Are Online Marketers Sabotaging Their Own Efforts?

As a whole it seems that online marketers appear to be overlooking how savvy consumers are today. In an effort to generate sales and good will some businesses may in fact be sabotaging their own efforts. Marketing on the internet involves identifying your target audience and their needs. These needs are then addressed through a promotional plan specifically developed for your audience. The trend today however indicates the use of more 'generic' online marketing strategies relying heavily upon over the top claims and gifting. These strategies as effective as they may be for some could in fact be sabotaging future marketing efforts while creating a certain cynicism amongst consumers.

Here a 3 commonly used online marketing strategies that may unknowingly be having an adverse effect on the buying habits of savvy online consumers today.

Unrealistic Claims

Speaking about product features and benefits and how they will fill a need or desire is a great way to get people to take a desired action. There is a thin line however between realistic claims of such benefits and pushing the envelope a bit too far. Making $24,000.00 in 4 minutes or claims as such tend to go a little 'over the top' towards 'tempting' consumers to make a purchase.

Although many marketing on the internet have found success with such strategies how long will these approaches continue to work? It has become so commonplace to over hype products and services in this way that many if not most consumers pay no attention to some ads anymore. Their attitude has become much like that towards the physical 'junk mail' they receive and discard without even glancing at it.

The question here is will consumers tend to ignore even legitimate claims as we move forward into the future? Remember Peter and the Wolf?

Transparent 'Scarcity' Claims

The common use of the 'One Time Offer' or scarcity claims on digital products no longer has the impact it did. At one point this was a very effective part of the promotional plan used by people to 'encourage' a buying decision. The effect has weakened significantly now due mainly to sales pages and ads that continue to show up making these same claims for weeks and months at a time. Many consumers take these statements as insulting to their intelligence and thereby disregard them.

The Overuse of Free Giveaways

Periodically offering 'free gifts' is a great way to gain good will and favor with potential customers. Many online marketing strategies today however use this tactic on an ongoing basis.

Firstly this does not employ the use of 'conventional' marketing skills and techniques but instead makes it more a contest as to who has the most 'gifts' to give away. Secondly and of more significance is this type approach actually erodes the motivation for customers to purchase anything. With all the 'giveaways' flying about why spend money on a product when it may eventually be offered as a free gift?

Has this now 'dulled' the appreciation consumers once had for the generous gestures these free gifts once represented in the past?

As savvy as consumers are today online marketers need to take greater care in their liberal use of certain online marketing strategies. Marketers tend to be adopting the use of a more 'generic' promotional plan that uses strong claims and excessive gifting as opposed to a more subtle but persuasive approach. As a result consumers are becoming more 'jaded' by the transparency of many 'excessive' claims and even 'spoiled' with the expectancy to be continually lavished with gifts. Where this can lead to is a diminishing return on future marketing efforts transforming the industry of online marketing into a free giveaway carnival!