Digital marketing, with its technicalities and profound use of the internet, may seem a bit intimidating to some businesses, especially in terms of its cost. However, those things are not always the case and are not the only ones you should be looking at. We have already entered the digital age, with the internet and social media being a part of our daily lives. Almost everything is going digital, that’s why it is also essential for every business to cope up with the changes in the way marketing is done in today’s time.
Oftentimes, the misconceptions about digital marketing hinder some businesses from thriving in the online market. You may say that traditional marketing still has its magic, but digital marketing is the deal in this digital age.
To help break wrong notions, here are the 11 most common misconceptions about digital marketing:
1. Digital Marketing is Only for Large Businesses
One of the most common misconceptions about digital marketing is that it is only for large businesses. In reality, even small businesses or start-ups can benefit from digital marketing.
Digital marketing strategies such as social media marketing stand to be an effective way for small businesses to make an impression on their target audience. Besides, digital marketing doesn’t limit its reach only to big brands and corporations; it serves as a way to help every business widen its scope of influence.
2. Digital Marketing is Not Cost-Effective
Since digital marketing involves a lot of technology, people automatically assume that it is too expensive without looking at the long-term benefits that make it worth every penny for businesses. Compared to traditional marketing, digital marketing saves you more money because you are able to directly advertise your brand to the right people, avoiding high risks of losses. There are also no hidden costs with digital marketing.
Living in the digital age has allowed for digital marketing to increase its popularity and significance in businesses, which is why many digital marketing agencies have developed strategies and various solutions that match their client’s marketing needs and at the same time aids their budget. This has also caused digital consulting to be more accessible and affordable for businesses, both small and large.
3. Content Marketing is Limited to Blogging
Blogging is one of the most common types of content marketing you will see, but it is definitely NOT the only one you can make use of for the digital content marketing of your business. In fact, it can go as far as videos, social media posts, infographics, ebooks, podcasts, email newsletters, case studies, how-to’s/guides, and more.
It will be impossible to pique the interest of potential customers if you only make use of one type. In order to keep up, your contents should be diverse in such a way that they are audible, visually appealing, and written to vastly bring relevant information. In short, you need one of every content marketing type to effectively call for the attention of your customers.
4. Digital Marketing is Purely Technical
Another misconception that needs to be thrown out and buried deep. Digital marketing is not purely technical and it is definitely not only for technologically inclined people. Just because it involves a great amount of information to consider, doesn’t mean that it is too complicated to understand. Yes, you may need help from professionals in the field of digital marketing to handle some tools and create tailored strategies, but that doesn’t rid you of the potential to understand its basics and perks for your business.
Diving deeper into digital marketing allows you to also grow and better understand how to engage your audience in this digital age. The more you expose yourself to the technicalities and details of digital marketing for your business, the more you will be able to learn. It just needs time, so don’t quickly assume that digital marketing is out of the question.
5. SEO Doesn’t Work
Let’s begin to change this misconception by saying that SEO DOES WORK. Just because it takes time to bring the results you want, doesn’t mean that it won’t work or it is not applicable to your business.
Establishing a good online presence and visibility is vital if you want to stay relevant in the online market. On top of that, you will need to double your time and see to it that your competitors don’t completely outshine you. SEO helps your website or its landing pages get high rankings in search engine results pages. Therefore, SEO is necessary if you want to drive traffic to your website, boost brand awareness, and increase sales and conversions.
6. Good Digital Marketing Delivers Quick Results
Yes, good digital marketing delivers results, BUT it is not instantaneous. You can’t expect good or even excellent results to be done in a quick process. An effective and well-thought-out digital marketing strategy will get you started, but you will have to consider how your target audience will respond to your business and how the development of your marketing campaign can change — that it will not always go as you planned or hoped it would turn out to be.
Large corporations and reputable brands didn’t grow overnight; they all went through a trial and error phase as well as the waiting process before getting where they are at present. Keep in mind that growing your business will take time, so you have to be patient all throughout the process. It is better to allow your business to naturally grow than to resort to instant solutions that will bring no good results and only incur losses along the way.
7. Businesses Can Thrive Even Without Digital Marketing
If we didn’t live in the digital age, traditional marketing would be enough to help businesses thrive and reach their target market. But since we are already living in the digital age, digital marketing is definitely a must for every business, especially with most of the potential customers from different age ranges found in different online platforms and channels. Contrary to common misconceptions, digital marketing should be made a structural tactic for businesses — meaning, you shouldn’t sleep on incorporating this strategy in your plan to grow your business!
To stay relevant in the marketplace, you need consistent pulls of marketing efforts. Digital marketing allows you to maintain your business’ significance to your target audience and help build better brand awareness.
8. Building a Website is Enough to Market Your Business Online
Having a website for your business is a good solution to increasing your online presence and visibility because your target audience will be able to know more about your brand, products, and services. You can also build up credibility and good impressions just by having a website. However, it is not the only way to market your business online.
Aside from optimizing your website for marketing purposes, you also need to be present in other platforms possible to reach your target audience. You should be able to establish an online presence not only through your website but also through different social media platforms and online channels such as email. Other digital marketing strategies such as SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing, and more also allow your business to maintain its relevance in the market and online visibility, so don’t settle for just one.
Digital consulting can help you determine which digital marketing strategies will best fit your business’ marketing needs.
9. Digital Marketing is Successful When There is Huge Amount of Website Traffic
Increased website traffic is good, but it doesn’t determine the success of your digital marketing. And to further point it out, huge website traffic doesn’t always guarantee good conversion rates and expanded sales for your business. What do we mean by this? There are different types of website traffic and each one comes from different sources, so the results may vary depending on where the traffic came from. It is not always about how large the number is, but it is more about the quality of traffic and leads that you are bringing.
It all boils down to your marketing efforts and your effectiveness in engaging potential customers to your business. Don’t just focus on how many people you will drive to your website or your business. Instead, you should focus on calling the attention of the right people who are interested in your product or service.
10. There is No Need for a Mobile-Ready Website
People nowadays find it more convenient to browse and access different websites via their mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. So there is a need for websites to be mobile-ready and mobile-friendly to promote a better user experience for both current and potential customers.
Think of it this way: if your website can’t be accessed through mobile devices, chances are high that your customers will leave and look for other brands similar to yours that have mobile-ready websites. If you don’t have a website for your business yet, it is important to have a web design that’s optimized for mobile devices.
11. Digital Marketing is Difficult to Measure
Since digital marketing appears to be too technical for other people, they would think that it is also difficult to measure. But in reality, it is not like that. Digital marketing is actually the easiest marketing form to measure. With such a tool as digital marketing analytics, you are able to analyze, monitor, and record the data gathered from different digital channels and platforms that your business is present in. You can use the data gathered as a way to check which marketing strategies brought positive results to your business and which areas still need improvement. Once you have determined them, you can work on what is lacking and improve your marketing strategies and campaigns.
If you’re looking for someone to help you with the digital marketing of your business, contact us today, and we’ll be glad to help you!
