7 Common Myths
About Digital Marketing
While digital marketing is nothing new, many businesses transitioned online in 2020 and business owners have had to quickly pivot to functioning online. Even more, it’s been a difficult year for some businesses to stay afloat, and/or many people decided to take the time to turn their side hustles into their main business. All of this just means that digital marketing is becoming more and more important and common.
Now more than ever, business owners need to be able to generate leads that actually drive sales. If you’re new to digital marketing, however, it can be challenging to sift through the loads of information online and figure out what’s actually going to work for you. In this article, we’re going to go over seven of the most common myths about digital marketing and debunk them for you. Let’s get started!
Myth #1: Once I buy the tech, I’ll be able to use it.
We hold this myth near and dear to our heart because we know how frustrating it can be to purchase marketing technology and have no idea how to use it. Imagine spending hundreds of dollars on something that’s supposed to make your life easier then you open it and you have no idea how it works! Unfortunately, this happens way too often.
If you’re interested in using marketing technology (i.e. marketing automation software) to make your life easier, that’s awesome! There are so many things that businesses do manually that can easily be automated, like scheduling social media posts or email marketing campaigns. Not only does automating make things easier and more efficient, but it’ll also allow you to gather data and analyze what you’re doing.
But purchasing the technology does not mean that you’re going to be able to use it. Even if it’s labeled as “user-friendly” or “for beginners,” you’ll likely have to invest time (and maybe even money) to learning how to use the technology. Moreover, even if you can use the basic functions of the software, you’re likely not reaping all of its benefits unless you’re properly trained in using it, which means that you’re paying for something that you’re not fully utilizing.
So, before you click “buy,” know that your purchase is likely going to require some training and time investment on your end. If you’re not willing to do that or you don’t feel comfortable enough with technology, consider hiring someone to do it for you.
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Gain better insight about automation in our review about the best marketing automation softwares.
Myth #2: I don’t need to invest time in social media.
A lot of business owners think that they may not need to invest time or money in social media. They feel that social media isn’t going to work for their business type or that their competition’s social media is too established and they’ll never be able to catch up.
Well, we’re here to tell you that this is definitely not true. You need to have social media for your business and if you want to build a thriving brand, you need to invest time.
There are more than 4.5 billion people on the internet, so the possibilities to generate leads through social media are endless — whether you have a thriving social presence already or not.
Luckily, building a better social media presence doesn’t have to take up all of your time, nor does it have to break the bank. All you need to do is take some time to learn and employ the best strategies for building a strong social media presence. While this may seem tedious or unnecessary, trust us on this one — it’s not, so get started now.
RELATED READING:
Social media shouldn’t be seen as a device for memes and funny videos; think of social media as a tool to deliver some good PR about your business.
Myth #3: Quantity is better than quality.
It’s common to believe that digital marketing is all about quantity. Businesses who follow this school of thought tend to post a bunch of blogs, content, and social media…even when it’s not relevant or helpful for their business growth. Even more, we see this tactic being used with website and brand copy. People think that the more words they use to describe something, the more effective it will be.
The truth is, if you’re not clear and intentional with everything you do, you’re just going to end up confusing your customers. People need to understand you to buy from you. They’re not going to buy from you because you have the most blogs out of everyone, they’re going to buy from you because they truly believe that you can solve one of their problems. (Did you know: story-based marketing is a marketing strategy that helps build brands by cutting through the sales clutter).
So, don’t go crazy with the social media posts, blog content, or wordiness on any of your assets. Take the time to think about what you’re doing and why before you do it. If you do so, you’re going to see better results.
Myth #4: Content marketing isn’t important for my business.
This is another myth we hear all the time. It’s common to think that content marketing isn’t for your business, especially because a lot of business owners don’t even know what content marketing is! They hear the phrase and think “Oh, that’s not for me…” and move on.
Content marketing is the use of content to market your business, product, or service. It is important for your business because it can improve sales, engagement, and trust by building relationships with your customers. We won’t get into it too much here (but if you want to know more, check out this blog we’ve written about why your business needs content marketing). All you need to know right now is that this is most definitely a myth and you should be taking advantage of content marketing as much as possible
Myth #5: SEO doesn’t matter anymore.
For some reason, a lot of people think SEO is a thing of the past. We have no idea why this opinion is common, but we’re here to tell you that SEO is 100% not a thing of the past. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, refers to optimizing your content for higher ranking and visibility on search engines (such as Google). When a potential customer is searching for something relevant to your business on the internet, you want your page to come up near the top on Google.
Think about when you do a Google search for a product — do you spend time going through all of the pages or do you click one of the links on the first page? If you’re like most consumers, you’re not going to waste time looking through pages and pages of Google. That’s why you optimizing your SEO matters. Myth debunked!
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Be a resource to your customers, master SEO and you will convert more customers.
Myth #6: I’ll get instant results.
Unfortunately, this myth stops a lot of people from growing their brand. Business owners try to implement digital marketing tactics but get discouraged when they don’t see immediate results. We get it! We love instant gratification and we want to see that our efforts are making a difference.
But digital marketing isn’t a microwave meal…you can’t just put it in and expect it to come out finished a minute later. When you post on Instagram for the first time, don’t expect to get 10,000 followers. It’s probably not going to happen. That doesn’t mean that you can’t grow your followers fast, however. Readjust your expectations and know that while you may not get instant results, if you stick with Instagram and do it right, you will grow!
The same goes for other aspects of digital marketing. Instead of focusing on seeing results instantaneously, just make sure that you’re doing your marketing well and using proven strategies. If you do that, you will see results.
Myth #7: People will buy from me because they like me.
Perhaps the biggest myth of all digital marketing is that people will buy from you because they like you. Your customers aren’t buying from you because they like or you your website colors and design; they’re buying from you because they read and hear words that make them want to buy.
If you’ve never heard of StoryBrand or story-based marketing, it’s time for you to learn a little more. The premise of both is to create powerful messaging that tells a story. By focusing on their problem and how your brand will solve it, you’re making your customers want to buy. So, when you’re working on any of your marketing assets, don’t focus on yourself and your “likeability.” Focus on creating messaging that is going to make your potential customer turn into a customer.
RELATED READING:
Convert more sales by learning how to design a website homepage using StoryBrand framework.
Phew!
Those are a lot of myths debunked. Hopefully now you have a better understanding of how to implement digital marketing that is actually going to work. You shouldn’t have to waste time trying out tactics and strategies that aren’t good for your business, nor should you miss out on the benefits of certain tools just because you thought they weren’t right for you.
Happy Evolving!
