One of the trends that cosmetic manufacturers with an increasing investment in social media marketing are hoping to cash in on is skin care testimonials.
While several testimonials about products could be part of advertising strategies by the manufacturers, there are many customers who upload testimonials on their blogs and social networking accounts because they want to introduce effective products they liked to their friends and warn them about bad products.
The first thing a consumer does today before buying any product is to go online and check for experiences of other customers with these products.
A variety of cosmetics users and others upload their experience with a particular product onto the web.
Sometimes these are responses to queries from other readers or just simply beauty blogs and websites.
These articles are meant to give customers an idea of what the product can do.
With an increasing array of skin care products becoming available, customers regularly turn to skin care testimonials to help them decide which products to buy.
How is a customer to decide whether a skin care testimonial is the authentic experience of another customer or paid publicity by the manufacturers? Frankly, the differences are very hard to tell.
However there are several things you can look for while reading skin care testimonials that prevent you from falling for whatever is written.
Firstly, skin care testimonials provided on the websites of cosmetics manufacturers must always be taken with a pinch of salt.
They are most often advertisements in a different format.
Look at independent blogs, discussion forums and other such places for more reliable testimonials.
There is a lot you can understand from the tone, style and language of skin care testimonials.
Most genuine users would share their experiences in a clear and precise manner with little care for grammar and punctuation, for e.
g.
'love X's night cream.
Works great on my acne scars".
If the testimonial seems to be overtly well written with a persuasive tone then most probably it is a fake one.
Also look for specific information such as what were the exact effects of the product and what the initial skin conditions were like.
General talks on how a cream can make you look younger etc.
are often misleading statements.
Lastly, if testimonials are overtly brand conscious discussing only one brand in every testimonial or if the testimonial redirects you to links for making purchases, placing orders or gaining more information about the product, then these are definitely 'advertismonials' or testimonials which are advertisements.
While several testimonials about products could be part of advertising strategies by the manufacturers, there are many customers who upload testimonials on their blogs and social networking accounts because they want to introduce effective products they liked to their friends and warn them about bad products.
The first thing a consumer does today before buying any product is to go online and check for experiences of other customers with these products.
A variety of cosmetics users and others upload their experience with a particular product onto the web.
Sometimes these are responses to queries from other readers or just simply beauty blogs and websites.
These articles are meant to give customers an idea of what the product can do.
With an increasing array of skin care products becoming available, customers regularly turn to skin care testimonials to help them decide which products to buy.
How is a customer to decide whether a skin care testimonial is the authentic experience of another customer or paid publicity by the manufacturers? Frankly, the differences are very hard to tell.
However there are several things you can look for while reading skin care testimonials that prevent you from falling for whatever is written.
Firstly, skin care testimonials provided on the websites of cosmetics manufacturers must always be taken with a pinch of salt.
They are most often advertisements in a different format.
Look at independent blogs, discussion forums and other such places for more reliable testimonials.
There is a lot you can understand from the tone, style and language of skin care testimonials.
Most genuine users would share their experiences in a clear and precise manner with little care for grammar and punctuation, for e.
g.
'love X's night cream.
Works great on my acne scars".
If the testimonial seems to be overtly well written with a persuasive tone then most probably it is a fake one.
Also look for specific information such as what were the exact effects of the product and what the initial skin conditions were like.
General talks on how a cream can make you look younger etc.
are often misleading statements.
Lastly, if testimonials are overtly brand conscious discussing only one brand in every testimonial or if the testimonial redirects you to links for making purchases, placing orders or gaining more information about the product, then these are definitely 'advertismonials' or testimonials which are advertisements.
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