Marketing Mythbusters: What Are Marketing Concepts That Belong In The Dumpster?
Marketing is one of those topics that we all kind of assume we know. We think that since we’re bombarded by advertisements all day, we know good examples of marketing. We’ve seen TV shows that give us marketing tactics examples and suppose that’s the reality. But what are marketing concepts that are simply incorrect? We’re here to bust the marketing myths that have been plaguing our nation forever. Soon our long, national, myth-filled nightmare will be over.
The Myths
Marketing = Advertising- This is number one with a bullet. Marketing is the overarching concept of promoting and selling products or services. While advertising is the act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product or service. Similar, I know. But advertising is one part of a broader marketing strategy. The goal of advertising is to reach as many people who might want to use your product/service. While marketing involves a much broader picture of how customers connect with a brand. But marketing looks beyond the success of an advertising campaign to focus on how customers interact with their brand long term. BUSTED.
Everyone Should Be My Customer- You can’t please everyone and honestly, you shouldn’t try. Part of your marketing strategy should be knowing your ideal customer and focusing on them. Who are the people most likely to use your service or buy your product? Focus on them. Good examples of marketing take their ideal audience into account, which saves money and time. So, before you get started with your marketing strategy, take the time to research your ideal customer. Who are they? What do they do? What demographic are they in? What are their spending habits? What problem do you solve for them? Once you know these things, it will laser-focus your marketing tactics examples and give you a much better return.
They Did It, So We Should Do It Too- To each, their own, right? Aping an advertising campaign or a marketing strategy from another company might produce results for you. But there’s a big chance that it might not. Let’s say you see that your favorite shoe company is doing a really cool Instagram campaign that is very successful. So, you try to do the same thing with your IT solutions start-up. It ain’t gonna have the same effect. Every business is different and every audience is different. Even if you swipe something from a company in a similar industry, it might not produce the same results. Always best to be original and experiment. Just remember the rule about rules, brother: what’s right for one is wrong for another. So take a tip from Labelle, France: Vive la difference.
“What Are Marketing Concepts? Eh, We’ll Figure It Out.”- Hey, I’m sure your company is great. But the phrase “it sells itself” just isn’t true. It’s always best to plan ahead. Really take the time to plan out exactly why and how your marketing will work. This will include planning your budget, a calendar and other information that will be essential to your success. This is where it’s especially important to have competent content creators. Don’t just hop on the latest trend because you see someone else doing it. Create a marketing plan for your ecommerce or service company. Planning and taking the time to research marketing, really lay out a plan and do something original.
Low Numbers Are Bad- Especially at the beginning, it’s so important to set realistic expectations. Your marketing isn’t going to explode overnight. Putting out a Facebook ad doesn’t mean anyone will immediately buy your stuff. It usually takes a few months before even the good examples of marketing show results. Even if you somehow score a viral tweet or TikTok, they often don’t lead to long-term conversions. So, when you invest in marketing, understand that patience is a virtue. The real goal is long-term growth that’s sustainable over time. So take the quick wins and losses with a grain of salt.
Social Media Is Bogus- No matter the industry, social media is here to stay. And it’s not a task to put off and forget about. Social media takes some nuance and skill and can make a real difference in adding legitimacy to your brand. It allows you to show off that you’re a leader in your industry and a good social media strategy helps you connect to your ideal customer more directly than you ever could with traditional marketing. So make sure to dedicate time and resources to social marketing. Also, take the time to actually interact with your followers. It’s social media, not passive media.
Social Media Is All You Need- While everything I said above is true, a lot of people assume that if they have a strong social media following, they can get away with not having a website. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok are all well and good, but they are just one piece of a larger marketing puzzle. Sure, you can get some quick results and nice, juicy numbers to look at, but the ultimate goal of social media marketing is to get people OFF of Instagram and onto your website. Websites also can be optimized for Search Engine Optimization more easily and thoroughly than social platforms. They are also more stable. In ten years, who knows what the social media landscape will look like, but websites will still be around (assuming we’re not all living underwater by then). Plus, that pesky social media algorithm is always changing, so make sure you have a website that is cool, stable, and adaptable.
Conclusion
I hope we’ve answered the question: What are marketing concepts that belong in the dumpster? As you can see, everyone comes to this field with some preconceived notions. Whatever industry you are in, it’s always good to take the time to bust some myths. To see what works and what doesn’t. What are good examples of marketing concepts and what are bad ones? What are marketing concepts that help the industry and what are harmful ones? This kind of objective thinking will help you hone in on your goals and achieve them more easily. If you need any more info or have a question about marketing myths, contact the Mythbusters at KARMA jack Digital Marketing.
