Black Hat Social Media Marketing: An Emerging Threat

Before, there is a so called Black Hat SEO that is by doing unethical practices just to rank their desired keywords in search engine.  There are several ways in knowing black hat SEO; with this they can easily outrank their competitors. However, the result of this is just temporary and worst your website will be doomed by search engines. Due to ever-changing algorithm of Google this aberrant practices are no longer effective and will just harm your website.

Social Media such as Facebook, Twitter and Google+ is mostly used my netizens.  According to research almost 72% of internet users are active in social media sites. They tend to consume their time not on researching but rather through socializing with their friends.  Internet Marketers grab this opportunity to advertise their websites.  There are now tons of social groups and Automated “LIKES”, "TWEETS" and “FOLLOWERS” Software that have been made that violates the terms and conditions of social media website.

So, what are these Black Hat Social Media Practices that are now emerging in Internet world.

1.  As I mentioned above, there are thousands who are making applications for Automated LIKES, TWEETS and FOLLOWERS.  Once you purchased and used this third party program, you will gain instant thousand LIKES, TWEETS and FOLLOWERS to your page.  Of course this is an advantage to your website, this is “social signals”, however, you are in the wrong place, these likes and followers are all fakes and will not bring traffic or conversion to your website.  Another thing with this program, this bogus Likes, Tweets and Followers are not your prospect audience and will not give you sale.  You are just consuming your time.

2. Youtube Views and Subscribers.  Youtube is the 2nd search engine that mostly internet users used in searching.  That’s why online marketers used this as one of the avenues in promoting their website.  They hire a person who will make them an advertising video about their website and upload it in Youtube.com. This is great idea. Your customer can easily understand what you are selling or what your website is about.  However, with a few viewers and subscribers your video is in vain so as your website. Black Hat Social Media practitioners used some software that also generates views and subscribers to your playlist; this not a good way to make your video famous.  This is a fake views and subscribers.

3. Creating Fake Social Media Profiles.  This is very effective way of liking, commenting and gathering information about your competitors.  At first they will like your page, comment good and enticing words for you to respond with their queries, but once they already get the needed information they will now strike to your website or imitate your strategy.  In addition, they will also give you fake negative reviews.  They will compare your website and to their site giving them a positive reviews while you are on the opposite reviews.  This is another way of making social media as unreliable source.

4. Social Groups.  Making social media groups is easy as ABC.  You can invite your friends to discuss something that is related to your group’s description. You can comment to each other.  Now, where is the black hat here?  Social groups are also being exploited by social media marketers by posting irrelevant content to such group.  For instance, the group is about Renting Property in the Philippines, of course the members should be realty brokers, hotel owners, condominium owners, house and lot owners etc., but this opportunist people will join to your group and post unnecessary advertisement that is against to your guidelines.  They spammed your group’s wall with same or unrelated content.

I hope this article enlightens you about this rising unscrupulous strategy.  You should be vigilant of doing your social media marketing and avoid this because it might cause threat to your traffic. If you have any questions, feel free to comment and let’s discuss it accordingly.