6 digital marketing myths

• Updated on: 2017-05-03
• Read original article here

Despite being around for a couple of decades, digital marketing is still in its infancy. One of the curious features about this type of marketing is how fast it changes. Its guidelines have been developed hand-in-hand with the evolution of digital social platforms so, unsurprisingly, best practice guidelines have also undergone rapid change. As digital marketers in small business we need to be ready to adapt.

Let’s look at 6 common myths associated with digital marketing.

Wrong. Because digital platforms are evolving at a frantic pace, we always need to be looking at how we can better target our audience. As part of your research, you will need to identify which platforms your target audiences are using. You may not need to provide strategies for all of them, but your solution will almost certainly include more than one. This will include strategies for customers using mobile devices, social media platforms, as well as search platforms such as Google and Bing.

Wrong. The days of developing static web content have gone. As people have embraced digital technology, people’s attention spans have dropped – in part due to the increase in information available. Therefore, you need strategies that repeatedly engage your audience. One of the best ways to do that is to post regular content to keep drawing them back. How long the content needs to be, how frequently you need to post, and the best time for posting all depend on the platform you are targeting. Be sure to keep your posts informative, relevant, and above all fresh.

Wrong. More and more of us search online and in the coming years the number of people online will increase significantly as developing countries get more affordable devices and internet access. The trick is to use creative thinking to find ways you can harness the internet to promote your products and services.

Wrong. While it is true that more of us use the internet to look for things, we still need to embrace traditional marketing methods. Not everyone is digital savvy and spends all day using their internet device. Plenty of people still read newspapers, listen to the radio, watch TV, and enjoy browsing through junk mail. Traditional forms of marketing are still valuable. We suggest that spamming people with unsolicited email and phone calls is probably less welcome that it once was so exercise caution if you intend to use these methods.

Wrong. Even if you develop a gorgeous website and have an amazing presence on social platforms it doesn’t mean you’ve achieved success. It doesn’t matter if you have a thousand visitors if all they are doing is looking. Success usually means conversions, and that means sales or sign-ups. If you’ve got great traffic levels you’re halfway there, but the next step is to turn that into conversions. Use tools like Google Analytics to analyse your traffic so you can formulate strategies to improve your conversion rates.

Wrong. Actually, it is the personal touch that will set you apart in this digital age. There are very simple ways that you can help your digital marketing feel personal. For example, in email marketing, address your emails to the first names of your customers. If a customer contacts a company through social media they want a quick response and to have the name of the customer service representative they are dealing with shown so that if they encounter problems they have a specific point of contact that they can follow up with.

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