5 Common Digital Marketing Myths
Written by Courtney Raguso, Social Media Content Creator
Executing a stellar digital marketing campaign that is profitable isn’t easy, and takes more than just having a basic knowledge of apps and social media. In order to make the most out of this type of investment, you’ll have to embrace emerging technologies, trends, and cultural shifts. The digital landscape is always changing, and your business should be constantly adapting as it becomes more efficient over time. Many still doubt the power of digital marketing and believe that it’s more of an expense than it is a profitable source, however, they are wrong. There are many myths about digital media that can really hinder your brand and its success, and you would be surprised to see just how many misconceptions out there are still in practice. Making these mistakes will most definitely slow you down and even poorly impact your track to success. We rounded up 5 major myths business owners believe when it comes to online marketing and how you can avoid these common mistakes. Let’s get started.
Myth 1: SEO is Just About Rankings
There’s a lot that goes into SEO and it’s not a simple one-and-done process. Google’s algorithms aren’t stagnate, so making sure your website is optimized accordingly is key. Aiming for a high ranking is a common goal many have and assume that’s where it stops. Although SEO can help you achieve higher rankings, the real meat on the bone is the customer acquisition process. When you focus on nurturing your leads, your SEO plan needs to hit each step of the sales funnel from customer acquisition to retargeting. This form of marketing focuses on attracting users who are actively looking for information related to your industry, products, and services, and is a much more efficient way to ensure that you are reaching the right people.
Myth 2: Negative Comments Should Be Hidden
Customer service is key. Although negative feedback is never great news, it can be helpful in learning more about your customers. Use this opportunity to address the issue in a manner that can really show your brand’s core values in a positive way. By addressing the issue head on and finding a solution for your customer, your brand will have a better reputation. Ignoring and hiding negative comments and feedback will come back and bite you. Customers can sense when you are dishonest and dishonesty is something that will really ruin your brand reputation. Let your customers know you’re listening, whether it’s what you want to hear or not. Who knows, you might turn that complaining customer into a happy customer if you focus on delivering that value and show that you want to make things right.
Myth 3: Expect Fast Results
Growth and success take time, and creating quality content takes work. This isn’t about making quick sales. If you’re investing in digital marketing, you need to be patient because it takes time to get data and feedback on what’s working for your brand. Although there is so much you can acquire online, figuring out what really resonates and sticks with your customers doesn’t happen overnight. As you engage with them and test out what works best based on your data, your brand awareness will gain traction. You just have to really buckle down on your strategy and content, so you can ensure you are getting better quality leads.
Myth 4: My Social Media Has to Go Viral to be Successful
Quality over quantity holds true for digital marketing because without quality content, you won’t get any quality followers. Your goal should be to attract your target audience by posting what you think your consumers want to see. Focus on the value that you can offer them. Don’t forget that larger businesses have a higher marketing budget than you, and they can pay for reach that you can’t; but don’t let that discourage you. By focusing on bringing consistent value to your audience, they will be more likely to convert to customers and even refer you. Posting a lot of content is good, but not if it’s hindering the quality of it. If you stay patient and really triple down on what’s in front of you and plan your strategy out well, the growth will follow.
Myth 5: You Don’t Need Digital Marketing to Know Your Client
You can’t just go based on assumptions. You need hard data, analytics, tracking, and feedback in order to really know what your clients want. Test out posting different types of content or trying other platforms, you might be surprised to see the audience that you attract. Now you might have an idea of who you think your client is, but the reality is that it takes asking, listening and watching to really get to know your audience. Make sure to let your audience know that you are listening and tailor your content to their needs. Over 80% of buyers conduct research online before making a buying decision, with 97% of buyers use online media when researching products. So it would be a big mistake to assume you customers aren’t online or using social media.
Digital marketing works for any industry because everyone is online these days. It offers many different ways you can share your content and personalize your brand. This year alone has seen many changes in consumer behavior as well as big tech, and it’s important that you keep up to date with everything that’s trending. That doesn’t mean to follow every trend, but it does mean that you should be aware of what’s out there and what your competitors are up to. That way you can plan and strategize your next move so you can get ahead. The beauty of online marketing is the data available. If you own a brick-and-mortar and aren’t investing in your digital efforts, you can be missing out on so much opportunity. Don’t just depend on word of mouth, regardless of how well your business is doing, because that will eventually slow down. Take advantage of the resources available to you. The opportunities are out there, you just have to find them.
At MSM DesignZ, we put in the time and energy needed for success, so you can ensure you are using every dollar for maximum return. With over 20 years in the business, we have watched marketing evolve from traditional to digital. Whether you need a website refresh, more attractive email, or a quality online presence, we can do it all. When we take on a client, we put in 110% and treat every brand as if it’s our own. We will always continue to place our clients’ needs at the heart of our operations. From web development to social media management, we’ll work directly with you to build a personalized strategy to not only retain but also gain business. We are assisting in all areas for our clients. Visit our contact page at https://www.msmdesignz.com/contact/, and we’ll work with you to devise a custom plan that will keep your brand alive and well. We look forward to working with you!
Sources:
https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/23-marketing-myths-busted
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/