The digital marketing industry is witnessing immense growth and many businesses are putting their best into it. With over $170 billion spent in the last year in the sector, there is no doubting the sector’s place in the grand scheme of things. Unfortunately, some inexperienced business owners are still not tapping into the full potential of digital marketing, as they believe some commonly peddled myths. This has hindered them from reaching their full business growth potential. Here is a look at these myths and what reality says.
Myth: SEO doesn’t work anymore
Reality: SEO has been killed many times over by overzealous marketers in the past but instead of dying, SEO has only evolved. The practices that worked in 2009 may be dead now but top SEO practices for 2016 for instance, still work. Keeping up with the trend is vital. SEO is an integral part of digital marketing as it draws in your target audience looking for your content. Big brands spend a sizeable chunk of their budget on SEO campaigns. Why would they, if SEO was truly dead? SEO is alive and well. Find how you can make it work for you and get to work.
Myth: Social media doesn’t work for every business
Reality: There is no business that can’t derive benefit from social media exposure. Social media involves connecting with your customers and spreading the word about your business. When used properly, it is a powerful and efficient channel for every business. One truth, however, is that all social media platforms are not equal. You should find which channels work best for your business and stick to them if you are to achieve results. If you are a retailer, you have to approach social media in a different way in comparison to companies and vice versa. A retailer may be best served focusing on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook while a B2B company may be best served focusing on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
Myth: Domain names research doesn’t matter
Reality: Domain names research matters a great deal even if you have unlimited marketing funds. You can’t use just any name for your new website. Careful considerations must be made to ensure that the chosen name is memorable, catchy and communicates what your business about on the surface. Whilst it may be tempting to make up a name and head off to a good domains registrar like Domains 4 Less, you need to take into consideration factors such as name already registered for your business, copyright issues and SEO positives or negatives of your chosen name.
Myth: All marketing should be done online
Reality: Digital marketing is efficient when it comes to getting your information to the right audiences, regardless of where they may be. However, it should never be the whole picture. Digital marketing should remain just a part of your overall marketing plan. Although more people are relying on online channels to get information about different businesses, magazines, TV, billboards and newspapers still remain relevant. A successful marketing campaign is usually one that has an adequate mix of both traditional and digital marketing.
Myth: Mobile consumers are not valuable
Reality: Mobile is responsible for a good chunk of online traffic. Mobile first overtook Desktop in 2014 and its dominance is only growing. Ignoring mobile users by not optimising for mobile is a huge mistake and will impact negatively on your digital marketing campaign. Mobile consumers are responsible for a huge chunk of sales made by big retail sites. Embrace effective mobile optimisation, and mobile consumers will become valuable for your business.
Myth: Content marketing doesn’t yield results
Reality: Consistent new and quality content helps your search engine visibility and increases engagement with your target audience. It is therefore wrong to assume that your race is run as soon as you have your site up and running. Content marketing is the bedrock of SEO campaigns. You can’t afford to do SEO without it. If the goal of SEO is to ensure more people discover your content and ultimately, your business, why should you allow extremely dated content on your page?
Myth: Regular website redesign is important
Reality: If you site is doing well, there isn’t any reason to redesign. Redesigns may not go down well with already established audience. One part of your website that should possibly be redesigned from time to time is the sales page. Even when you feel change is due, you should embrace AB testing to guide your decision making appropriately.
Myth: Digital marketing leads to negative reviews for business
Reality: It doesn’t matter what you do, there will always be unsatisfied customers. A few negative reviews shouldn’t hold you back from fully exploiting digital marketing channels. The key, however, is to ensure that legitimate reviews are not ignored. Properly tackling negative reviews have been known to entrench customer loyalty for many businesses.
