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Ecommerce Marketing: The Ethics of Testimonials
By Andrew Lock

August 2, 2010


The FTC has set some pretty stringent rules about bloggers accepting products and services from websites that want to generate positive word-of-mouth publicity. Andrew Lock weighs in on the ethics of testimonials in response to a viewer's question.

Our unconventional mega-marketer also delves into the secret and subtle messages found in some pretty well-known logos. And speaking of logos, all you have to do to watch this episode of Help! My Business Sucks is click on the logo below. You'll be ever so glad you did.


It turns out that many well known logos, including those from Fedex, Formula 1, Tostitos, Sony, Northwest Airlines -- and others -- have hidden details. My question is, are these details too secret, in other words is it a case of being so clever that no one but the designer and a few eagle-eyed people notice?

The question in this episode relates to testimonials. Is it okay to offer an incentive for someone to give you a testimonial? What do you think? Add your comments below.

Watch the episode for an awesome screen capture tool in the same vein as Camtasia and Jing, with one notable exception – there’s no software, it’s a Web-based tool. And it’s free. Designed and touted as a Twitter add-on, it can certainly be used that way, but I love the wider possibilities of this resource. It’s simple to use, doesn’t require any special software, and it’s free. Can’t be bad.

This week's big marketing lesson to adapt for your small business comes from Lego. Lego? Yes, lego. The company is surprisingly nimble and unconventional with its marketing, and it has achieved incredible success from those little plastic bricks. I’ll focus in on a few of the things that Lego has done to expand its brand, and show you how you can do the same.

As usual, let me know your opinion about the topics covered in the show this week -- leave your comment below, it’s really easy to do, no registration required.


You'll find lots more small business marketing tips and resources from Andrew Lock in our Small Business In-Depth series, Lock in Your Marketing Resources.

Andrew Lock is a self-described maverick marketer and the creator and host of Help! My Business Sucks, a free, weekly Web TV show full of practical marketing tips, advice and resources to help small businesses "get more done and have more fun."

Do you have a comment or question about this article or other e-commerce topics in general? Speak out in the SmallBusinessComputing.com E-Commerce Forum. Join the discussion today!

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