Corporate Credibility

In today's society, people are bombarded with adds, billbords, pop-ups, flyers, jingles, commercials, etc. almost every minute of their waking lives. It is becoming more and more difficult to grab people's attention, let alone get your message across.

Blogging is the new "it" thing as far as marketing goes, as it allows a company to post information and topics of their choice, but also allow for a two way discussion between customers ans the company; something previous types of promotional marketing did not allow for.

Credibility cerntres around 3 factors:

1. Opportunity -Is the source in a position to know?
2. Ability -does the source have the education or experience?
3. Dependability -Has the source proven to be reliable and trustworthy?

(source- Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary)

If an author is able to demonstrate these three factors, they can then be deemed credible.

Authenticity of Images

Recent computer advances have made it possible to completely distort pictures to look exactly as you wish. It is impossible to tell if a picture is left as it was taken, or if it has been dramatically altered.

Although not a hospitality example, this commercial that is aired here on MTV shows the transformation.

http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.com/flat4.asp?id=6909

Adding a photo to a blog gives the reader a visual aid to go along with the information you are providing. Ensuring they know it is authentic can be achieved by having you in it, that way they know you have been there and have experenced what you are talking about. This is especially important for tourism blogs, as on many resort or vacation websites you will find pictures that do not depict the location they are advertising. They often contain disclaimers like "Hotel may not be as seen on picture."

What I Expect to Gain...

As a future entrepreneur, I am hoping this course will foccus on the benefits of e-marketing for new small businesses. I am also eager how to learn how to go about creating websites and aspects of e-marketing to build a customer base for my company. Seeing real life example of other companies e-marketing strategy would also be bennificial.