How Will Net Neutrality Affect Online Marketing | How Will Net Neutrality Affect Online Marketing?

The debate over net neutrality rages on and, regardless of what side of the argument you’re on, it’s an issue that affects everything in our connected world. While the topic of net neutrality continues to be fiercely debated, few are paying attention to the direct impact that these discussions have on marketing and more specifically, on online marketing.

What is #NetNeutrality?

Simply put, Net Neutrality is the concept that all data – whether it be video, images, text, or applications – should be treated equally by internet service providers (ISPs) when it comes to loading and downloading content.

The neutrality debate first became prominent after the FCC tried to classify broadband under Title II of the Telecommunications Act of 1934. This unprecedented action would have given the FCC the power to regulate ISPs as public utilities and ensure that they treat all content equally. However, this attempt was blocked by a federal judge who cited the lack of evidence that ISPs were unfairly favoring some content over others. In response, the FCC revised broadband classification to include it under Title I, which prevents them from regulating ISPs.

Broadband service providers will continue to be regulated by the states, where different regulations apply. Some states, like California, have regulated broadband as a public utility and adopted rules that prohibit providers from discriminating based on content. So, while much of the public debate surrounds the issue of net neutrality, few are talking about how it will affect their daily lives. That’s because most people don’t know or care about the details of how broadband providers work.

What Will Be The Impact Of Net Neutrality On Online Marketing?

The simple answer is, none. At least not directly. While there are some isolated examples of ISPs blocking or throttling content, as mentioned, these are currently illegal under U.S. law. So, for the most part, the impact of net neutrality on online marketers will be minimal. That is, unless you’re running a website or blog that relies heavily on third party content, like free images from creative commons or videos from YouTube.

Let’s take a quick look at how these third party content creators will be affected by net neutrality.

YouTube Will Fall Under Regulated Mode

One of the most prominent examples of how net neutrality will affect online marketers is YouTube. As we’ve all become accustomed to, YouTube is a major source of news, gossip, and entertainment content. Most importantly, YouTube creators can make a lot of money off advertisements (especially sponsored ones) and live chat revenue. Now that we know that ISPs will no longer be able to prioritize some content over others, YouTube creators will have to resort to other monetization methods like affiliate marketing or selling and displaying ads on their site.

Even today, YouTube adverts occasionally punish users with black screens or small text overlays that read, “This content is not available in your area.” While these measures may annoy some YouTube users, they prevent the ISPs that host the videos from gaining excess revenues that they could otherwise afford to provide faster service to their customers.

Blogs Will Fall Outside Of A Free Blogger Plan

Let’s move on to blogs now. Just like with YouTube, blogs may also be affected by net neutrality. However, unlike YouTube, blogs have always been completely free. That is, you don’t need to have a premium plan or pay a fee to run a blog. You can use WordPress.com, which is among the most popular and most reputable blogging platforms, for free. Should the FCC classify broadband as a regulated utility and place restrictions on how blogs are operated, people will have to start paying for a blogging service. They will either have to upgrade their accounts or sign up for a discounted blogging package.

What About Email Marketing?

Moving beyond the world of blogging, let’s examine email marketing. As we’ve established, most online marketers already rely on a combination of blogs and social media platforms to get the word out about their products. However, there is still a significant market for desktop email marketing. Should the FCC classify broadband as a regulated utility and place restrictions on how businesses can communicate with consumers via email, it will most likely affect the income of companies that rely on this form of marketing.

To be specific, let’s say that you run a food blog that promotes restaurant chains. You have a choice between three free blogger platforms: Bluehost, WordPress.com, and Google’s recently acquired blogger platform, Blogger. In this situation, it would make sense for you to go with Blogger, as it is the most user-friendly option out of the three.

However, if you decide to go with the cheapest option, Bluehost, you might not have the ability to send emails to people who opt-in to your mailing list. Should you run a business that relies on email marketing, this could put a damper on your promotional efforts.

Why Should Marketers Care About Net Neutrality?

As we’ve established, the issue of net neutrality will affect many sectors of our society, from bloggers who depend on monetizing their content to businesses that use email marketing as a form of marketing. Even if you don’t fit into any of these categories, you may still be interested in knowing more about net neutrality.

One of the most prominent reasons why marketers should care about net neutrality is because it can potentially affect the way we distribute and consume content. As we’ve seen, not all content is created equal. Some content is more equal than others when it comes to being prioritized by ISPs. As a result, certain content – like video or audio – may receive faster service than other content, like text or images.

When this happens, it creates a disparity in the way we as consumers experience the internet. For example, currently when you download an app or file from Google Drive or One Drive, your browser goes out to the content provider’s website to load the data. This is known as a “handoff” and it can cause significant delays. While your download may be finished in the nick of time, your user experience may be completely disrupted because there was a momentary lapse in connectivity while your browser was handling the earlier data request.

The notion of a “laggy” internet is something that has been steadily growing as more and more people become reliant on fast networks and powerful computers to get the job done. Even if you don’t experience these types of issues yourself, it’s still possible that your customers or audience members may encounter bad service from time to time. As a marketer, it’s your job to ensure that your business’ digital presence is always accessible and, as mentioned by Google, “works well for everyone.” Should the FCC make these restrictions a reality, it’s your responsibility as a marketer to ensure that your customers have a good experience whenever they go online. This includes making sure that your content gets delivered quickly and without interruption.

To learn more, visit the Google Product Blog and the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The Google Product Blog has a whitepaper that is an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to understand net neutrality. Similarly, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has an entire website dedicated to explaining the ramifications of the net neutrality debate.

What About Self-Hosted Email Systems?

There is one more type of email that we need to discuss and that is self-hosted email systems. These are email accounts that you run yourself and they don’t depend on a third party email service provider to exist. As we’ve established, most email marketers already use a combination of blog platforms and social media to get their messages across. However, there is still a significant market for desktop email marketing, especially if you’re a business that specializes in selling products online. Should the FCC classify broadband as a regulated utility and place restrictions on how businesses can communicate with consumers via email, it will most likely affect the income of companies that use this form of marketing.

As a marketer, you may decide to host your own email server or use a service like MailChimp to manage your marketing lists. The latter offers a free version that you can use to send out emails to people who opt-in to your mailing list. In this case, you may want to look into the other two options mentioned above to ensure you have all the necessary tools to keep up with your campaigns.