think with sincerity, and act with integrity.” Anonymous
Bill was indeed an honest used car salesman. But how did anyone know to trust him? I didn't know him when he first opened his small sales lot. By the time we met, he was well-known as a trustworthy businessman. Along the way though, he had built a reputation.
My Dad was the same way as Bill. Honest and very trustworthy. He was a mechanic as well as a farmer. When Dad opened his own garage, his loyal customers made the extra drive to have him repair their cars. Some came from nearly two hours away. The local farmers brought their farm machinery to him, too. Dad had a loyal following that trusted him. And he never let them down.
But my son is right.
When I look around at other sites, some of them seem to just promote the highest ticket items, without really knowing the product. They might tell the pros and cons and a few details. But those facts can be found all over the internet. They don't provide that personalized information that tells the real story.
It made me take a look at my own sites. I try to be totally honest with people. I promote products I believe in. How do my readers know that?
If there are so many dishonest used car salesmen, how can anyone trust an honest one like Bill?
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” William Shakespeare
My Dad and Bill, like many other small businessmen, knew that a business built on trust and integrity would outlast those just out to make a quick buck. They slept well at night, knowing that they were helping others, while also providing for their families.
I think it's a concept we all need to keep in mind as we promote our affiliate products. You might now own each product you promote. But be honest. Find out the story behind each product. Try to bring an honest appraisal to your readers.
That will bring you the kind of following that stays with you. They know they can trust you and will come back, time and again, for your opinion.
“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love, and loyalty.” Zig Ziglar
Recent Comments
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This is a very essential topic in affiliate business.
I think a lot of people unfortunately also sleep well having a dishonest blog but them sleep well beause they see money coming in - not caring how betrayed customers feel.
As a reader i wanna see straight to the bone facts to feel "secure".
And as a writer i believe the key is to build a relationship through our blogs. Make it possible for the reader to get to know you and your etics - so it becomes similar as in the offline world - the customer can believe what you are writing about because he "knows" you.
I used to be very gullible, kept buying stuff (physical and digital) after reading a blog or watching reviews on YouTube. After a few experiences of getting burnt and wasting money, I became cautious. I couldn't even get a refund from the seller of a digital product i bought recently. They said they don't give refunds because of "other serial refunding scammers out there". They told me to blame it on them. How convenient! I raised a Paypal dispute and won. So now everytime I see a review, i begin to think "Is this true or is this person just trying to make money?"
I haven't started promoting a product nor done a review on my blog posts yet, but I'll make sure to remember those 3 words "honesty, sincerity and integrity ".
Thank you again for sharing, Diane!
All the best,
Maria
Yes, Maria, I think many of us have fallen for review scams at one time or another. I'm glad you won the dispute.
I wish you much success!
Diane
Ahh, same here Maria, though I almost always managed to escape- I tried or used every item before the return date. Obviously am much cautious now, maybe too much lol
Great post Diane
What can i say, I'm a silly girl. I always fall for them.😁
Oh well, we learn from experience... good or bad.
So yeah, let's be cautious, shall we? 🙂
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Absolutely agree Diane! In the same line of thoughts I will share an example, if I may.
When I use to worked onboard passengers ships the boss use to say: We work for the reputation of our cruisse line. If we leave customer with bad experience he will complain to at least 7-8 of his family friends which are our potential clients. If the guest is happy, he will share with 1-2 of his friend and it will make them our customers.
It is easy to lose the trust of customers and very hard to gain it back.
Yes, Vasko, that is a very good example. Thanks for sharing.