5 Marketing Myths: Top Misconceptions Explained
From big brands with a household name to small businesses serving their local communities, marketing is a necessity (more on this later!). There’s a lot of information about marketing out there, and unfortunately, not all of it is accurate. In fact, certain myths about marketing have been perpetuated over the years, and far too many brands have suffered because of these misconceptions.
It can be difficult to determine what will work best for your business in terms of marketing. Make sure to avoid these common misconceptions and you’ll be off to a great start.
1. Myth: If something works for another company, it will work for us.
Repeat after me: not all brands are created equal. If your company’s identity resembles another company, why does it even exist? Even if you sell the same product or offer the same services as another company, odds are there is something (and should be something) about your brand that sets you apart, whether it’s pricing, or quality, or something else. If your company is unique, shouldn’t the way you approach marketing be different too?
Don’t get me wrong, it’s never a bad idea to take a look at what other companies are doing. But instead of reproducing what other brands do, think about how to best tailor your marketing strategies and content to your business, and highlight the qualities that make it unique.
2. Myth: I need to spend a lot of time keeping up with trends or I’ll get left behind.
I’m not going to tell you that trends aren’t important in marketing, because they absolutely are. Many business owners and leaders feel overwhelmed at the thought of trying to keep up with ever-evolving fads. But what if we told you that you don’t have to dedicate oodles of time to stay on top of the latest and greatest trends?
For some brands, timeless, evergreen content will be your bread and butter. It doesn’t hurt to hop on a trend every once in a while, but it’s important to make sure your content doesn’t age the week after you post it, as many trends often do. The key is to find a balance and leave it up to the experts to keep up with the latest crazes for you.
3. Myth: All my content needs to be about my company.
Customers follow you on social media because they want to hear more from your business. But what about customers who don’t follow you, or even know about you yet? The secret is: it’s not about you, it’s about them.
Ask yourself what you can do for your customer. What problem does your product or service solve? What can you share to educate or entertain your target audience? What can you post on social media that your customers will relate to enough that they’ll share it? Answer these questions, find a way to tie your brand in, and you’ll be surprised at how well your customers, and soon-to-be customers, will respond.
4. Myth: My product/service is so good that I don’t need marketing.
I hate to break it to you, but your product or service is not too good for marketing, and I can prove it to you. Some of the best, most popular companies utilize marketing including Disney, Amazon, and Apple. There are rare exceptions to this rule, but unless your brand is a household name, it’s not a good idea to forego marketing.
If you’d rather let your product or service speak for itself, there are ways to accomplish that with certain marketing techniques. When you find a way to market your business that makes sense for your brand identity and goals, you’ll quickly realize that marketing is important and necessary.
5. Myth: If I have social media accounts, I don’t need a website (and vice-versa).
Utilizing social media and a website is not an either-or situation. Both can serve the purpose of educating and entertaining, but how that information is shared should look different on social media versus on your website.
Social media content should be conversational and engaging. Social media is your chance to interact with customers and meet them where they are. If you use each platform based on best practices and create unique, interesting content, you can reap the benefits of what might be a little extra work – but that’s what the experts are for.
Just because you have your social media presence nailed down does not mean it should replace your website. For starters, some of your customers may not be on social media – this could be a serious consideration depending on your target audience. Having a website is also a professional thing to do. Even though I am an avid social media user, I immediately rule out patronizing any company with Facebook as its only landing page. If you don’t have a website, get started right away.
Fact or Fiction?
It can be hard to create a successful marketing strategy, and unfortunately, this list of myths represents just a small fraction of the misinformation that exists on this subject. The key is to remember that everything you do should always come back to the customer – they’re why you’re in business, after all. And if you get stuck, or simply don’t have the time to build the marketing plan of your dreams, we’re here to help!
