Want to promote your company online? Some of the most popular strategies aren’t always the most effective ones. Here are just five strategies that modern digital marketing companies are saying no to, as well as advice on what you should do instead.
Faking reviews
It’s more important than ever before for companies to look after their reputation. The web has made it easy for everyday people to leave public negative reviews on sites like Trip Advisor or through the likes of Google Plus. There’s also the likes of Facebook and Twitter where anyone can criticise you. Many companies that have started to get negative reviews respond by creating fake positive reviews. This may involve getting friends and family to leave good reviews, or it could involve hiring a company to write these reviews.
Not only is this dishonest and morally questionable, quite often these fake reviews are easy to detect. Start encouraging your happy clientele to leave positive reviews that are real. Meanwhile respond to negative criticism politely as this will show people that you are professional. There are also reputation marketing management companies out there such as Pure Reputation that can help you to find other ways to build your credibility back.
Buying likes
This is a similarly dishonest tactic used for boosting one’s social media following. Buying likes has been proven to be ineffective, resulting in lots of follows from inactive users that leads to less reactions every time you post something. The likes of Facebook are also now taking action against people that buy likes, stripping away these likes if they suggest dodgy behaviour. You’re far better using Facebook and Twitter’s paid features of promoting posts, helping you to build a more natural following.
Keyword spamming
Many people believe that by overloading their website with keywords, their website will rank more highly on search engines such as Google. Whilst this may have been the case a decade and a half ago, obvious signs of keyword spamming can now have the opposite effect, with many search engines responding by negatively ranking your website. Keywords should be used naturally. There are SEO companies out there such as SMR Digital that can help to implement these keywords more organically. You can also pay to have your website appear at the top of Google’s first page using the sites advertising service Adwords.
Pop-up overdose
Another marketing strategy that can have the opposite effect on users is adding too many pop-ups to your website. Pop-ups are often used to help with conversion – they may ask visitors to subscribe or ask them if they need any help. Too many of them can become annoying and deter visitors who may be trying to get to vital information fast. Non-invasive pop-ups that appear as a small bubble in the corner of the screen may be better.
Direct messaging people on their private Facebook/Twitter account
If you’re looking to form a cross-promotion strategy with another business owner, think twice before asking them via their personal Twitter or Facebook account. Unless you know them in real life, this direct messaging could seem as if you’re invading their personal space. You’re far better off using LinkedIn, which is designed for networking with professionals.