5 Digital Marketing Myths You Probably Believe

Remember growing up being told that cracking your knuckles caused arthritis? We believed it because we didn’t have the resources to check; and we’ve heard it so many times that we thought it must’ve been true.

Believe it or not, a multitude of online marketing myths exist and you may have just believed them. Stick around and read some of the most common digital myths debunked!

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Meghan Greene of The Marketing Zen Group.

1. With SEO quantity is king

Many people believe that with search engine optimization, sheer quantity of referral links is the key. But the algorithm Google uses to rank websites analyzes the quality of the website you are receiving a referral link from. Earning high quality links is important in a successful SEO campaign, because in some cases poor quality links can significantly hurt your website’s search engine ranking.

Examples of Bad Links:

• Broken links
• Purchased, solicited, or unnatural links
• Links from completely irrelevant sites
• Links from link directories or link farms

Examples of Quality Links:

• Links from websites with high page ranks
• Links from sites relevant to your industry
• Anchor text links to your website that uses your keywords as the link text
• Non-spam-y links

2. A blog a day keeps the failure away

The most common myth about blogging is that you have to generate and post new content every single day. Sure, this style of blogging can be maintained for a week or two however, after this period of high output writers often feel exhausted and uninspired, and the blog posts would clearly reflect the tired attitude.

To keep material fresh and readers interested, develop a consistent schedule where new material is published two-three times a week.

Once you establish your consistent posting schedule, avoid unexpectedly missing a publishing day. Missing, or skipping, could lead your blog followers to believe that you are no longer producing content, causing them to stop checking in on your blog.

Note: Because blogging can be such a tricky task, many myths exist. So, check out other common blog myths debunked to learn even more.

3. Advertising on social media is just like traditional marketing

To be a smart marketer you need to evolve with the time. Unlike traditional marketing, social media is not advertising. It is an arena where consumers crave conversation and connection. So using social media as a tool to talk to your consumers and not with them is a crucial error.

Followers react well when they know their voice is being heard and that your company is willing to socially interact with them. When you are generating content, think of what will get your followers buzzing, and create that topic; try posting something controversial, humorous, thought provoking, or conversational.

This article specifically analyzes how to increase engagement with followers on Twitter by implementing small changes into your social media strategic plan.

4. Social media can replace your website

Some companies have frantically started updating their social media sites so much that they forget about their website. I commend you for making the transition into the world of social media, but you absolutely cannot replace your website with a solid social media campaign.

Sure social media is an awesome tool, which aids in displaying the utterly unique qualities of your brand, but you need a quality website.

Your website is where people go to purchase your product. If your website runs slow, has broken links, and looks sketchy in general, people are going to become extremely wary of your brand and company.

In addition to that, poorly designed and maintained websites rank poorly in terms of search engine optimization. To best succeed in today’s competitive market, a well-designed, SEO friendly website and exciting social media strategy is a must.

5. Only the younger generations are online

It is common to walk down the street and see teenagers fiddling away on their phones; don’t be fooled though, digital media is used by almost every generation today, and if you tailor your content towards the younger generations alone you will be missing out.

Recent reports show that young people are leaving Facebook, leaving it to be dominated by 25-55+ year olds. As of January 2014, 71.1% of Facebook users fell in the 25-55+ age range, which clearly indicates that adults are the new market there. Teens are now flocking towards websites such as Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.

Know your audience on each of the social sites and cater your content accordingly.

Conclusion

Don’t let these myths hold you back, be diligent in your research and stay up to date on emerging digital trends. For many, hearing the digital marketing myths and accepting them as common practice is easy because they honestly don’t know any better. To combat the constant stream of myths, dedicate time to research common online marketing practices and to help your company emerge as a dominating force in the digital era.