Busting Marketing Myths

 – Clarissa Burrows

Marketing is oddly shrouded in a bit of mystery. Many companies know they need marketing but they aren’t too sure what it really entails. People’s knowledge about marketing is full of myths and misconceptions. These inaccurate or outdated beliefs can lead businesses down the wrong path and result in ineffective or plain bad marketing. 

Let’s debunk some of the most common marketing myths:

💀Myth 1: More is Always Better. 

Many businesses believe that throwing money at advertising will guarantee results. Unfortunately, guaranteed results are a myth, and so too is that using a “spray and pray” method will work for you. Sure, there might be some wins, but in general, focusing on highly targeted, strategic campaigns will offer better results. Reaching the right audience with the right message is more likely to end well for you. Going for massive reach without considering your audience is a waste of money and ineffective.

💀Myth 2: Social Media is Free.

While social media platforms themselves are free to join, effective social media marketing requires time, effort, and often, at least some financial investment. Creating content that appeals to your audience with captions that resonate will need to be paid for. AI-generated content is fine, but that’s just it. It’s fine. 

Targeted ads and boosted posts also require some investment. Not necessarily huge amounts of money but definitely some for regular (monthly) brand awareness and web traffic campaigns for best results. Social media is free, but accessing your target audience will cost. 

💀Myth 3: Email Marketing is Dead.

Email marketing is considered old school, and it is. But it’s far from dead. Surprise, it’s actually a really effective channel for reaching customers and building relationships – provided you do it right and make it eye-catching! 

Aim to build a database of already interested potential customers and send valuable, interesting and most importantly personalised emails.

💀Myth 4: You Need to Be on Every Platform.

Many people believe they need a presence on every social media platform out there, but that’s a little silly when we remember we’re only trying to reach our target audience. Don’t waste time and effort on all platforms if your audience is primarily on LinkedIn. Certain businesses need to be on certain platforms, for example, a financial services provider doesn’t need to be on Instagram but should be on Facebook and LinkedIn.

💀Myth 5: Marketing is All About Sales.

While increasing sales is certainly what we’re going for, this isn’t the only goal of marketing.  Marketing focuses on brand awareness and building brand reputation and trust. Marketing focuses on making sure people know your brand says what it means and will do as you say. It sets the groundwork before people are asked to spend a cent. Establishing relationships with customers is part of how marketing generates leads.

Marketing is an ever-evolving field which means things change over time. Everything from what platforms to be on to how many hashtags to use will change over time, so staying on top of trends is essential. 

OR, you could put your trust in a marketing agency that cares, to stay on top of things for you!

We can help.

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