“Marketing Myths-Volume Two.” This blog discusses bringing your business up to date with newer marketing strategies. We’ll debunk some marketing myths if you manage or own an older business. It always makes sense to better your marketability.
Despite how long your business has been around, there’s always ways to improve. How old is your business? What’s more, which marketing efforts have you tried over those years? Read on further and we’ll explore some common misconceptions we’ve experienced.
No Social!
“All things considered, we don’t need social media.” Yep. We’ve heard it. Likewise, we’ve met some more seasoned business owners that actually get upset at the very mention of it! Perhaps it’s fear of the unknown. There are times we’ve basically had to talk them down from the ledge. Look, we don’t LOVE social media either. There’s a lot of craziness on social. However, it is a super helpful tool for businesses. There’s no denying that.
Explaining how social can help in a thorough manner is important. Particularly for those that hate it. Here’s a blog from Hootsuite to read more on: https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-for-business/ .
Believe it or not, there are ways just about every business can benefit from social media. For example, you can build brand recognition/awareness, increase traffic to your website, or just personalize your brand. These are just a few ways social helps. Social media is a great way to give your business a voice and personality. Additionally, this leads to more calls, emails, and visibility. If your business has been around for decades or longer, it’s high time to step into the 2000’s.
Having a Facebook, LinkedIn, or even Instagram page is necessary. Like it or not. There are so many ways your business can attract the followers you want on all of these platforms. Facebook, for instance, has many professional group pages. It doesn’t really matter what industry you are in. Sharing stories, industry news, or products with these groups will create a personality for your business and make you an expert in your industry. Potential customers and partners will see, like, and share these posts. You can build relationships from there. Community groups help to grow your page too. Get going with it and make new connections.
No Web!
“We don’t necessarily need a website.” Really? Even if you have been in business for 100 years and bring in $10,000,000 per month, not having a website makes you look bad. If this is you, we apologize in advance because making $10,000,000 per month is crazy! Maybe you are satisfied with this. However, we’ll still state that you should have a website.
Likewise, if you are just starting out and only make $100 per month, you need a site. Your customers expect it. New prospective customers definitely expect it.
Without a website the legitimacy of your business is in question. We aren’t saying you need to go out and spend $10,000 on a new site. What we are saying though is that there needs to be an online presence to point people to. Websites are a digital “home” for your business. Additionally, having a site set up poorly (broken links, bad photos, inaccurate or outdated info, etc) can have negative consequences. See to it that your business has an accurate and operable professional looking website you can direct customers to.
We’ve Tried That!
Often we’ll hear, “We’ve tried that. It didn’t work.” Whether it was a printed direct mail program, digital marketing tactic, or social media strategy, you have to look deeper. What were you offering? Was the effort clearly creative and interesting? Who was the ideal customer you tried to reach? All of this and way more matters!
For instance, direct mail HAS to be eye catching. The offer HAS to be bold, useful, and draw attention to the piece. If not, buh bye! Straight to the garbage it goes.
We receive direct mail pieces ourselves from time to time. If it’s interesting we’ll carefully take note at what caught our attention. Some are great. Some not so much. The creativity and offer are what will make this program succeed or fail. The same can be said about digital marketing and social media.
Meanwhile, a few newer digital marketing options can truly be beneficial. In brief, strategies like geofencing or retargeting can be hugely successful. If you haven’t, it’s time to look into these. Questions about these? Contact us.
Finally, with all three of the above, you don’t want it to be all sales. People get irritated when they are sold to continuously. We’ll argue that any effective marketing campaign needs to be creative, informative, and helpful. This is when you will see the rewards of an effective marketing plan.
In conclusion, we hope you enjoyed Marketing Myths-Volume Two. Have you struggled in the past with any marketing efforts? Business been around for a long time? Unsure of how to create the right message? Give us a call. Of course, with a free consultation, we’ll be happy to discuss how to improve your marketing! Have a great Christmas and New Year!
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