The Oxford Dictionary defines the term ‘marketing’ as: “The activity of presenting, advertising and selling a company’s products or services in the best possible way.”
And while that might be the case on paper – in reality? It’s so much more.
Whether it’s raising your company’s profile through social media, connecting with new and old customers via email marketing or bringing interested clients to your website thanks to the use of search-engine-optimised blogs. No matter how big or small your company might be, marketing – in all its guises – can help your organisation be seen and heard.
Marketing myths
Time and time again we come across a ton of marketing myths. For example: Should marketing deliver fast and hard results? Should your busy and thriving company still be marketing? Or should you ditch social media because your ‘customers aren’t on social media’?
To help separate the fact from fiction, we’re getting to the bottom of these common marketing myths once and for all.
1. Marketing myths: You don’t need marketing because you have social media
False.
It’s no secret social media is one of the greatest tools in any 21st century marketing toolkit. With over 53% of the world’s population on social media, the likes of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube and TikTok enable you to connect your business with people all over the world.
And while social media platforms are great for raising a company’s profile, we also firmly believe that social media activity should not be the central pillar of your marketing.
Why? If you rely solely on social media for your marketing, you’re competing against a huge number of other organisations, plus the likes of boomerangs of avocado on toast, images of cute dogs and multiple memes.
2. Marketing myths: Marketing is only to acquire new customers
False.
Marketing is most definitely not just there to acquire new customers. Whether it’s blogs, email newsletters or award submissions, marketing can help you build brand awareness, generate leads and enable you to re-engage with your loyal fanbase.
Plus, having a solid marketing plan in place can help to boost customer engagement and retention, increase revenue and flood your website with traffic. The list really is endless.
3. Marketing myths: You need to have a corporate front
False.
People buy from people. And there’s research to back this up. According to one piece of research, a caring or friendly attitude towards your audience can prompt them to interact with your more, giving you a chance to offer them a solution to their problems. In fact, 65% of customers say that they are emotionally connected to a brand in a way that makes them feel like the company cares about them.
That’s not to say you can’t have a professional, respectable and knowledgeable tone of voice. But there are many ways you can add some personality into your marketing to make it memorable and easy-to-read.
4. Marketing myths: When it comes to marketing, you should write for Google
Yes, to an extent. But of course, Google can’t buy your services.
If you’ve been doing your research in the world of marketing, you’ll have probably come across the term ‘SEO’. SEO – or ‘search engine optimisation’ is the art of making your website pages rank higher in search engines. You can do this in a number of ways. From, using keywords to writing long-form content and optimising your website’s page speed. But while this is all well and good, it’s also important to have a balance and write quality-focused organic content for humans – AKA the people who are going to read it.
According to a study that researched 600,000 keywords and how they rank on Google, only 18% of the ranking sites in the 20th position or higher didn’t have any keywords in the text. However, these websites still showed substantial traffic, organic shares and backlinks.
5. Marketing myths: Anyone can do their own marketing
True and false.
Once armed with a computer or smartphone, endless ideas, time, and an understanding of what will be of interest to your customers – and your business – we guess it’s fair to say anyone can do their own marketing.
But is it the best use of your time? Do you know how to optimise your content to make sure it’s seen by the right people? Are you able to convey your business message in an engaging and interesting way? And can you be consistent with your marketing plans?
These are just some of the barriers that stop just anyone from doing their own marketing. Like most things in life, it’s best to place things in the hands of the professionals.
We are those professionals
Here at Semaphore PR, we help you get noticed by the people and organisations that matter to you and your business. We work collaboratively with you to make sure that your marketing reflects and supports your business objectives. And we like to make it fun wherever possible.
And we have a range of tools that we can use to spread the word about your business.
From web content to email marketing and blogs to press coverage. Get in touch today to discuss your wide range of marketing options.
