Digital Marketing Myths

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

Author Credit: Scott Rayden

If you’re in client services or sales, you’ve most definitely heard a few prevailing myths about one or another facet of digital marketing.

Instead of using a phone call to review numbers or talk case studies, you go down the rabbit hole of gently explaining (often to CMOs who don’t have their ear to the ground on all things digital) why old assumptions need to be put to rest.

With that in mind, we did a quick poll of our client services team to learn the myths they’ve needed to dispel (repeatedly) across channels and services. Add this to the questions I answer every day for (sometimes half-informed) prospects looking for a leg up in digital marketing, and we’ve got a pretty healthy list.

Some of myths were once true but need to be revisited; some never really were true but became part of an easily-spouted narrative. In each case, we’ll take a look at the myth — and the corresponding truth.

We’ll start with SEO myths, move to paid social, then look at myths surrounding creative, SEM, attribution, mobile and retargeting.

Myth #1: SEO Can Be “Set It And Forget It”

We often encounter clients who allocate a certain budget towards SEO for a quarter, then just replicate that budget in subsequent quarters. (Some also siphon budget from SEM for a quarter to “do SEO” and then never come back to their organic efforts.)

The idea that SEO is a one-time project, or a project that requires the same amount of resources over regular intervals, is a faulty one. Like any other channel, it requires more than just maintenance; it must involve a cycle of testing and re-strategizing that can dig up reasons to increase (or decrease) resources.

Search algorithms change all the time — and SEO and content strategies have to be revisited at least yearly to make sure they’re still effective.

Myth #2: I Can Buy A Tool For My In-House SEO Team, And They’ll Be Golden

Tools are great for efficiency and automation. But they cannot replace human talent, intuition or foresight.

I’ve seen instances where in-house teams that are too heavily reliant on tools become pigeon-holed in a vertical, which actually leads to a narrow perspective and lost understanding of the overall space.

Myth #3 (One Of Our Favorites): SEO Is Dead

The SEO of 2010? Sure, that’s dead. Tons of black-hat and gray-hat techniques have gone to seed.

SEO as a discipline looks a lot different and varied today than it did back then; it’s much more interdisciplinary, and mere keyword optimization and proper site architecture won’t get you as far as it used to.

But it’s also grown to incorporate hugely important initiatives like UX, conversion rate optimization and CTR optimization.

Myth #4: Social Is A Top-Of-Funnel Channel

Yes, this was the belief (and sort of the truth) for many years. Today, thanks to incredibly improved targeting, ad types and available data on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, you can make social a bottom-of-the-funnel direct-response channel.

For many brands, social is the largest driver of new customer acquisitions and customer retention.

Social is all about people-based marketing; it allows you to reach the right people at the right time with the right message.

CMOs who have tried social in the past and are skeptical about its ability to drive bottom-line results should reinvest in the channel — or at least devote a small amount of budget to testing and be prepared to like the results.

Myth #5: Social Can Only Work For A Few Select Industries

Social can be an efficient channel for just about any industry. With that said, not all social channels are created equal, and you shouldn’t put equal emphasis on each channel.

If you’re a B2B company with a very technical service offering, for instance, Pinterest and Instagram are not channels to focus on; look at Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

The same is true if your brand is on the other side of the spectrum — if you’re a B2C online fashion retailer, LinkedIn is not the channel for you. But both ends of the spectrum have social channels that, implemented intelligently, can provide great return.

Myth #6: Negative Comments On Social Are Bad For Business

We hear this a lot, and it’s wholly untrue. Legitimate customer concerns around your product or service should be addressed head-on and considered golden opportunities for education and for allowing your customer service to shine.

Do not hide legitimate concerns or comments; instead, provide a very thoughtful response with the option to call or email customer service for further assistance, and make sure someone is following up internally to solve those issues before they become widespread.

And remember: The more you invest in your brand on social and grow your presence, the more brand loyalists and evangelists will come to your rescue and defend your brand to the naysayers.

Is it emotionally hard to see critical feedback? Of course it is. But you can turn it into a useful source of information and goodwill for your business.

Myth #7: Once You’ve Done A Cycle Of Creative Testing, You’re Done

Testing is never done. You should constantly be iterating on your pages, no matter how awesome the first wave of results might have been.

But remember that your testing should always be based on a hypothesis; don’t just test for the sake of testing.

Myth #8: You Should Constantly Be Redesigning Your Pages/Site

Constantly redesigning? No, not necessarily. But, to the point above, you need to test constantly whether you should redesign.

If you do want to redesign, make sure you have the results to back up the decision.

Myth #9: All Creative Needs To Be Flawless

The axiom “never let the perfect get in the way of the good” is wisdom you should live by where creative is concerned. Get it good, then test it.

Don’t lose time; get data.

Myth #10: SEM Is Not Good For Branding

It’s true that a channel based on intent is not the right choice to acquire new customers; if they haven’t heard of you, they won’t search for you.

That said, bidding on competitor terms is absolutely fair game, and there are ways to make big non-brand head terms more affordable than you think. (We’ll get to that in a second.)

Beyond all that, SEM is critical in preserving brand reputation; you can reinforce brand messaging and keep your competitors at bay by dominating the SERPs for your brand terms, for instance.

Now, about those head terms…

Myth #11: You Can’t Afford To Buy Big Head Terms On SEM

If your team is doing its job, you know the people who have already been to your site.

With search retargeting, you can buy head terms for just those users — who will generally be more familiar with your brand and therefore closer to conversion.

Myth #12: Attribution Is Overwhelming

Attribution technology is absolutely overwhelming. Attribution options (last click, first click, Time Delay, game theory and so on) can be overwhelming.

But there’s a lot you can accomplish just by setting up conversion pixels and Google Analytics accounts correctly — and if you’re a B2B, making sure your CRM is integrated with your marketing efforts. (There’s a wealth of info out there on attribution, but this post by Google’s Avinash Kaushik is a good starting point.)

Myth #13: Last-Click Attribution Is Best

Well, it’s certainly the easiest to track, but last-click attribution gives inordinate weight to direct-response channels (SEM, Facebook) and completely devalues upper-funnel channels that introduced you to users in the first place.

You can make an argument for (or against) any attribution models, but if you go with last-click attribution, make sure you have some proxies to gauge the value of your upstream channels — otherwise, you risk cutting off the flow of discovery and shrinking the funnel itself.

Myth #14: People Don’t Convert On Mobile

People are far less likely to go through a lengthy checkout process and fill out all those tiny fields on their mobile phones. If you’re asking them to replicate the desktop process on their mobile phones, you’re aiming for the wrong conversions.

Make your mobile B2B forms simpler. Ask your mobile e-commerce users to sign up for coupons they can use on desktop sites.

Focus SEM mobile ads on phone calls. Offer cross-device shopping cart integration.

(All of this is a nice way of saying that if people aren’t converting on mobile, it’s not the phone that’s at fault.)

Myth #15: Retargeting Is Creepy

Yes, it can verge on creepy if you ignore best practices. But done right, retargeting (or remarketing, as Google calls it) simply re-engages people who are already familiar with your brand.

There are a lot more myths (believe me!) out there, but these are the ones we encounter the most. What have you heard (and debunked) in your digital travels?

Author credit: Scott Rayden

4 New Ways to Trump Your Sales Competition

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

The following 4 new ways to trump your competition will give you all the edge you need to entice your prospects to close the sale, and come to the other side.

1. Make Recommendations- When your potential customer informs you they already are “working with someone”, you can still provide some value to their time and meeting with you by providing some recommendations or solutions for their business challenges. For example, you might suggest that if they are ever looking for a different product, that you offer XYZ. Planting the seed and leaving a good impression while they’re working with someone else is a strong strategy in earning future business.

2. Ask to Share Contact Information- Because companies and products are always changing, it makes sense to ask for contact information for future reference. If you have a brand new shiny product you want to share, asking for their contact information first is a bit of insurance for how that later pitch might be received.

3. Don’t Bash Your Competition- Once you find out your lead is already “taken”, your first instinct might be to tell them the company or person they’re currently working with sucks. Don’t do it. In fact, find something you DO like  or respect about that company and provide an authentic (as possible) compliment. Nobody wants to hear you diss the services they’re likely paying good money for. You’re not there to criticize their current choices. You’re there to understand WHY they are using someone else, and then pitch what you could do differently.

4. Understand Their Needs- Now that you know what your customer likes about the current company, you can work on your sales strategy to win them over to the other side. Don’t do this in all one visit or call. Instead, go through your notes, evaluate their business, discover what challenges you could alleviate or which needs you could provide, and then reach out again with a fully developed game plan.

Trumping your sales competition isn’t rocket science. Always remember the following:

If they feel pressure from you, the answer is no.

If they feel like you’re trying too hard to be liked, the answer is no.

If they don’t think you understand their business, the answer is no.

If they get overwhelmed by what you’re saying, the answer is no.

Learn to drop your sales and marketing hat, and instead act as though you already have the job. By doing this you change the relationship into a collaborative effort from the very beginning. Instead of being “sold” your services or products, your leads will see you as someone who has joined their team to help them achieve their sales goals.

 

Stop Writing New Blog Posts (No Really! This Might Work)

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

There’s just something about Fridays. Much like Spring Fever or the end of the school year, Fridays hold promise for fun times ahead. The folks at Buffer App must be Friday Fans as well, because according to their latest experiment, recycling older blog content in the new, new.

Now I won’t admit I’m slacking off. Maybe that’s what the content marketers at Buffer App are doing, but I seriously think this is a brilliant idea. In fact I might even try it on Monday too. We’ll see how it goes.

The following 5 blogs are ones that I suggest you read. Because let’s face it (you’re obviously not really working).

Wink.;)

Why Your Business Needs a Social Presence

How to Write Blogs That Rank in Search

Words Have Power-Why You Need a Blog

Why You Need a Social Media Calendar

How to Write Content That Gets Shared or (Gasp!) Stolen

 

Top 5 Digital Marketing Mistakes That Startups Make

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

Entrepreneurs often make mishaps that can greatly hinder their company’s growth. Avoid the following top 5 digital marketing mistakes if you want your strategy (and business) to be a success.

1. Misunderstanding Your Audience- A common mistake, the failure to pinpoint and focus on your target audience means your marketing plans will be ineffective. What a waste of time! Get to know the people who follow your brand so that you can anticipate their needs, and deliver.

2. Lack of Content- Posting away on social channels is not the way to convert your followers into consumers. While photos and videos can garner some likes, you need to publish and share content that relates to them so that you can develop long-term relationships.

3. Lack of Budget- Unless you’ve got an open pocketbook, poor budgeting can lead to the demise of any business. Evaluate who you are paying to help you reach your business goals. Whether it be internal employees or external marketing agencies, failure to evaluate results and modify can cost you your startup.

4. Forgetting Mobile- Don’t you dare start any business with the idea that you can ignore a mobile strategy. Mobile users exceed desktop users. You’ll need a responsive website that visitors can easily navigate through all of the mobile devices. Mobile and digital marketing go hand in hand.

5. Too Social- Are you being too social? When you’re planning your social media strategy, narrow your focus to just a few platforms. If you’re bouncing from Instagram to Pinterest to Twitter and then Facebook, you’re spending a lot of time (or money) and likely failing to deliver quality and relevant content on each. Pick a few ponies.

Starting a new business takes much consideration. Once you understand where to focus your digital marketing efforts by avoiding these top 5 mistakes, you’ll set yourself up for growth and expansion.

Understanding Google’s Three Listing Snack Pack

Posted on by Chris Jenkin

While many of us were trying to make sense of Google’s recently announced restructuring, Google once again shook up the world of search. Google scaled back the amount of real estate it provides for featured search results by rolling out its three-listing Snack Pack, which gives preference to the top three results instead of the top seven. The advent of the Snack Pack underscores the need for enterprises to practice sound search engine optimization (SEO) at the local level.

To recap: Google’s Snack Pack format highlights only the three top listings in search results, as opposed to the seven-listing format previously used. The three-pack takes a mobile-first design approach, whittling results to basic address, weblinks, and driving directions, as this example illustrates by revealing search results for “gyms downtown Chicago”:

There is no other way around it: the total amount of local and local organic listings on the first page of Google’s search results just dropped by almost a quarter, and some businesses are dropping out as a result. If you are concerned about losing search traffic in a post-Snack Pack world, here’s what you should do:

  • Review your local organic search strategy. Why? Because if you were in the 4-7 spots of of the local pack, there is a likely chance that Google will send less traffic your way moving forward. So make sure you are following all best practices for optimizing your local business pages for organic search and continue working to build additional local links.
  • On the other hand, don’t neglect to continue optimizing your Google My Business listings and creating additional citations, both structured and unstructured. The conflation of local and local organic signals continues; so ignoring one in favor of another is not in your best interest.

Incidentally, I suspect many businesses will notice a decrease in site traffic and onsite conversions attributable to Google thanks to the Snack Pack. The decrease is beyond the control of your own efforts to optimize for Google and SEO. Rather, Snack Pack listings now show fewer trackable links to websites. In the example I cited for a search for “gyms downtown Chicago,” Google reveals a website and links for the three businesses listed: East Bank Club, Lakeview Athletic Club, and Quads Gym. When you click on the website links, you are indeed taken to the websites for each business. But when you click on the other links associated with each name, you are taken to Google’s Local Finder:

Visiting this Local Finder is not a trackable action from the standpoint of your Web analytics.

So don’t panic if you see a dropoff in measurable Web traffic. The dropoff doesn’t necessarily mean that your local performance level is decreasing, but rather the trackable performance level from Web analytics is decreasing. Instead, look to other metrics like Google My Business reporting, call volume, and in-store visits.

Author Credit: Adam Dorfman