I’ve already talked about smoke and mirrors, but there’s a darker side to digital marketing that many ignore (or practice).
Not everything is fair game when it comes to getting customers or “visibility”:
👻 Fake indicators: Buying likes, followers, comments, reviews. It’s bread for today, hunger for tomorrow. Platforms (and users) are increasingly detecting these tricks.
🤖 Trolls and bots: Using armies of fake accounts or paid people to inflate trends, attack competitors, or generate comments.
🕵️ Selling databases / Cold leads: Buying personal information without consent. Not only is it illegal, it’s disrespectful to the user. Do you like being spammed? Neither do your potential customers.
😈 Account hijacking: Providers who keep your access (domain, hosting, social media, ad accounts) to “tie you” to a contract. Your digital assets are yours!
🤥 Paid relevance: Paying to delete negative history or inflate your online reputation. The truth always comes out.
Digital marketing is a powerful tool, yes, but with great power comes great responsibility. Transparency, ethics, and good customer service are worth more than any shady shortcut.
Have you been a victim or witness to these practices? Tell your stories.
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