Today’s digital world is rapid, fast-paced, and full of innovations. From exploring up-and-coming social media features to finding unique content formats – the marketing world exposes us to something new every day. In all this hustle-bustle, marketers often fall for tactics and techniques that are too good to be true. Perhaps, you might hear someone explaining how search engine optimization (SEO) is dead or any similar information.
As the digital landscape is expanding, the marketing myths are widespread, and believing them can wreck all your marketing efforts. Hence, instead of following the timeless tips of the so-called ‘marketing gurus,’ learn the ropes yourself before starting any digital campaigns. Understand how paid advertisements work, the importance of social media, and website optimization. You can also look into trending content formats to get more eyes on your business.
Most importantly, stay on the top of all marketing myths to save your company from any trouble. Having know-how about market dynamics will help you make more informed decisions. In case you are new to the marketing world, have a look below. Here we are unfolding six most weird marketing myths and realities.
Table of Contents
1. SEO is Dead
One of the prevalent myths of all time is that SEO is dead. Marketers don’t understand that SEO will continue to manipulate digital markets until people search on Google. The same goes for pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements and linking-building strategies. You might hear people saying backlinks aren’t one of Google’s top-ranking factors, but links can make a huge difference in reality. In addition to getting your webpage on the top results, it can generate significant web traffic.
Therefore, find opportunities to add outbound links in your content and direct visitors to your webpage. The search engine bots can also crawl your website through these links, resulting in better indexing and improving visibility. If you weren’t optimizing webpages for SEO up till now, develop a competent strategy immediately. Else, you will miss out on many prospective customers.
2. Valuable Content Ranks Automatically
Usually, marketers think their jobs end after generating and publishing content, believing the blog posts will rank for themselves. It is not how things work in the digital market. You have to ensure your content is intriguing and efficiently addresses the concerns people face. Likewise, you have to regularly update the website’s content to keep the readers hooked. Alongside increasing web traffic, such practices can create brand awareness and turn visitors into leads.
Moreover, every marketer has to promote the content so that people get to know about your brand. You can publish the blog’s link on social media or other similar forums to spread the word. Besides, you must repurpose your content to increase audience reach. For instance, if you have covered in-depth topics in your eBooks, start your podcast and talk about similar topics. These innovative techniques can frame a compelling content marketing strategy.
3. Negative Reviews Are Bad for Businesses
Another myth doing rounds on social media is that negative reviews can damage a business’s reputation. As a result, brands end up blocking customers while deleting their comments and reviews. That’s not how you deal with criticism in the corporate world. There is a whole process of handling negative reviews and feedback without compromising on the brand’s credibility. You have to respond to the customers, address their concerns, and ensure customer satisfaction.
Assuring customers that you care about their loyalty can make a huge difference in the company’s reputation. When people see how well you handle criticism and the efforts you put into making customers happy, it will build a brand image. Remember, you don’t have to ignore negative reviews because negative word of mouth about your business can damage the well-established market position.
4. Penguin Penalties
There is a preconceived notion that Google penalizes the website for every minor and significant pitfall. Most marketers refer to it as the ‘Penguin Penalty.’ You might hear bloggers telling how slow loading speed, unresponsive designs, and inadequate layouts can put your website at risk of penalties. Surprisingly, none of this is true! Penguin is a Google algorithm, not a penalty. Similarly, Google warns websites and decreases its rankings instead of penalizing them.
Only spammy and paid backlinks put webpages under Google radar’s; otherwise, marketers don’t owe Google anything except for an excellent user experience. Thus, you shouldn’t worry about Penguin if you are pursuing effective and credible link-building strategies. You only have to keep up with Google’s ranking factors and optimize your website accordingly. After all, there are no penalties when you adhere to Google’s requirements and play by the rules.
5. High Website Traffic is Imperative
Brands can only make profits on digital campaigns if the website generates tons of traffic. Undeniably, anyone can debunk this myth with straightforward logic. Your webpage might be getting 10,000 clicks every day, but if that traffic doesn’t convert, will there be any point? Having high website traffic that doesn’t convert holds no value. Instead of focusing on the amount of traffic, marketers have to concentrate on getting the right traffic.
You have to captivate your target audience that has a genuine interest in your offerings. Likewise, try directly attracting referral traffic to your site because people look for products similar to your offerings. Also, target the relevant keywords so that people can find your brand without any hassle. In addition to generating leads, it can significantly improve sales prospects.
6. Remarketing Doesn’t Work
Is remarketing only for the retail folks? Does it destroy customer’s privacy? Recently, there has been a lot of dialogue on remarketing and its adverse effect on companies. While some marketers argue it steals customers’ data, others think it is only for B2C businesses. In reality, none of these things are authentic or genuine. Retargeting ads to existing customers can improve the retention rate, bringing more sales to the business.
Moreover, you can remarket ads to people who visited your site in the past and make users return to your digital storefront. It can generate leads, boost conversions, and improve business profitability. Besides, remarketing ads don’t get any personal information from users. The servers only track user activity through users’ completely anonymous cookies. Hence, you are not breaching any privacy laws with remarketing advertisements.
Final Words
The digital world has given a voice to every person. Some people are using that for a good cause, while others only spread misconceptions in the marketplace. You will see a long list of articles about how SEO optimization or social media presence is unnecessary for businesses. Since many people don’t know much about digital campaigns, they end up believing the myths. You have to carefully assess your information sources and their credibility before acting upon any suggestions.