“I have a small business; so I don’t need digital marketing services right now”
“Email marketing? Does it even work today?”
I don’t need a website design and development service for better digital marketing
These are some of the most commonly used rebuttals by entrepreneurs when they are asked to hire a digital marketing agency for their businesses. Now, they either don’t know what digital marketing is, or have heard and believe in the various misconceptions around it.
But, what are these misconceptions about digital marketing, and how are they detrimental to businesses, if not busted?
Below we have listed the most common digital marketing myths:
- Small businesses don’t need digital marketing services
- Investing in social media is unnecessary
- A digital marketing strategy is only needed if my competitors are doing it.
- Email marketing is out of fashion and ineffective
- SEO is not important for digital marketing strategy
- Search engines other than Google are irrelevant
- Conversion is secondary, traffic is more important
- The website must be revamped in every 6 months
- Blogging is dead and has no scope in digital marketing
- Bots and live chat are of no use
Let’s take a look at them in detail.
1. Small businesses don’t need digital marketing services
The biggest myth around digital marketing is that only big, successful and established businesses need it.
Fact
Digital Marketing provides all businesses, big or small, with equal opportunities on the internet. With a well-researched and proven strategy, small businesses can compete with big brands online, allowing them to reach a wider audience despite having a standard marketing budget for it.
A Forrester study states that post-pandemic, businesses should ideally spend around 46% of their total marketing budget on digital marketing now. In today’s day and age, having a digital marketing strategy is indispensable for every business no matter what size it is.
Because whether it is a smartphone or a roll of toilet paper, people are now looking for them online first.
2. Investing in social media is a waste of time
Another mistake a business can make from time to time is to believe that its customers aren’t on social media. This supports the myth that investing in social media is unnecessary.
Fact
When a potential customer looks online for something he/she wants to buy, there are high chances of them clicking on the very first link they see on the search engine page.
According to a study on Statista, over 3.6 billion people were using social media worldwide in the year 2020. These numbers are projected to jump to almost 4.41 billion in 2025.
Having a presence on social media gives businesses the opportunity to promote their products or services to their ideal customer base directly, interact with them more, stay on track with the trends and even sell through these platforms.
The possibilities to attract potential customers and generate leads through targeted ads on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are endless.
3. I only need digital marketing if my competitors are doing it
As unreal as it may seem, many local businesses believe in this myth and only avail of digital marketing and website development service until one of their competitors do.
Fact
Now, let us make it very simple here. If your competitors are doing digital marketing, then you should do it too. But, if none of your competitors is online, be the first one to be. Grab that first mover’s advantage and make hay as the sun shines bright.
A brand should stay ahead of the curve when it comes to digital marketing, as not going digital means missing out on a whole new world of new customers a brand can reach. And digital marketing is not just promoting products and services on social media. It includes email marketing, targeted digital ads, SEO and much more.
Here’s a sneak peek into the various activities done by Flora Fountain, a digital marketing company in Ahmedabad India.
4. Email marketing is dead
This myth is very common, especially with the rise of social media. But in reality, the facts indicate otherwise.
Fact
Let’s clear this misconception with the help of some statistics:
- There are 4 billion email users worldwide and this is expected to reach 4.6 billion by 2023.
- 99% of email users check their inboxes every day. Of those, 58% check their email first thing in the morning.
- 65% of email users check their email at least 3 times a day.
- 44% of users check their email for a deal from brands.
- Email marketing has an ROI of 3,800%.
Still, think Email marketing is outdated?
If a business feels that email marketing is not working for them, it is mostly because of the strategy and not the channel.
For a successful email marketing campaign, the promotional emails must have something that provides value, like a coupon or discount, an option for the receiver to unsubscribe and the emails should be sent on a regular basis.
5. SEO is not important for digital marketing strategy
When a potential customer looks online for something he/she wants to buy, there is a high chance of them clicking on the very first link they see on the search engine page. Making this idea nothing more than a myth.
Fact
SEO or Search Engine Optimization means optimizing your website content for higher ranking on search engines like Google. If a business needs improved visibility and regular traffic on its website, SEO is a must.
With the help of a well-strategize SEO plan, businesses can rank in the top 10 results of the search engine. This means their chances of being the first choice of the customer increase exponentially. Check out how Flora Fountain helps businesses with SEO.
6. I only need to focus on Google as other search engines are irrelevant
Another common myth around digital marketing is that search engines like Yahoo and Bing are irrelevant.
Fact
Though it is true that Google is the most popular and preferred search engine worldwide, there still is scope to use other search engines like Yahoo and Bing.
For better and more inclusive reach, using different search engines becomes important. And since different search engines have different algorithms, having a dynamic strategy will give your brand an extra edge over others.
This specifically helps those brands that have a niche target audience within specific geographical boundaries. For instance, Yandex, a Russian search engine, holds only 2% of the world market shares but is widely used in Russia, even more than Google.
7. Having high traffic to the website is all that matters
It is a common myth to believe that more traffic means more business and hence all the efforts of a website design and development company must go in directing high traffic to the website.
Fact
Most people think that generating enormous traffic can open the door to huge business prospects. Website traffic is not necessarily going to result in a surplus of leads for your business.
Conversion and traffic are two distinct concepts. The amount of visitors to your website is referred to as traffic, whereas conversion refers to the proportion of visitors that used your website to make a purchase or subscribe to a service.
Additionally, translating internet visits into conversions takes a lot of work and interplay of elements like the website’s performance, the website’s UI/UX, offers and discounts, enticing texts, bright CTAs, and high-quality material.
Flora Fountain, a website design and development company has developed websites backed by smart layouts, strong designs and content that converts.
8. You should redesign your website every 6 months
Unlike those who are fixated on not spending time and effort on website development services or web design companies, many businesses hammer on the myth of redesigning the website within a short period of time.
Fact
Though redesigning your website gives it a fresh appeal, it is not required every 6 months. As a website design company, Flora Fountain understands the emotional and psychological impact of various designing elements on visitors. And having the design changed so frequently can lead to a loss of identity for a brand.
It is hence suggested to develop and redesign your website in around 2 years, as it gives you a chance to overcome redundant content, placement issues and counter the bugs that may hamper the user experience.
10. Bots and live chat only annoy the visitors
As a website development service provider, another myth we face commonly is that having bots and live chat tools is useless. This significantly impacts businesses’ growth and consumer retention time.
Fact
Businesses frequently employ live chat and chatbots to assist and communicate with customers. These tools can work efficiently when consumers have business queries and increase their engagement with the website.
Apart from enhancing the consumer experience, chatbots are cost-effective as they help businesses manage the massive inflow of queries in a shorter time at any given hour of the day. Now with the help of chatbot analytics, businesses can measure their performance and develop more efficient website strategies.
These were the top digital marketing 10 myths you need to leave behind this year to take your business a notch above others.
How Can Flora Fountain Boost Your Digital Presence?
Give your brand the visibility it deserves with the best social media agency in Ahmedabad, Flora Fountain.
With a team of leading marketers, tech experts, strategists, copywriters and designers, we provide expertise and customised digital solutions ranging from branding, website design and development service, content curation, social media marketing, SEO and many more,
Make a difference in your business by embracing the digital and getting online. And let the best digital agency in Ahmedabad, Flora Fountain, be your launch pad for success. Get in touch with us via hello@florafountain.com to know how we can help you with your digital marketing strategy.
Vasim Samadji is a partner at Flora Fountain, where he leads the Business and Marketing Strategy divisions. In a world where everyone is used to sugarcoating, his directness is often considered rude. But that shouldn't be a problem if you like the no-nonsense approach. Because he is a seasoned professional...