Digital marketing, a boon for many and a bane for some.
In my previous articles, I have spoken about what digital marketing is and how it can help a business to grow exponentially. However, today I’d like you all to take a different point of view. Together we are going to explore whether digital marketing is a boon or a bane.
With the increasing competition, companies now are more than ever trying to use digital media to attract their customers and increase their business. However, by doing so companies have started cluttering the social media platforms and search engines with advertisements, driving the consumers to develop conscious awareness to pay selective attention to adverts.
This means that not everything that a marketer is putting across the platform is being absorbed by the customer and a company needs to rise above the clutter to make sure that the message is conveyed.
While it revolutionises the communication between the consumer and the organization, with online platforms individuals have the power to drastically impact the company’s brand image. How so?
Well, since consumers are now able to share online reviews on social media and create user-generated content when evaluating a brand, presenting feedback can be critical to a brand, as it can amplify criticisms.
The social media either provides a medium for dissenters to join the ‘debate’ or creates a hostile situation for a brand due to the involvement of diverging opinions. Hence, brands lose control over their narratives and marketers face challenges to control these criticisms, which negatively impact the brand’s image.
Another issue for brands and firms to consider is the threat to customer security. Often companies can get involved in legal battles around collecting and using customer data for digital marketing purposes. Similarly, companies face threats of piracy. With social media being so transparent, companies often witness their promotional strategies being copied by their rivals, impacting the campaign’s exclusivity.
Besides, it is undeniable that digital marketing can deliver favourable results for businesses provided the activities and plans are accomplished correctly. To comment on whether digital marketing is a boon for many and a bane for some, I would say that it all depends on how well a company is able to manage the issues mentioned above.
Hope this helped you see the downsides to digital marketing. Let me know your takeaways in the comments.
