In an industry that evolves a quickly as marketing, it can be easy for professionals to believe the latest new thing they hear. However, it’s important to vet any new information with a reliable source before accepting it as fact.
Not only does believing a misconception decrease a marketing team’s efficiency, it can quickly spread to the point that most people within the industry believe and act upon it. Below are some common misconceptions that entire marketing departments may want to study a bit more closely.
There’s No Need to Advertise a Great Product
What people fail to account for here is that great products often earn that status because advertising brought them the attention of customers who later expressed their delight. Additionally, much of this advertising takes place through social media.
It isn’t enough to produce great content and count on others to share it. Marketers must go out of their way to invest in paid campaigns to get the algorithms to work in their favor. This allows them exposure to the widest possible audience, some of whom will buy the product or service and others who will share information about it. It’s essential to explore many avenues of advertising, research which ones should yield the best results, and then get the message out there.
Producing Quality Content Automatically Results in More Conversions
Creating content that provides real value to customers without pressuring them to buy anything is an excellent idea. Unfortunately, some marketers become so enthused by this idea that they expect the content to sell itself. The truth is that even content with the highest quality will blend in with all the rest without something there to guide people to it. Search engine optimization (SEO) is that something in this case.
A strong SEO campaign lets as many people as possible know the offering exists. This is the first step in reaching traffic goals. More important is the goal of potential new customers to engaging with a brand’s content once they find it. Establishing a strong social media presence can help tremendously to boost engagement. People buy from brands they already know and trust.
Baby Boomers Have No Interest in Modern Trends
It’s a common mistake for marketers to assume that their customers born between 1946 and 1964 won’t respond to modern trends or technological advances that could benefit them. A 2018 report on the future of websites using chatbots disproves this misconception. Baby boomers use and expect to see chatbots on the websites they visit even more than millennials. This should be a strong lesson to all marketing teams to never assume anything about a single demographic.
Following up with people who download an eBook or complete a related action can provide valuable insights into how the perceived the experience. Along with information compiled from tracking software, post-event follow-up identifies which customers are completing which actions. Those responsible for customer follow-up should always find out what the company can do to improve the experience even more.
These represent just three of dozens of misconceptions in the marketing industry. Everyone, regardless of position, must complete their due diligence to determine what information is useful and what has merely been repeated enough that people accept it without question.
