The revolution in technology and the internet has changed the world into a better place. But the impact it has on businesses can not be neglected. A few years ago, we witnessed companies running without emails, Google, PayPal, etc.
But now, it is even hard to imagine what businesses will look like in the absence of the internet. One of the significant components of any business is marketing. We have come a long way from traditional marketing, where television, newspapers, and radio were the only medium for marketing.
According to Wordstream, 72% of overall marketing budgets get put towards digital marketing channels. However, one harsh reality is that the number of scams and frauds is also rising with the growth of the internet. We have seen the most frauds in the internet era than ever before. According to a study, consumers have lost $770 million in online marketing scams.
This shows how easily scammers and fraudulent are taking advantage of this growing industry.
4 Common Digital Marketing Methods
We had a chat with marketing strategist and co-founder of Resourcifi, Faisal Abidi to understand how businesses can ace digital marketing without spending excessively. He walked us through the four main methods:
- Content marketing
This digital marketing type uses storytelling and information sharing to promote products and services. Content marketing uses copywriting techniques to create urgency in consumers’ minds to buy products or services.
- Social Media Marketing
Here, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., are used for advertising products and services and for attracting customers.
- Email marketing
We all receive emails from companies promoting and selling their goods. This can be extremely effective as it helps to give a personal touch to your reach-outs. We can also run compelling campaigns through email marketing.
- Affiliate marketing
It happens when a person or an organization sells another company’s products and services to generate a commission. Many influencers are involved with affiliate marketing as it bridges the gap between consumer and customer.
Read More: 10 Digital Marketing Trends You Need To Know About
Scams and Frauds In Digital Marketing
As pointed out by Faisal Abidi, scams have become a concern for digital marketers. While this ever-growing industry is changing and revolutionizing the marketing industry, its shortcomings are like every other industry it has. It is recorded that the fraudulent activities in digital marketing cost millions of dollars to both businesses and consumers. Here are some common scams and frauds in the digital marketing industry:-
1. Calls From Spammy Digital Marketers
This is a very common digital marketing scam. Not all websites are perfect; keep this in mind, scammers and fraudsters do fake calls to business owners and claim that they can fix their websites in an ideal way. Usually, they introduce themselves as a digital marketer, which is not valid. Such scammy tactics are often difficult to spot and avoid.
If you receive a call like this, don’t rush in a hurry and unknowingly make a deal with scammers. Take to your web developer first in this case and ask them to resolve the issue.
2. Fake Portfolios
Whenever you hire any digital marketer, says Faisal, one thing that matters the most is their portfolio. There are numerous fake people online claiming themselves to be digital marketers. Portfolios matter, but it is effortless to build a fake portfolio. Before giving them your hard-earned cash, review their portfolio clearly to build trust. One of the best ways is to call their previous clients and check if they are genuine or not.
3. Fake Top Ranking Promises
With effective SEO methods up your sleeve and with proper keyword management, you can generate a lot of traction quickly.
However, SEO is not magic. Here, Faisal Abidi interjects that driving organic traffic to your website requires time and effort. Anyone who guarantees you that it will happen suddenly is making fake promises and is probably a scammer. Google made a straightforward statement and warned businesses to approach such claims with caution. It also stressed upon the fact that it does not have special relationships with SEO agencies.
4. Fake Social Media Followers
Increasing social media followers is one of the top priorities for any business. It is hard to get your brand recognized among consumers without many followers. But some digital marketers take advantage of this situation for selfish motives. Every digital marketer focuses on increasing the number of followers for a company. But ver, few have a proven and ethical blueprint for doing so. Most of the promises made by digital marketers to increase their client’s followers are usually fake. If any digital marketer encourages you to buy fake followers, it is time to step back. As per search engines, only organic and ethical followers benefit a brand’s reputation. If a business has fake followers, it can harm its brand value.
5. Fraudulent Digital Marketing Agencies
Due to the exponential growth of digital marketing, there are thousands of digital marketing companies across the globe. But not everyone is authentic, and in fact, as told to us by Faisal Abidi, most are fake and spammy. Be extra careful while hiring a digital marketing firm for your business. Choosing a genuine digital marketing firm will bring favorable results to your business and your bank account. Get a clear understanding of the plan which your service provider will follow. If the company fails or refuses to tell you how they will digitize your business, then step back.
Read More: Predictions for Ad Fraud in 2022
The fortune and future belong to those businesses marketing their products and services online. Possibly, we will see that no company will be left without an online presence. From small companies to big giants, everyone will shift from traditional marketing to digital marketing in the coming future.
Besides the undeniable benefits this industry holds, we also need to keep ourselves well informed from being getting scammed. Scams and frauds are prevalent in the digital marketing industry, and maybe they will continue in the future. Therefore it is crucial to have the necessary awareness to protect yourself from these frauds.
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