10 Digital Marketing Myths Busted: All You Need to Know

Businesses are constantly striving to increase their digital marketing spending. In 2020, businesses around the globe spent over $378Bn in digital advertising. This low-cost marketing strategy offers a wider reach, which is why most businesses prefer it. 

Moreover, most companies have a blog that improves their lead generation. According to HubSpot, at least 53% of marketers consider their business blog their top-most priority. In the post-pandemic world, digital marketing spending will increase as consumers wait on digital platforms for businesses to approach them. It has thus become crucial for businesses to consider investing in digital marketing. 

However, the field of digital marketing still has a long way to go. The industry is riddled with a host of digital marketing myths that make it difficult for businesses to adopt digital marketing in its entirety. In this blog, we bust ten such myths. 

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10 Digital Marketing Myths Busted

Despite the growing need for digital marketing, there is a lag in investment, which can be attributed to the fact that many myths surround digital marketing. These myths impact the belief systems of marketers, and as a result, most companies don’t want to risk investing in them. 

Let’s debunk some digital marketing myths and understand how digital marketing can help your small business stand out.  

1. Using one or all social media platforms is enough

Many businesses believe they can market their products/services to their target audience using a single social media app or every single one there is. However, this will limit their reach and reduce their chance of maximizing visibility or spread them too thin.  

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For all you know, your target audience limits the time spent on just one or two social media channels. To prevent your content from getting lost in the social media abyss, promote it on the social media platform(s) your audience chooses to spend time on — it may be a single platform or many. To determine this, study your consumers well right at the start of building your social media strategy. 

Identify the most frequent channels, know what posts they like to view, and know how long they stay on the app. It will enable you to create a social media strategy that will help you win more customers.

2. Investing in digital marketing is enough.

The new normal has called businesses to invest in digital marketing. However, it is not enough to invest in digital marketing alone. The reach is limited to your online audience. To reach people who still love shopping in stores or consume the newspaper, you should work on an integrated marketing mix. Digital marketing should be part of the mix, not the entire mixture.

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3. Content marketing doesn’t help businesses.

We live in an era where content marketing dominates the digital marketing mix and search engine optimization. You cannot work on most digital marketing strategies if you don’t have the content to fulfill your needs.

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As a result, working on a good content marketing strategy is important for businesses to thrive in the online era. To reach more people, you need to create content constantly. Depending on your organization’s needs, this could be a small reel, an infographic, a video, or a blog.

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4. SEO is as good as dead

We have been hearing this for a while now. SEO has been called dead for some time now. However, this is far from true. SEO has evolved over the past few years from a link-building or keyword strategy to a completely content-based white-hat technique.

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You can no longer optimize content using keywords alone or link to sites; there is more to SEO now than has ever been in the past. You need to work on content, social media, and technical SEO to optimize your business and increase your reach.

5. Email marketing is irrelevant.

You have been hearing this, too, haven’t you? Yet, some companies thrive on email marketing and employ excellent email marketing strategies. However, email marketing, like most other strategies, has changed.

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You cannot send emails to random people; you need to grow your list of subscribers, make them interested in what you have to say, and send regular emails (without spamming them). 

In addition, people should opt-in to receive your emails. The content and design for email marketing have evolved, too. Now people want to see less text and more images.

6. Websites are an outdated system.

Many businesses operate with their social media accounts alone. They don’t have a website at all. These companies either don’t feel the need for a website or don’t have enough resources to build and maintain one. 

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However, that is not how you implement a successful digital marketing strategy. You need to have a website that helps customers know more about you. Sure, the website and how it engages the audience has changed. But that doesn’t mean it is outdated. 

Digital marketing for small businesses, especially, includes social media, a website, and other assets to help customers get a 360-degree view of your business.

7. Digital marketing is expensive and needs too many resources.

Many businesses don’t invest in digital marketing because they believe it is not their cup of tea. You would have heard managers stating it is an expensive model and that they cannot afford it. 

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Moreover, they think that it needs a lot of people. In today’s era, however, digital marketing can be outsourced cost-effectively. It is also not essential to do all the digital activities. However, investing in the proper strategies will guarantee you the desired reach.

8. Going mobile-first is not necessary.

This is one of the biggest myths about digital marketing. If you want to expand your reach, investing in a mobile-first strategy is essential. Most of your consumers are sitting with their fingers on their mobile phones. 

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So if your marketing methods and content are not optimized for the smartphone, you are limiting your reach.

9. It is not necessary to personalize your messages.

Many brands still don’t personalize their content, thinking it is not too essential. They believe a direct and regular message is all you need to connect with their audience. However, your audience is segmented and may look for different things in the same brand. 

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For example, Maggi can be a two-minute snack option for some, while others consider it a regular meal. Different perceptions concerning the same product lead to personalized messages, which are a crucial part of your digital marketing campaign.

10. It is best to avoid negative reviews.

If everything said about your brand is only positive, it can lead to doubts. Furthermore, negative reviews are as critical as positive reviews. Constructive feedback, especially from your audience, helps you know your users’ needs better and revise your content accordingly. You must reply to this negative feedback and connect with your audience to let them know you are willing to improve and evolve.  

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In the End

Digital marketing paves the way for businesses to reach their target audience and enhance profits. However, digital marketing myths such as being too expensive and technical can cause a delay in embracing the strategy and grabbing a market share. 

It is essential to strategize your digital marketing initiatives to tap into your audience’s specific requirements, build connections with them, and generate leads. 

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