In a survey of by Burson-Marsteller in August, it was found that community forums and product review sites are becoming less trusted sources of input for consumers.
Ame Wadler, chief strategic officer at Burson said, "There's now a skepticism of what is happening online and an expectation [that] if you're in a community site and a commercial entity [is] being discussed, there's someone paid to be weighing in."
The results of the study were compared with a study five years ago, and 30 percent of the responders said they felt positive comments and fake reviews are a problem. Five years ago 20 percent said the same.
Wadler added that the key to trust is being transparent and upfront about everything we as businesses are doing. Those that are the most transparent are those that develop the most trust; it's as simple as that.
In the end, all we need to do is let consumers know what we're doing. We always do at the Knowmoremedia blog network.
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