What is fake and what is real? This is a concept that continues to pose new and changing questions to our online experience. In an increasingly uncertain world of online social activity there is one method to explain many of these issues: bot activity. A bot is a software application that is designed to complete certain tasks. Recently in the marketing world, there as been a major increase in the activity and application of these bots. You can find bots adding likes to a company’s photos, adding activity and interactions to a company’s website or even creating fake reviews to promote products.
The effect that bots have on marketing legitimacy and effectiveness is detrimental to marketers. And here is why this is the case.
With the use of bots there is a skewed view of information to both the consumer and to the brand. If a brand needs to employ the approach of using fake bots to reflect additional “likes” or positive reviews and feedback they are simply posing as a brand that promises something they cannot deliver on. If a brand cannot deliver on their promises, your customers loyalty is lost. A company may be able to take advantage of this strategy to get a “first time buyer” but if they cannot deliver the consumer will not become a loyal customer.
For example, Sarah is looking for a handbag and checks “Michelle Flors” Instagram account and she sees glowing reviews that highlight the brands durability and quality product (sure enough these are bot reviews). Sarah has been looking for a bag that could deliver EXACTLY THAT, so she orders this bag, excitedly. Upon arrival she is already having issues with the zipper, and within days notices the stitching starting to fray. Not only will Sarah be returning this bag, but she has learned that Michelle Flors does not deliver on their promises. They have now lost Sarah as a loyal customer.
Ultimately, regardless of fake positive reviews, the company will show its true performance and capabilities and their consumers will see it too. Seth Godin says “Knowing [the] story your customer tells himself is insufficient. You still have to act on it, open the door to possibility and organize the entire experience around that story.” If you are selling your consumer on fabricated qualities through fake reviews you better be sure to deliver that promised experience. And if you cannot meet that promise, you will lose their loyalty.
In addition, the company as a whole is skewing their own information. It is essential for every company to take customer feedback and apply it to their marketing plan moving forward. When a company utilizes fake reviews and fake feedback they will face major challenges deciphering where they can improve and where they can best serve their customers moving forward.
Bots, while an effective immediate approach, do not create a long term or sustainable marketing plan. As marketers we need to explore our consumers, understand them, and deliver a product that will create authentic conversation about its posed benefits.
