The Disadvantages Of Contextual Marketing
Martech Outlook | Wednesday, April 29, 2020
Contextual marketing is an online marketing strategy in which individuals are offered advertisements based on their search keywords or recent browsing behavior.
FREMONT, CA: Contextual marketing has been a popular buzzword in the marketing community in recent years. While the concept of contextual marketing is still expanding, it typically refers to the distribution of marketing messages tailored to the recipient's context, such as where they are or what they are doing at the time. Contextual marketing proponents say that contextual data—particularly when combined with other data about a customer or prospect—enables businesses to create more meaningful customer experiences and increase marketing effectiveness.
In some ways, contextual marketing is just the modern manifestation of the age-old marketing objective of sending the appropriate message to the right person at the proper time and place. Contextual marketing is increasingly feasible today because businesses have greater access to customer data, including real-time information about the client's current location and current (or very recent) activities. Contextual marketing will necessitate a fundamental shift in marketing practice, the most significant shift away from channel-focused, campaign-driven marketing communications.
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The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) issued a paper earlier this year that provides an insightful analysis of the difficulties inherent in making contextual marketing work.
The EIU and its panel of experts highlight four fundamental problems that marketers must overcome to use contextual marketing effectively:
Privacy: It is already alluring to collect as much data as possible about customers and prospects, and the availability of contextual data adds to the allure. If marketers use contextual data to create the impression that customers are being "followed," many customers may want to prevent such data collection.
Interpretation: It can also be difficult for businesses to accurately understand contextual data, as its meaning is frequently obscure.
Relevant Content: Today's marketing technology enables businesses to offer marketing messages in near real-time in reaction to customer activities. However, organizations must be able to give detailed, relevant, and persuasive information to reap the benefits of contextual marketing. This will necessitate businesses to develop a considerably more prominent number of granular content assets.
New Marketing Techniques: To take full advantage of contextual marketing, businesses will require marketing management and content generation methods that are significantly more adaptable and agile than traditional marketing tactics.
Without a doubt, contextual marketing offers significant benefits; nevertheless, marketers will need the right creative and marketing talents and the appropriate technical tools to make contextual marketing a reality.
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