The Disadvantages of Modern Marketing Methods

Modern marketing methods such as email marketing, social media marketing and other web-based marketing, offer huge advantages over more traditional marketing methods. They are faster, more specific and less expensive, often free.

But they have disadvantages as well.

The Internet Remembers Everything

One of the biggest is that anything you create and post online is permanent and instantly accessible to anybody on the web. That means you need to not mistakenly post something that is inappropriate, misinformed, objectionable or misguided.
It will live forever on the internet, even if you attempt to delete it or remove it.

A lot of internet users have learned this lesson the hard way. Just ask high school students whose college applications have been rejected because of photos they posted from drinking parties.

Or that unlucky politician who send “private” photos to an inappropriate recipient.
To only to see their intimate images end up on newspaper front pages.

Keep It Clean and Family-Friendly

Anytime a new technology changes the marketplace, there is a learning curve. People require time adjust to the new opportunities and pitfalls that the improvements offer. This is precisely what is happening today with internet marketing.

It’s a good idea to always keep your emails, social media postings, or any postings completely professional and free of questionable content. Do this to avoid disenfranchising a portion of your existing or future customer base.

Although it’s important that your postings be positive, fun and approachable, avoid using any kind of questionable language; making jokes that could be considered racist, sexist or offensive to any group of people; or even expressing controversial political or social opinions.

Act Like a True Professional

Whether it is a private email, a Facebook status update, a Twitter “tweet” or a throwaway comment on somebody’s blog post. Whatever you post online will live forever online. Which can always come back to haunt you.

Be professional, show restraint and avoid posting anything that could in any way get you into trouble later.

Take Full Advantage of Automation

One of the biggest advantages of email marketing is that list generation and maintenance is mostly automated.

Your autoresponder program will take care of capturing and compiling the email addresses of people who respond to your inquiries. It does so in any combination of email lists you require.

Your autoresponder will send out targeted emails to every address on each of the lists. This happens without your ever having to “touch” any of the addresses by manually inputting or altering it in any way. This cuts down on emails being sent to the wrong address. So people won’t receive your marketing materials when they don’t want them.

Give Customers an ‘Out’

However, some maintenance is required from you to keep your list timely and accurate.  Always offer an “opt-out” box on any email that you send out. This helps you to maintain good customer relations.

This option asks the customer if they would like to stop receiving emails and promotions from you.

It has the dual benefit. Firstly, making your customer think you care about what they want. Secondly, cleans up your email list by removing people who aren’t interested in your products.

If customers ask you to stop sending them your emails, you need to comply with their wishes. If you don’t, there is a good possibility they will report you. Your account maybe suspended or even banned, which could put you out of commission. It’s also simply good business.

Stop sending emails to recipients if they fail to respond or even open one of your emails after several attempts. In most cases, your autoresponder program will be able to keep track of this. You can then determine the number of attempts prior to terminating the address automatically.

So keep these disadvantages in mind when using any modern marketing methods.

Nicky and Dave