Marketing Myths: Debunked!
Every business and organization must enter the world of marketing, which can be intimidating in the digital space. Though there are tried and true tips for designing effective digital marketing campaigns, everyone’s experience is different. You’ve likely heard some people discourage using tools that didn’t work for them. While there’s nothing wrong with that, it can lead to some misconceptions about what does and doesn’t work in marketing.
We spoke with several companies and business leaders to help debunk common digital marketing myths.
Matthew Cox, a writer for corecommerce, provides a list of marketing myths in the digital space and includes insights into SEO, emails, and social media.
Myth #1: SEO is Dead
Cox states that some argue search engine optimization is dead because they have not experienced results from their SEO efforts. However, with the vast amount of websites available to consumers, effective SEO is crucial in promoting your business.
Kevin Miller, Founder of KevinMiller.com and CEO of GR0, discusses the importance of on-page SEO services and keyword optimization.
“Your website may be well-organized and aesthetically pleasing, both of which are important, but if it doesn’t contain the keywords people are searching for, it may never be found,” Miller claims. “Everything from the content on your website’s pages to title tags and headings must be curated to generate traffic from search engines. Most businesses are in the digital space, which means so are your competitors. To make sure you are keeping up with the competition, or surpassing it, you need successful SEO strategies.”
SEO is a form of indirect marketing. You build a customer base by increasing the chances your website pops up first on people’s searches. Other myths are surrounding direct forms of marketing like email campaigns.
Myth #2: Email Marketing Doesn’t Work
As an older form of digital marketing, some may argue that email marketing is out-of-date. However, original, well-crafted emails can generate a high return on investment and support customer retention.
Jason Boehle, CEO of QuaGrowth, explains how his company supports eCommerce businesses through email marketing.
Boehle claims, “By working with a variety of email platforms, we can select the best options for our clients. The results speak for themselves. Our clients see higher email engagement, and more of their website visitors become email subscribers. With effective emailing campaigns tailored to your business, you will see a higher conversion rate from email subscribers to purchasers. Better emails mean greater revenue and customer retention rates.”
In addition to engaging websites and direct communication with clients, companies can use social media channels for their marketing strategies.
Myth #3: You Don’t Need to Use More than One Social Channel
Social media is widely recognized as a useful resource in reaching clients and building your brand. To make the most of their social media presence, some people may limit themselves to using one platform. Many business owners and leaders disagree with this approach.
Joshua Chin, CEO of Chronos Agency, highlights the importance of being present on multiple social media channels.
Chin states, “An essential part of successful social media marketing means being present on multiple platforms. All customers have a preferred social media, one they use most often and that propels them to click on links to your website. Chronos Digital helps you manage your presence on these platforms to increase the chances of your business being found by more people. With that said, you don’t have to be present on every social media platform. Overextending yourself might mean you sacrifice customer engagement. Find the platforms that fit your brand and show the best results. To do this, it helps to keep your target audience in mind and what apps they tend to use.”
Olivia Lindeboom, a writer for 2 Fish Company, offers additional marketing myths that should be disregarded to create better marketing campaigns.
Myth #4: Marketing is the Same as Advertising
Lindeboom states, “According to the American Marketing Association, marketing is “identifying, predicting, and meeting customer needs.” Advertising is simply a step in the marketing process.
Chris Gadek, Head of Growth at AdQuick, explains the difference between marketing and advertising.
“Advertising is an important part of a marketing campaign, but it’s not the whole thing,” Gadek states. “We help our clients purchase the out-of-home advertisements that work best for their goals, which promotes visibility of their brands. However, advertisements can only go so far in showing potential customers that you provide services that meet their needs. Another essential aspect of marketing is building a relationship with your customer base. Relationships begin with engagement, which can come from ad campaigns, but you must follow through on that initial engagement.”
Daniel Tejada, Co-Founder of Straight Up Growth, expands on how companies need to focus on the whole marketing process instead of advertisements alone.
Tejada claims, “Some of our primary services are centered around generating effective ad campaigns on Amazon for our clients. While ads are crucial, so are developing SEO strategies and generating customer reviews. ”
Having a well-rounded approach to marketing includes using multiple tools such as advertisements and keyword optimization on websites. It also includes reaching out to both current and potential clients.
Myth #5: Marketing is Only for New Customers
Marketing strategies target building your client base, but they should also be used to maintain connections with your current clients.
Phillip Akhzar, CEO of Arka, discusses engagement with both new and returning customers.
Akhzar claims, “We wanted our marketing strategy to generate new clientele while also ensuring that our current customers were seen and supported. On our home-page of our website, we made two clearly defined tabs, one of which caters to new customers who want to start their first design and the other which provides a reorder option. Since people need packaging for shipments regularly, we knew that we would have a high amount of returning customers looking for multiple purchases. We continue to market ourselves for returning customers.”
Akhilesh Srivastava, Founder and CEO of Fenix Commerce, expands on gearing marketing campaigns to your consistent client base.
“We have a large client base that continues to use our software and access our services,” Srivastava says. “Once you engage a client, the marketing experience doesn’t stop there. Even when your clients have utilized your products and services, you must remain available. Checking in on their satisfaction rates and offering additional assistance when necessary is essential to expanding your company. It also increases the chances your current clients will tell others about your services, which leads to greater revenue.”
After debunking all of these myths and implementing the marketing tools these companies suggest, it’s tempting to expect immediate results. However, this expectation is yet another marketing myth.
Myth #6: Results are Fast in the Digital Space
There is no single way results from your marketing efforts will show up. While some results may appear quickly, others might take more time.
Rabah Rahil, CMO of Triple Whale, offers tips for waiting on marketing results.
“Everything online seems to happen quickly,” Rahil claims. “New companies enter the digital space at a rapid pace. It’s easy to believe that a fast-paced environment breeds quick results. Unfortunately, this is not always true. Even the most effective digital marketing campaigns may not yield immediate results. Getting to know your customers and their needs takes time, and potential customers need to be exposed to marketing strategies numerous times before they commit to a purchase or subscription. Be patient and be adaptable. These two qualities will always provide results in the marketing world.”
No matter how long it may take to see the rewards of your digital marketing efforts, remember that letting go of marketing misconceptions will help you in your journey to build your client base and generate revenue.
Happy marketing!