Whether or not you’re currently using the internet to market your business, you may want to see whether you’ve been misled into believing any of these four digital marketing myths.
Marketing Myth 1 – Some Businesses Don’t Need Websites
If you want new customers to find your business these days, then a website is mandatory. Doesn’t matter what it is, be it a yogurt shop or a bank that rents safety deposit boxes, people will use the internet to find what they’re looking for. If you don’t have a website, the chances of them finding you are slim.
Test it out yourself. Try searching for a dentist or a plumber in your area and see who comes up. I know a local dentist who doesn’t have a website and the only way you can find him is by typing in his name. If you don’t know it (it’s a tough name to remember), then both you and the dentist are out of luck.
Marketing Myth 2 – All Websites Are Created Equal
This is another digital marketing myth. With websites, what you see is not all that you get. For instance, you can create two websites that appear absolutely identical on your computer screen or phone, but one is great for your business and the other is a flop. That’s because what you don’t see is not the same. Kind of like two cars that look identical, but when you pop open the hood, you find one with a 900 horsepower engine and the other with a 150 horsepower engine. Pop the hood on the two websites and you’ll find one that’s search engine optimized and one that isn’t.
The top flight website loads quickly on desktop and mobile, has a sitemap, short and descriptive URLs, an H-1 tag on each page, carefully chosen keywords, alt tags, meta descriptions, schema markup for rich snippets, solid back links, Google analytics, content-content-content, and more.
A website with these features will rank high in a Google search, meaning your potential customers will be able to find you, while a website without them will lag far behind and remain virtually invisible. With websites, fully loaded is the way to go. Anything less will cost you lost sales in the long run
Marketing Myth 3 – Social Media Equals Free Advertising
Who came up with, “you get what you pay for?” Or, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch?” Probably a lot of people. Whoever they were, they would have said the same thing about social media marketing today. Post something about your business on Facebook or Twitter these days and you’ll be lucky if anyone other than a tiny percentage of your most loyal followers see it. At a glance, it may look like you’re promoting your business, but if you listen to the stats, you hear crickets.
Here are a couple of examples. Over a 28 day period a social media marketing company made 10 unpaid Facebook posts and reached a grand total of 93 people. That’s an average of 3 to 4 people per day. Over a 10 day period a book publisher boosted a single Facebook post for $1/day and reached 1500 people. That’s an average of 150 people per day. Pay and people will see you. Don’t pay, and you’ll only see yourself in the mirror.
This isn’t to say that you should always pay to promote your posts on social media, only that you should pay to promote some of them. People will be visiting your social media for various reasons, and when they do, they’ll be looking for a business with an active and friendly presence, not a ghost town. These 4 helpful social media tips will help set you on the right track.
Marketing Myth 4 – Digital Marketing Is Not Affordable For Small Businesses
First off, when you have a website that ranks organically on page 1 of a Google search, you are marketing your business. This costs you nothing, other than what you have to pay to maintain the site and ensure that its Google page ranking remains high.
Compare this to print advertising, where a single ad can easily run into the hundreds of dollars. Not only that, people typing keywords into a Google search are actively looking for a product or service. With print ads, people are not.
Email marketing is a great way to go. Keep your customers informed of current sales and special offers, or provide them with valuable information that they can find on your website’s blog. For instance, real estate agents might provide their clients with up-to-date market information or current mortgage rates. A cleaning service might offer holiday party and cleaning tips.
No stamps are required, so email marketing is inexpensive. It’s also one of the most effective marketing tools. Consider that almost three-quarters of customers say they prefer email as their main way of staying in touch with businesses.
Pay-per-click advertising can offer an excellent return on investment if it’s done correctly, with businesses earning about $2 for every $1 spent. Current stats show that almost half of all small to medium size businesses use PPC advertising.
If your business is eligible for the Google Guarantee, you can apply for a Google Guaranteed badge at no cost and run ads for which you’re only charged by the lead. These ads show up at the top of the page above all other ads. You set your own budget and can easily turn the ads on and off as needed.
Have Questions? Schedule A Free Digital Marketing Consultation
The team at Local View is here to answer your questions. Schedule a free consultation today to discover how affordable digital marketing can work wonders for your business.