28 Jun 5 Marketing Myths You Must Avoid
Online marketing can be a daunting world – with an overwhelm of information of tips and techniques. Unfortunately with all this information comes some misinformation. For every useful piece of content I find, there are at least five articles of nonsense.
This can be a nightmare – especially if you are a business owner that’s not a marketing expert. Some of these claptrap articles are so well written that you can be easily deceived by believing them.
I won’t highlight a massive list of articles for you to avoid, as that will take all day. Instead, I will give you 5 marketing myths that we are sick of hearing. Some of these you may have come across, others may be completely new – either way, they are what we class as baloney!
SEO IS DEAD
I’ve seen countless articles on this recently – and although there is some truth behind it, it’s not what you’d expect.
The truth is that what use to be seen as traditional SEO is declining. SEO is constantly evolving and the best practices today aren’t anything like there were in 2005 – and that’s a good thing. You can no longer trick the likes of Google with dodgy tactics – it’s just too smart now.
However, Search engine optimisation as a whole is far from dead – in fact, it’s more important now than ever. With the amount of content and websites that exist online, it’s critical to have a good SEO campaign in place to get found. Our advice, however, is if somebody guarantees to get you to the top of Google – run a mile! There are definitely no guarantees in SEO.
YOU ARE NOT POSTING AT THE RIGHT TIME
I’ll keep this short and sweet; there is no ‘perfect time’ to post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media network. It bewilders me when I see articles from marketing professionals suggesting companies should post their content on Facebook at 8pm as that’s when people are checking their phones while watching TV. It’s really not as simple or black and white as that.
I’ve been running posts on social media, for the last 3 years, and even now I don’t have a perfect time to post. For several weeks we were receiving engagement when posting three times a day, then other times one early post each got more engagement. It’s a continually changing.
The only way to determine the best times to post for your business and Page is to test and then look at your Facebook insights, that’s what they are there for. Once you’ve discovered an optimal time for your audience, but don’t stop there, keep an eye on it and track your stats. If you ever see any dip in engagement, then it may be time to re-evaluate.
GREAT PRODUCTS SELL THEMSELVES
Believing in your product or service so much that you think it is going to sell itself is a dangerous mindset to be in. Now don’t get me wrong, it is great to really believe in your (you have to, to be for successful) but there is a thin line here.
Having a great product is important, but great marketing for that product can be even more important. Marketing and branding help to lay the foundations for a company’s potential future success. It can give potential customers a clearer understanding of exactly what your product does for them, how much it costs, and if it ultimately helps them to achieve their goal.
It’s easy to fall for the myth of just having a great product is all you need, and then expect that people will understand it and the money will just come rolling in. Unfortunately, life isn’t that easy. Yu need to market your product, try and promote it as much as possible. Remember, if people don’t know about it, they won’t be able to buy it.
YOU MUST KEEP CHANGING YOUR ADVERTISING, OTHERWISE SALES WILL DECLINE
It’s easy to see how people believe this statement but it is pure myth.
The simple fact is; don’t abandon any advertising that’s working – instead only look to improve it. Always test new ideas and approaches to see how they work for you. The important thing to remember is if you never make any changes in your advertising, then eventually your sales might start to decline.
The biggest stress about advertising is normally the spending budget – nobody wants to chuck money at something that their uncertain of. So, we recommend allocating 80% of your budget to campaigns and promotions that you know are working for you, then use the remaining 20% for testing new advertising. This way you are not risking your full budget, and can still grow your advertising with sound testing.
NEGATIVE ONLINE REVIEWS ARE BAD FOR BUSINESS
This is one of the biggest problems for all business owners – negative reviews. Before social media it wasn’t as public – people would just avoid shopping with that particular brand again. However, now negative reviews can be seen and heard by thousands of people within hours.
Don’t flip into panic mode when you see a bad review online. It’s normally the gut reaction to just instantly delete it, like it never happened. This, however, is definitely not the best practice.
Unless you spot the review instantly, it’s highly likely that other people have seen it. If they then see you just simply delete it, then that will give off a worse impression, to not only the original reviewer, but also your entire audience. It makes it look like your business as something to hide.
You need to try and flip this on it’s head and tackle the negative review in a way that can work in your favour. This will not only lead to your negative reviewer being happy that you listened to their comments and attempted to resolve the situation but will demonstrate to others or see it that you care and are professional.
Always try and reply in a friendly manner, and remember the customer is always right! If it’s at all possible try to get the negative reviewer to try your business again…maybe with a freebie?
Please don’t just let negative reviews fall on deaf ears; they can certainly be more useful than you think.