Marketing myths – debunked for small business owners
I hear so many marketing myths and misconceptions. Many of them have some foundation of truth, but they are out of date…they are for specific business types…or they are just made up – simply to scare. That’s why I am here (and what The Content Club and our twice monthly clinics are all about it).
Let’s debunk 5 common digital marketing myths that small business owners worry about…often for no reason…and put some false beliefs to bed.
7 common marketing myths
Giving small business owners confidence in their digital marketing activity and approach
Right let’s debunk some marketing myths and give you back some confidence. We are going to reduce overwhelm and draw some boundaries around marketing …based on accurate information and my experience…not inaccuracies and scare tactics.
Marketing Myth 1 – You have to be on lots of platforms
Visibility is important. You do need to “show up and show off” as I like to call it. However, this doesn’t equate with being everything to all people and everywhere!
It is so much better to be a ‘master of one’ platform, especially when it comes to social media. Having one channel to nurture to and refine is really powerful.
This is not to say, however, that you can’t be on more than one. But, I always suggest that you have one ‘hero platform’, for a particular audience or ideal client group. Then, you can cross-post or post more irregularly on others.
In addition, you can also have a profile on multiple platforms, but have a single pinned post that states clearly that it is not a place where you publish or interact regularly. Then, point them to where you do spend most of your time and publish regular content, instead.
See my pinned post on TikTok about following me on Linked:
Marketing Myth 2 – You have to be posting every day
Who made that rule?! Every business is different. In fact, for some people I would say you should post more than every day. However, don’t freak out! For many many small businesses, 2-3 times a week is plenty….sometimes even fewer.
It all depends on you, your business, your clients and your strategy. Never let anyone convince you that you have to post every day and stress out about it, without knowing exactly why and what the goal is.
In The Content Club, we set a minimum content commitment (MCC). We test and measure to see if we have got the numbers right. You could start at 5 times per week, then reduce to 3 times a week or increase to 6 times, for example…and see what impact it has on your leads and sales. This is how you figure out how often you post. Test and measure and test again!
Marketing Myth 3 – Marketing is all about boasting and bragging
I used the term “showing up and showing off” earlier on and you may think this is the same as boasting and bragging, but it is certainly not. Why? Because it is all about the energy that you use to create your content and how you do your marketing.
Marketing can not be boasting when you are simply sharing your expertise or knowledge or results.
Marketing can not be bragging if you are sharing truths about your products and or what services can do thanks to genuine feedback or outcomes.
Plus, as a word of warning…if you overpromise, you are likely to underdeliver. Stick to authentic content that comes from a place of confidence and trust in what you offer and how you can help.
Marketing Myth 4 – The best marketing is about creating new
Always creating more is exhausting! As small business owners, we are on a content treadmill. We have to keep publicising what we offer. However, it can either feel like we are on a tough upward gradient, or it can feel like a leisurely pace! What would you prefer?
Always creating new is when it gets exhausting. In The Content Club, I am obsessed with making sure that our monthly marketing has three components – new content; repurposed content and recycled (reusing) content.
And ideally, the proportion of each should increase in this order, i.e. minimum new and maximum reused.
I think this is an important mindset and an important marketing myth to address because it does a disservice to past content, if we constantly move on to something new. Nurture content you have created before. Give it a second bite of the cherry. Improve it. Tweak it. Make it work as hard for your business as possible…and save so much time and energy in doing so.
Marketing Myth 5 – Digital marketing is easy
This is a marketing myth that breaks my heart. I have had Clubbers tells me that “digital marketing seems so easy…so why do I feel so stupid.?
…why can’t I just do it?
…why don’t I just get it…??”
Looking from the outside in, regular social media posting, a fancy website and an informative mailing may seem to appear in your newsfeed, search results and inbox (respectively) magically and with ease. However, this is NEVER the case.
There is either an array of time, effort and planning put in …or a considerable amount of money and support.
It is never easy and it is never without effort.
Marketing Myth 6 – More is always better
This has many similarities with the ‘posting every day’ false belief. It is so common in business to think that “if we just do more” then it will all come good. Sales will rocket! Right?!
However, the marketing myth I want to dispel here is that more is definitely not always better. In fact, it is almost always the opposite. I believe in quality over quantity every time. I also believe in planning and strategy than just doing more.
Marketing Myth 7 – Outsourcing will solve all of my marketing problems
Outsourcing can be the perfect solution when it comes to marketing, especially if you are struggling for time or knowledge. Drawing on the expertise of others and making the most of their services is a great idea.
However, this doesn’t mean you can completely step away and wash your hands of your marketing. I implore you not to! You business is your baby. It is your responsibility. A fantastic marketing manager will guide you. A fantastic VA will post regularly on social media for you. An excellent content writer will optimise everything you want to say. But, it is up to you to be in control of the strategic elements, to set the goals, to know what you want from the support you receive, to assess the ROI (return on your investment).
Don’t be afraid to be really clear about what you want to achieve with the marketing activity you outsource and to ask the difficult questions about how to achieve those goals, those sales, those leads and those improvements. And make the time and effort to do so.
Do you have more marketing myths you hope are just myths?
The Content Club has twice monthly content clinics that always start with the question:
What are your urgent marketing or content questions?
We welcome myths! We welcome rumours! We welcome “have you heard you ‘should’/’must’….?!”
We assess all of these things to see if they are misconceptions and falsehoods, and also consider the context of your own business. Together, I can them help you to make an informed decision about how best to move forward.
If that sounds like the type of discussion you would like to be a part of, then come and join The Content Club. For just £23 per month, I will dispel as many unhelpful marketing myths as I can manage and give you the skills to move forward with confidence and conviction.