For the past few weeks, we’ve been concerned that our Facebook Friend request that was accepted by Mila Kunis may not be from the real Mila. Maybe that’s why she hasn’t responded to our dinner invitations.

Phony pages are a recurring problem with Facebook, one that not only impacts celebrities but businesses as well. Anyone can set up a Facebook account claiming to be Justin Bieber or Pizza Hut, and then send out thousands of ‘Friend’ requests, to get other users to take the bait.

So How Do I Get Verified?

Email marketing has become a strategic staple for many companies – it’s cheap and it allows you to reach thousands of customers and prospects. However, it’s also a tactic that can be easily ignored, and one that some customers might find more annoying than helpful.

Because everyone now receives hundreds of emails that are neither wanted nor expected, the trick for marketers is to make sure the message is appealing enough to be read, and stands out from an inbox full of spam. One technique that has gained significant traction has been personalization.

A few weeks ago, we finished shooting a promotional video for one of our clients. We worked from a script approved by the company’s CEO, and collaborated with him on shot selection, content and editing. But when he saw the finished product, his response was underwhelming. It hadn’t turned out the way he had envisioned.

“All right, let’s move on to the next one,” he said. Instead, we offered to redo the first video to correct the areas he didn’t like. We were not obligated to do so, as we had worked from his vision. But we understand that sometimes an idea that sounds great doesn’t pan out. And we don’t want our clients paying for something that they won’t use.