Digital Marketing has become more popular after involvement of modern
technologies in businesses. It has completely changed the traditional marketing
methods and compelled marketers to stay connected with their consumers or
customers via internet for selling their products and services. Consequently,
the marketers must consider and analyze both advantages and disadvantages of
digital marketing while planning the best marketing strategies and setting business goals.
Why digital marketing is important? Due to high efficiency and
effectiveness, Digital Marketing has recognized by all business entities and
now it is growing faster with every passing day. Soon, it will become easier
for small businesses to compete their large-scale competitors at the same
platform. So digital marketing has become a crucial need of small as well as
large scale businesses in today’s digital environment. Let’s look on Advantages and Disadvantages of Digital Marketing.
Advantages of Digital Marketing
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| Digital Marketing has a lot of benefits than physical. (Photo by Gerd Altmann) |
Digital Marketing can be successful and advantageous after
utilizing different tools and techniques. These tools help marketers to get maximum benefits of
digital marketing such as:
Easy Consumer Reach
Digital Marketing is an effective way of communication for
companies to target a large number of potential consumers at the same time.
Using the internet channel for marketing is a quick approach to target a number
of potential consumers and prospects at same time all over the world. Social Media Marketing has also revolutionized these marketing activities on
different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest
etc.
Direct Advertising
Digital Marketing enables direct advertising and creates awareness
about a product or a brand. Now the companies can easily show their
advertisements for products and services on different digital channels. But a
good online advertising strategy and promotional tools can help digital marketers
to perform well in highly competitive marketing environment.
Perpetually Displaying Ads
Digital Marketing makes advertisements more accessible to target
customers at any time or any place. There is no time and place limitation for
the prospects to visit any website and view ads. The perpetually displayed ads
attract the prospects to get in touch with you and find the products and
services of their need. But these ads should be managed efficiently to display
on a webpage. See the four-step process to display Ads on a webpage as well.
Global Advertisements
This is one of the most effective benefits of Digital Marketing
that enables the companies to make advertisements internationally and expand
their customer reach to other countries across geographical boundaries.
Easy Brand Promotion
With the development of new technologies and use of internet in
business, the brands may take a great advantage of customers reach and
communicate its clients successfully.
Cost Effective Channel
Using the internet, Digital Marketing is found cost-effective and
cheaper source of advertising as compared to traditional marketing channels
like T.V, Radio, Magazines, Newspapers, and Banners etc. Digital marketing
allows marketers to set their advertising campaigns subject to availability of
their budget. Mostly, the websites and business profiles (displaying ads and
information about products or services) generate huge traffic for free. Social
media, with its numerous benefits has played a vital role in promoting digital marketing
activities. Social Media Marketing platforms such
as Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, Blogs, Yelp, Instagram, and
YouTube etc. also provide a huge traffic source.
Consumer’s Convenience to Shop Online
Due to more popularity and capabilities of digital marketing,
customers have become more convenient to shop online at any time (24/7 basis)
whether the shops are over or across the borders. Digital Marketing has
opened-up an opportunity for companies and retailers to direct its customers to
an outlet of the online store.
Accountability of Marketing Activity
Digital Marketing enables the companies to measure their marketing
activities such as digital marketing is working or not, the amount of activity,
and the conversation that is involved. Digital marketing also helps marketers
to evaluate and audit their online contents for quality purposes.
Helping Marketers’ Career
Digital Marketing has become a beneficial career for the
individuals who are familiar with implementing digital marketing strategy and
helping companies to expand their brands to target customers through internet.
Disadvantages of Digital Marketing
No doubt, Digital Marketing is an expansion tool for the
businesses but it is facing some limitations or hindrances. Some of these
limitations are:
Limitation of Internet Access
The Digital marketing is closely reliant on internet. In some
areas, internet facility may not be accessible to the consumers or with poor
internet connections. The Digital Marketing can be unsuccessful in those areas
having no or limited internet accessibility.
Limited Consumer Link and Conversation
As digital marketing is highly dependent on internet, so the
marketers may find it hard to make their advertisements more comprehensive and
start a conversation with their consumers about the company brand image or
products.
High Competition of Brands
Digital Marketing has a drawback when a customer searches for a
specific product of a specific company on internet, many competing goods, and
services having same marketing strategies appear on the customer’s home page.
This conflicts the customers and provides an alternative option to choose
cheaper and better quality product of another company. As a result, some
customers lack the trust on a lot of advertisements that appear on a website or
social media and consider it as fraud and look like a dishonest brand.
Risk of Hacking Strategies
The risk of hacking promotion strategies of a company always rests
on digital channels (internet) that is one of the drawbacks of digital
marketing. The hackers or competitors can easily track and copy the valuable
promotional strategies of a well-renowned company and can utilize for their
purposes.
Anti-Brand Activities (Doppelganger)
Another drawback of digital marketing is that even a person or
group of persons can harm the image of a recognized brand through 'Doppelganger'.
Anti-brand activists, bloggers, and opinion leaders spread the term
‘Doppelganger’ to disapprove the image of a certain brand.
Advertisement for Limited Products
Another practical drawback of Digital Marketing is that it is only
beneficial for consumer goods. The industrial goods and pharmaceutical products
cannot be marketed through digital channels. The aforementioned information may
help digital marketers to understand the strengths and weaknesses of Digital
Marketing. To learn more about digital marketing, visit the links under related
posts.
