Digital marketing best practices are a lot like the weather in San Francisco—they both seem to change drastically by the hour. So it’s easy to understand why misconceptions and myths about the “best way to do X” are so common.
Companies have to weed through tons of information to find the right digital marketing strategies to help them grow. It’s time consuming and annoying, especially when you could be using that time to focus on other areas of your business.
We’re going to make it easy for you today by busting the four most common myths we hear about digital marketing.
Let’s dive in!
1. “You can’t track offline purchases.”
Digital marketing’s success has led to a backlash against offline marketing. Sure, it’s harder to track offline results, but that doesn’t mean they’re nonexistent.
And just because it’s harder to track doesn’t mean it’s impossible. In fact, many online marketing platforms offer smart offline tracking so you can measure your omnichannel impact. For example, as an option for your PPC campaigns.
Instead of thinking you can’t track offline results, find a way to make it a reality. Look for a better tracking system that integrates with your CRM and in-store point of sale to see how your digital marketing efforts translate to the real world.
2. “I need to be on every social network.”
This myth makes sense at first—it seems like advertising on every social network would get more traffic to your site. But this is a big lie we tell ourselves.
Social media is about relationships. If your audience doesn’t use Instagram, it doesn’t make sense for you to be on Instagram, because you’re creating relationships with the wrong audience.
Your brand only needs to advertise on the social platforms that your customers use. Otherwise, you’re wasting precious time and money struggling to get engagement where there’s little engagement to be found.
Overcome this myth by polling your customers. Ask what social networks they use and dedicate yourself to the two or three most popular channels. Remember, social media is about going deep, not wide.
3. “SEO doesn’t matter.”
This myth is really harmful. Some people think that they get enough traffic with paid campaigns and don’t have to worry about SEO.
The thing is, SEO brings traffic to you organically. Why pay for traffic when you could get it for free? Best of all, SEO complements paid advertising efforts, decreasing your CPC and maximizing conversions.
Focus on organic SEO efforts before you pay for ads. Follow SEO best practices to get more traffic to your site, improve user experience, and see more conversions.
4. “I got a lot of views! That means I’m doing great!”
Don’t fall for this myth. While views and clicks are important, brands fixate too much on them.
Views are a vanity metric. It makes us feel good about our hard work, but it doesn’t have a real impact on the bottom line. Sure, 1,000 people viewed your video, but did they take action? Did they engage with you at all?
Digital marketing is about inspiring engagement and building relationships. Focus instead on meaningful metrics like conversions and sales.
The bottom line
Digital marketing has changed the game for brands everywhere. But as we embrace digital strategies, we have to remember that, like anything new, it comes with misconceptions. Challenge myths where you see them to create a strategy that gets real results.