You probably know that the internet is a powerful marketing tool. The fact is, most businesses’ online marketing strategies don’t work as well as they should. Here are 10 myths about online marketing and how to dispel them.
Myth #1: SEO is only for Google.
You may have heard the term SEO (search engine optimization) and thought it was just for helping your website to appear higher in search results for keywords. But, SEO is an all-encompassing strategy that can help your website to perform better across all search engines (including Google).
Try going to SEO Tools to find the best keywords for your business. You’ll find hundreds of keywords that you can incorporate into your content.
Myth #2: Everyone Needs to have a Website to be Successful Online
While having a website is certainly beneficial, it’s not necessary to be successful in online marketing. In fact, having a website can hurt your efforts rather than help them. Websites are easy to build but require maintenance and constant content to keep visitors coming back. In addition to that, having a website means you’ll be competing with thousands of other businesses for online customers. If you’re looking for success in online marketing, you may want to consider other platforms beyond just websites.
Myth #3: Inbound Marketing is All You Need
The term “inbound marketing” was coined to represent the new wave of marketing that focuses on attracting, engaging, and delighting customers rather than pushing products at them.
To be successful, you don’t necessarily need to rely on traditional advertising to get the word out about your business. With inbound marketing, you generate interest in your product or service through content that is valuable, helpful, and inspirational.
This content is often found online, but it can also be created for social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Myth #4: You Need to Look for Short-Lived Trends to be Successful
This is especially important for businesses that want to be successful online. If you’re constantly chasing the latest fad, you’ll never be able to establish yourself as a reliable, long-term business. You may end up losing customers to competitors who are able to capitalize on the trends that you were unable to.
Myth #5: The Key to Online Marketing is to Monetise as Much as Possible
The fact is, there is no single formula for being successful online. While it’s true that having a profitable product is key, you also need to consider the platform that you’re using to promote it. Perhaps the most important thing is finding the right balance between being able to reach the most potential customers and generating sufficient revenue to cover your costs.
Myth #6: Generating Leads Is the Key to Online Marketing
Leads are crucial in any marketing campaign, whether online or offline. However, generating leads through content marketing alone is not enough to be successful. In addition to that, you’ll want to consider how to capture and keep the interest of these individuals so that they become customers who stay engaged with your brand.
Myth #7: Product Awareness Is the Key to Online Marketing
If you’re aware of a certain product or service, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll like it or use it. Establishing product awareness means making sure your audience knows what your product is and why they should care about it. You can accomplish this through traditional advertising or through content marketing.
If you’re running an eCommerce store, promoting product awareness through advertising may be the best way to go. However, if you’re not yet selling products online, establishing product awareness through content is likely to be the best strategy.
Myth #8: Attracting an Audience Is the Key to Online Marketing
Attracting an audience is easy when you just want to do so for clicks. However, being able to engage with and retain an audience is much more difficult. The fact is, most business people don’t just visit websites to read content; they want to be able to connect with the brand or business they’re reading about.
If you’re looking for success in online marketing, establishing yourself as a thought leader in your industry is likely the best route. Doing this means creating high-quality, authoritative content that is worth reading, subscribing to, or contributing to. Doing this can help you to become more established as an expert in your industry and give you a distinct advantage over competitors who aren’t doing this. If you’re serious about being an expert in your industry, consider using platforms like Hootsuite or HubSpot to establish yourself as an authority in your industry. These tools can help you to build a community of people interested in your topic, put you in touch with relevant industry experts, and let you quickly access essential information about your industry.
Myth #9: The Key to Online Marketing Is to Have a Unique Selling Proposition
Most businesses tend to focus solely on price when it comes to choosing vendors for their upcoming projects. But, in reality, your unique selling proposition (USP) is what makes you special and, as a result, worth hiring. If you can prove to customers that you can provide value beyond just what they’re paying for, they’re more likely to stay with your business instead of choosing a competitor.
Myth #10: Measurement Is the Key to Online Marketing
Last but not least, we have measurement. You’ll want to make sure that you measure the success of your online marketing efforts regularly so that you can determine how well your strategy is working and adjust as needed. Without measurement, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds and lose sight of the big picture. Consider using tools like Google Analytics or HubSpot’s internal marketing software to help you track the success of your campaigns and adjust your strategy as needed.
These tools can help you to identify the source of traffic (i.e., social media sites, search engines, email campaigns, and more) and give you a better understanding of how visitors interact with your site. You can use this data to better understand what is and what isn’t working and, in turn, adjust your strategy to maximize your results.
Now that you know the 10 myths about online marketing, let’s discuss ways in which you can turn these assumptions into facts.