20 years ago, we relied on billboards, radio ads, and flyers to get our brand out there. Now Google Ads, social media, and websites reign supreme.

While radio and print ads are still relevant and can bring results, digital marketing has proven to be one of the best tools for marketing available, especially in terms of ROI. But since it’s still a relatively new type of marketing, there are many myths and untruths about what digital marketing is and what it does. Here are some of the most popular misconceptions we've heard:

A website is all you need

Creating a website for your business is a great tool, especially because customers have a direct way to get information! But simply having a website isn't enough.

To appease Google and rank higher on searches over time, you must:

• Optimize your website (SEO)
• Research keywords and place them strategically in your content
• Update your content routinely - at least quarterly

You can also increase your online presence by investing in:

• Pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements
• Social media presence and ads

Online presence is a mix of many things. People are likely to miss your website entirely without it and instead choose a competitor who has spent the money on digital marketing. Having a website is a great first step to establishing your online presence, but it's not enough to stand out from your competitors.

Social media won't work for my industry

We get it; social media is ever-changing, making it stressful to understand. However, there are millions of people on different platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, presenting ample opportunities to reach new audiences.

Social media is often the first place potential clients go when looking for information about your business. Curating an online presence is essential in 2022. We recommend starting with Facebook before anything else, and Instagram if you have plenty of photos or videos to share from your business. Engagement from customers like reviews, likes, or shares, can get you views from people you might never have reached otherwise.

 Once you create these accounts, the best thing you can do is invest in social media ads to reach even more residents and businesses in your area.

Digital marketing is only for big businesses

We've seen one-person businesses blow up on TikTok and change peoples' lives. No matter the size of your business, digital marketing is for everyone. Why not use every tool available to you to make that happen? You don’t have to have an exuberant budget set aside for marketing to reap the benefits of digital marketing; start within your budget and watch your business grow!

There are too many people on the internet for digital marketing to make an impact

The fact that  millions of people are online everyday can sound daunting. You may wonder, how do you reach your target audience through the vast numbers of people online?

Digital marketing is designed to precisely target those who are most likely to purchase your product or services, down to their specific location and interests! Whereas billboards, radio ads, and flyers reach a broad audience, even those who aren’t interested.

Digital marketing gets you the best bang for your buck by targeting promising prospects that could lead to business deals. 

SEO is irrelevant in 2022

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of optimizing your website's content so you have higher visibility on search engines, such as Google. Since over 95% of searches happen on Google, SEO is vital! When someone is searching for something relevant to your business, you’ll want to appear organically near the top of the search, which is only achieved with great SEO.  An optimized website works in tandem with Google Ads, display ads, and more.

Since marketing is ever-changing, it can be stressful to consider the number of options available to you and your business. Fortunately, you don’t have to handle all of this on your own. Hiring a local digital marketing company, like Flypaper, provides you with expert digital marketing knowledge at your fingertips.

We know that for your business, investing money into anything is a big decision, which is why we offer free consultations. We want to make sure that 1. Our companies are a good fit and, 2. You're ready to invest in digital marketing. Contact us today to learn more about how we can bring your more quality leads!