admin Posted on 2:46 pm

Why a Business Should Avoid Abusive Marketing Tactics

We all know that abusive behavior towards others is a disgusting reality. Many have been taught to turn a blind eye to such behavior and not get involved. Unfortunately, by doing so, the cycle of abuse continues until and unless someone says enough and steps forward to say no more.

While we can’t equate abuse of a person with abuse in marketing, in a way the same can be said for certain marketing tactics. Companies must learn to stop the cycle.

Companies want their audience to know that they are the best and that they should be the place to go for whatever is on offer. Too many, however, use abusive marketing when trying to attract an audience.

What is abusive marketing? Marketing abuse is the practice of downgrading or downgrading a competitor in order for your company to shine.

Not only is it immoral, but in many places it is illegal.

Morality and legality aside, why would one company use another’s smear to promote itself? If the products and/or services a company offers are worth offering, why consider cheapening them with abusive marketing tactics? In fact, why bring in the competition to begin with?

We have all seen the “wars” that break out between this service provider and that service provider on national television and over the Internet. AT&T and Verizon are a perfect example. For years we watched them criticize each other by showing how “their” company compares and stands out from each other.

The audience’s disgust towards both increased. Instead of consumers touting the benefits of using one service over another, consumers began attacking their provider of choice. Negative marketing showed the public that it was not only okay to be dissatisfied, but to expect more from whatever company they chose. When expectations rose higher than service, negative word-of-mouth marketing exploded.

Fortunately for these two companies they realized their mistake and started marketing differently. However, it will take a while for consumers to forget the abusive marketing tactics used. Being large corporations, these two mega-industries can weather the storm.

If your business is not among the ranks of a Fortune 500 company, are you willing to take the risk and employ predatory marketing tactics?

Instead of downgrading or downgrading your competition, look to use positive marketing tactics. If your company has been in business for a long time, promote that fact. If your organization is an award recipient, make sure your audience knows about it. Encourage your customer service staff to always be pleasant and helpful. Never try to cheat your customers, but offer quality for value. Thank your customers for their business. Ask your customers how you can improve. Most importantly, never lower your standards by actively dismissing the competition.

Learn how to stop the cycle of marketing abuse and become a positive marketing leader instead. Your customers will thank you.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *