I subscribe to a blog/newsletter via email.   I’ve learned a few tidbits over time and get some chuckles every so often.  My impression before Saturday was that it was an email I would regularly open.

They published a story last week about the big UFC match between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin.  I forwarded a copy to my friend Roheblius who knows everything about boxing, MMA and other fighting sports.  Roheblius has been following this stuff for years and knows the fight game inside out.  His response floored me. Some of the information in that newsletter was wrong! I don’t mean disputed information like “Who discovered America?”, but factually inaccurate.   Not typos either.  I would be most forgiving of those.

I had suggested to Roheblius that he might want to subscribe. Now I’m wondering if I put too much faith in a usually unsourced publication and if I’m comfortable ever sending a copy to anyone else or even reading the information. The doubt that entered my mind is the same kind of doubt you can unknowingly pass along to a prospect with misinformation in your marketing or on your website.

Your advertising claims, your website copy and your images need to be spot-on accurate.  Your takeaway as a small businessperson is that a lack of accuracy kills credibility.  You can’t guess or use folklore or street knowledge or any other guesswork.  If you print it, you have to know. Without credibility, your small business won’t last long when there are plenty of alternative businesses that can do the same things and be factually accurate while doing so.