But it's a terrible way to treat your customers if you want them to click BUY!

Hello Content Creators!

There's something I noticed recently.

If you've shopped for face masks, you've probably noticed it, too.

There are a lot of brands that simply omit information.

In the case of face masks, it's the very information that would cause me to buy.

But without it, I leave the site and search for a competing brand.

For masks, it's the N95 rating. Or, at least telling me what micron size particle it'll filter out. This is information I can use to make sure it's going to protect me from COVID. Without it, I don't trust that the mask will do that.

Here's another example

I just got the new Sony A7S III, a camera I waited TWO years for. (Worth it)

It shoots 4K at extremely high quality and high frame rates.

Which meant I needed new, larger, faster memory cards to go in it. Because 120p 10-bit 4:2:0 4K footage sends a lot of data to the cards very quickly, and most cards can't handle that.

I usually buy SanDisk, and their top-level cards seemed like they'd work. The specs they listed met my criteria.

It's the specs they did NOT list that became an issue. The missing info was their "V rating", and it would have immediately let me know whether or not these cards would actually work in my new camera.

After doing more 3rd party research, I found out they are not fast enough.

I get why they left that out, because it clearly sets them behind their competition. And it would have immediately sent me looking for alternatives.

It could have been OK

Not every brand has everything for every customer, and that's OK.

If I trust your brand, I'll come back next time to see what you have.

SanDisk has been my first choice of SDXC cards for more than a decade. They're reliable, and I've never had one fail.

But intentionally leaving something out without explaining the omission?

And Ignoring those questions on your support page?

That broke my trust.

The few specs they do provide on their top-end cards imply they're adequately fast. They omitted info that proves they're not.

It's bad enough I found out after I ordered them.

Can you imagine if I had installed them and headed out into the field to shoot a project? Only to realize they couldn't handle the write speed required to capture full-blown 4K?

The takeaway

If you know there's info your customers want (or need), add it to your product descriptions and FAQs. And if you don't offer that feature, say so, and explain why.

Ignoring it is bad. It feels sneaky, like you're intentionally hiding something. Which erodes trust and sends customers (even long-term loyal ones!) running, likely never to return.

Another (sort of related) takeaway

The only way I found out the SanDisk cards wouldn't work before heading out on a job was by researching write speeds by 3rd party reviewers. As I've said before, there is immense value in sending your products out to editors, bloggers, and influencers for review.

Not only do consumers value this type of UGC (User Generated Content), but Google really likes it, too!

(If you're interested, here's the card speed comparison, and I ordered the ProGrade Digital V90 UHS-II cards, which are working out well.)

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A Recent Content Project

A couple years ago, I partnered with Niterider to produce a video about using blinky headlights and taillights while riding a bike. They wanted to show how much more visible they make cyclists to drivers, thereby improving everyone's safety.

Niterider could have made a similar video themselves, but there are two reasons it made more sense for us to do this on Bikerumor:

1. We have a massive audience, way bigger than Niterider does on their own.
2. We give this message 3rd party credibility.

Even though the video is clearly marked as "Presented by Niterider", it was still our script, our voice, and our unique presentation that lent this project credibility.

If you're looking to boost trust in your brand or expand your products' use cases, try partnering with a trusted media outlet or influencer to tell your story for you.

And let them get creative...Niterider trusted me to show the benefits in my own way, and to be honest, they questioned how well it would turn out. So I told them if they didn't like it, we'd try something different. That's important...you want a media partner that understands your goals and is willing to work with you to achieve them, but you also need to trust them to know how to best tell the story for their audience.

You can see the article here, and watch the video here.

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Cool Stuff I've Found

This week, it's all about audio quality.

If your brand is recording podcasts, doing voiceovers for your promo & YouTube videos, or just need to sound good in interviews and Zoom calls, this is the mic you want.

I've been using the Blue Yeti X for more than a year now, and the sound quality is amazing. It's incredibly sensitive, yet also able to block out ambient noise thanks to four distinct pickup pattern settings.

Before I started using this one, I had a lot of hiss coming through even though I (thought) I had a good mic. I was blown away with the improvement in sound quality by switching to the Yeti X.

At $169 (Amazon & Best Buy), it's super affordable, plugs into USB, has gain control and a headphone jack to monitor your output, and it just looks really cool.

If you're trying to step up your audio and video game (maybe you're into Clubhouse now? Or just doing a lot of Zoom calls?), get this mic.

Sounds good,

Tyler Benedict

PS - Could you share this with someone who's into marketing? Thanks!

PPS - If you're launching a Podcast, here's the 12 things you need to get right!

*Any items, services, or products mentioned in these emails are provided solely because I think you'll like them. Some links might be affiliate links, which earns me a small commission and helps support all the free content. Thanks!