The right ways to use technology in marketing

This guest post is contributed by Grant Dobbins, who writes on the topic of graphic design degree . He welcomes your comments at his email id: grant.dobbins @ gmail . com.

Competition is what drives business; it eliminates cartels and monopolies and establishes an equal platform for merchants to sell their goods and services. It is also the reason marketing becomes necessary; in a sea of equals, the fish with the best marketing efforts emerges the strongest and most powerful, and this is why organizations go all out to promote their business and reel in customers. They have a powerful tool in technology – today, thanks to the immense volume of data available and the technology that allows you to sort, process and analyze it, it is possible to target customers based on their preferences, likes and dislikes, and use various forms of technology to get the marketing message across to them. However, technology is useful only when it is wielded wisely, and if misused in the marketing field, it can end up alienating instead of winning over customers. In order to use technology correctly, marketers must ensure that:

• They don’t intrude on customers’ privacy: Telemarketing and cold calling may be effective marketing ploys, but when they intrude into the private lives of customers, you’re going to be at the receiving end of their ire. Some marketers even go so far as to call continuously even after they’ve been told by customers both politely and not so politely to stop bothering them. Marketing technology must be incisive, not intrusive. It must ensure that the right message reaches the customer, at the right time and the right place. If technology cannot help with this, then it’s useless as a marketing tool.
• They don’t harass or annoy customers: If you’ve seen a marketing website that uses pop-ups to push their message to the customer, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Very often, the pop-up blocks most of the screen, the close button is hard to find, and most irritating of all, it keeps popping up from time to time, as if you weren’t annoyed enough the first time. Such ploys only make customers angry and leave your site rather than stay and take a look at all that you have to offer.
• They don’t ignore existing customers for new ones: Most marketers are guilty of this error; they use technology to reach out to new customers and in the process forget that they have a loyal customer base that does not understand technology because they’re part of the older generation. And so they end up losing a sure thing in the pursuit of something that seems more appealing. Technology in marketing is useful only if the customer understands and appreciates its role.
• They don’t resort to underhand and unethical methods: And finally, marketers who resort to shady practices to lure customers never manage to find the ones that stay loyal and prove to be worthy. Your tricks may win you a few customers, but the majority wise up to your ruses and steer clear of you. Half truths and omissions too count as lies in this business, so be very careful about what you put in your message.

When technology is used unwisely in the field of marketing, it hinders rather than helps the purpose.