Within its brief existence, the internet has evolved rapidly. Marketing companies have tried to keep up with the changing pace, trying out all forms of tactics. Some of these tactics have since been proven to be useless or even damaging, and whilst marketing companies have since dropped them, companies doing their own DIY marketing seem to still be using such methods. Here are some of those damaging marketing methods that you really should be avoiding (along with advice on what you should be doing instead!).
1. Keyword spamming
There was a time when adding lots of keywords to your website’s homepage could boost your rankings on search engines such as Google. However, this method has since become an outdated SEO tactic as this article Homepage SEO – Stop Targeting Key Phrases On Your Home Page discusses. Not only does it look spammy and make your website look less professional, but it can actually now negatively affect your search rankings due to changes in search engine algorithms. In all cases, you’re best off approaching an SEO company or naturally increasing your search rankings through blog content, social media link sharing and PR through online magazines and review sites.
2. Making social media posts wholly promotional
Many businesses are taking up Facebook and Twitter and using them for promotional purposes. Whilst you should advertise promotional content such as deals and offers through social media, it’s been proven that a balance of 20% promotional 80% non-promotional content works best. Non-promotional content such as photos, advice, motivational, trends, memes and news within your trade is much better at luring in new followers. Just take a look at what all the big brands are posting about – it’s not all promotions and deals.
3. Buying likes
Some companies on the internet will allow you to buy likes, allowing you to grow your following on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Whilst this can make your following look bigger, it has actually been proven to damage the effectiveness of your social media posts. The likes of Facebook are also now cracking down on people and companies that allow you to buy likes.
Instead, find other ways of growing your audience. Invite all your friends and family to like the page, and get your employees to do the same. Use paid promotional services such as Facebook’s ability to promote pages and posts. This will open you up to a new audience that actively like your page by choice.
4. Avoiding customer feedback
Customer feedback can help you receive positive and negative criticism. Positive criticism can be used to form testimonials and improve your reputation. Negative criticism can be used to make improvements to your business. Some companies are so afraid of the latter form of criticism that they will go out of their way to avoid it, disabling comments sections and staying off of review sites. Whilst this may help you to avoid potentially damaging criticism, it can also make your business look like it’s hiding something. Open yourself up to negative criticism and use it to your advantage. Reply to negative criticism on social media and review sites and aim to resolve it by offering incentives to return such as discounts – this will look much better on your public image.
5. False scarcity
Constantly claiming that offers are ‘limited’ or that you only have a certain amount of stock left when you in fact have more can be damaging to your business. It may work at first, but people will eventually cotton on to the fact that you’re lying and it will start to come across as spammy and desperate. It’s alright to have limited offers, but there can’t be a limited offer on all the time!