6 Digital Marketing Myths Busted

Digital marketing is a staple in every business plan today. It has become so popular that there’s hardly a business without a digital marketing team. Unfortunately, this popularity comes with a downside – there are many completely unfounded digital marketing myths out there. They spread like wildfire and make it harder for people to develop successful marketing strategies based on accurate and relevant information. So it’s time to deal with the worst offenders and bust the myths everyone believes. Let’s find out the truth.

The danger of digital marketing myths

There’s no denying that digital marketing is important, especially for small businesses that can use online campaigns to grow while staying within budget. So you’ll definitely want to market your business this way. But what exactly should you do to achieve success? What types of problems can you expect? And are there some things you should avoid doing?

It’s the answers to these important questions that are obscured by myths about online marketing. They can give you a false impression of what digital marketing is and how it works. This can, in turn, make it more difficult for you to make the right decisions regarding what strategy to use, how many resources to invest, and whether you need to hire professional assistance or not.

Busting the most common digital marketing myths

To understand digital marketing better, you need to go beyond popular myths and learn the truth. That’s the only way you can make informed decisions about the marketing of your business. So what are some things people believe about digital marketing that are patently untrue?

#1 – You need to produce massive amounts of content

When someone says “digital marketing”, your first thought is probably content. Tons and tons and tons of content – blog posts, infographics, videos, and more, all optimized for search engines to boost the visibility of your website. And the truth is that content marketing is an important part of a digital marketing strategy. But it’s more about producing quality content than it is about creating massive amounts of it.

We recommend that you publish new content at least 12-15 times a month. That’s a perfectly reasonable number – you don’t have to worry about cranking out a new blog post every hour. So don’t let content marketing scare you off; learning how to create quality posts is what it’s all about.

#2 – More traffic automatically means more profit

It seems logical that the more people visit your website, the better. To an extent, this is true. But once again, quantity isn’t everything – it’s quality that matters. If you want to generate more online sales, you need traffic that you can actually convert. So it’s not enough to just attract more traffic; you need to attract the right kind of traffic. Focus on your target demographic and direct your efforts primarily at them.

#3 – You need to be everywhere

Merely having a website is not enough anymore, no matter how good that website is. You need to expand your online presence a bit. Typically, this includes claiming profiles on review websites, developing a link-building strategy, and above all, being active on social media. But which social media?

Some people believe that you need to be present on absolutely every platform. This is not true; in fact, it can be harmful to create accounts across platforms if you’re not going to be using them regularly. A much more effective strategy, especially for a niche business, is to focus on those platforms that are best suited for your business. Once again, quality wins out over quantity.

#4 – Social media is free

Digital marketing is famous for being more affordable than traditional strategies. This has led some people to believe that digital marketing is actually free from costs. The myth is especially prevalent regarding social media; after all, we use social media every day and don’t pay for it. But using social media for business is very different from using it to stay in touch with your friends.

While it’s true that you don’t have to pay as much for social media as you would for a TV ad, social media marketing is still an investment. To truly maximize your visibility on social media, you’ll want to use paid social media advertising which allows you to reach more people. As a private person, you don’t need to think about that. But when you’re using your accounts for business, investing in social media makes sense because it pays off in the end.

#5 – You don’t need a strategy

Using the internet for business is different from using it in your private life. Even if you grew up with social media as a part of your life and are great at using it for yourself, to promote a business, you need to have a strategy. That’s the only way to plan the development of your business and to track your success. So no matter how much experience you have in using the internet, take the time to develop a real strategy before you start promoting your business online.

#6 – You’ll see results instantly

The internet, and technology in general, have put our world into superspeed. With a few clicks, you can now access almost endless amounts of information and other resources. So you may expect the same quick result with digital marketing. But that’s not how it works. Digital marketing takes time to show real progress. That doesn’t mean it’s not working, so don’t give up – just be patient.

Things you need to know about digital marketing

If you can’t believe the digital marketing myths, what do you really know about this strategy? Well, let’s start with the obvious: digital marketing is just another type of marketing that uses digital tools. The same things that apply to traditional marketing apply online as well – you need a strategy, you need to invest resources in it, and you can’t expect to see the results instantly. But what you should know above all is that digital marketing works. You just need to do it right.

Author bio

Andrea Lowry is a social media marketing specialist. In her work, she focuses on using Twitter and Facebook for networking and branding, but she is a big believer in digital marketing in general. She often writes guest posts with the goal of educating new business owners about the importance of it.