The marketing industry is a minefield. There’s tons of information out there and it can sometimes be tough to know what to listen to and what to run from.
With the rise of B2B influencers and social media marketing ‘gurus,’ we’ve also seen a rise in marketing misinformation. This can be damaging to a small business’ perception of digital marketing and all its many benefits.
In an attempt to debunk some of these misconceptions, we’re going to take a look at the most common myths we hear and why we believe they need to be tossed aside. Let’s dive in!
1. Digital Marketing is a Waste of Money
This is a common misconception amongst many businesses, especially small businesses. As a small biz owner, you likely don’t have much of a marketing budget and may feel as though your money would be spent better elsewhere, but digital marketing is incredibly valuable for businesses of all sizes.
When you work with an individual or agency with the right expertise, there shouldn’t be any money-wasting. Waste only happens if you don’t have a plan in place. Make sure you’re always keeping an eye on how your marketing efforts are performing, to help you see what works best and where your budget should be focused. As your business grows, you’ll find that you have more time and money to dedicate to the marketing process. It can be a long game to play, but it’s worth the investment.
Carefully considered marketing can have incredible results for brands of all sizes, in all industries. Even businesses with smaller budgets can see a fantastic return on investment. For example, we helped our client, AS Sports, improve their turnover by 27% year on year with our integrated marketing strategy. Their website is now bringing in an average of 40 leads per month and in January 2024 alone, Victress’ organic social media efforts were responsible for 4 conversions at an estimated customer value of over £250,000. You can read all about our work with AS Sports.
2. Digital Marketing Results Are Instant
When a business is new to marketing – particularly digital marketing – it’s common that they expect to see results overnight. If you aren’t seeing a return on investment straight away, something must not be working, right? Not at all! It all takes time and patience is key.
While a PPC campaign can be up and running quickly, if your website is poor, anyone who clicks on your ad will bounce straight out. If your ad copy is badly written, people are unlikely to even click in the first place. Each separate element takes time to coordinate and it may be a while before you see results. It’s okay if you don’t get things right first time and if things don’t go quite according to plan, don’t lose heart. Being able to roll with the punches, adapt and change your marketing strategy as you grow is what will help you to succeed in the end.
3. My Product Will Sell Itself
If you have a brilliant product or service, it’s understandable that you might think it’ll sell itself and marketing isn’t really necessary. However, you’ll undoubtedly have some competition, no matter the industry you’re in. Digital marketing is needed to let any potential customers know you exist and help you stand out against your competitors. After all, what good is a fantastic product if no one knows about it?
There are so many ways to target your audience these days, especially in the digital world. Maybe you’ve never done it before, you feel like you don’t know enough or don’t understand how it works. That’s where the experts come in! Hire a specialist who will be able to get your brand in front of the right people.
4. What Worked For Our Competitors Will Work For Us
We say this a lot (because it’s true), but marketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for every brand. Each business has its own tone of voice, brand identity, target audience, and unique product or service, and your marketing strategy should be bespoke for you.
It can be easy to compare your efforts to those of your competitors – focusing too much on what they’re doing without having the context of their budget, behind the scenes performance, or their overarching business goals. Instead, hone in on your own brand’s goals, get to know your audience better, and keep tabs on how each post performs, seeing if you can identify any patterns. What works well for your competitors just might not work for you, and that’s okay.
5. Digital Marketing Is Easy
At the end of the day, thoughtful and carefully considered digital marketing is what will produce results, and that isn’t as easy as you might think. There’s a lot more to marketing than posting on social media once in a while, popping a paid advert up, getting business cards made or creating a website. It all takes strategy!
Effective digital marketing takes time, consistency and expertise. It’s a delicate balance of psychology and strategy, and many businesses struggle to get to grips with it. One major challenge is truly understanding your audience, not just their age, demographics or location, but their thoughts, needs and wants. Marketing is a bridge connecting your brand to your customers, and building that connection can be difficult.
Talk To Victress About Your Digital Marketing Strategy
There’s no need to struggle with your marketing alone! We’ll take away the guesswork, make everything simpler, and help you to get better results. With our services, you’ll understand where you need to be and what you need to say to make sure your digital marketing efforts are never wasted again. Get in touch today for a free consultation with a member of our team.
