Don’t believe everything you read or hear about digital, particularly if it sounds too good to be true. Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous operators out there (like in any industry) that just want to grab some of your hard earned dollars. Here are a 5 digital myths exposed:

1. If you are told that someone can get you to page 1 in google in first month- run a mile and beware of promises like this. If it sounds too good to be true it is. Done properly search marketing takes time, revisions and trial and error. I get emails everyday from so called search professionals with all sorts of promises, particularly from dodgy overseas operators. You get what you pay for!

2. You are getting to get huge numbers to your digital channels for free – another myth that inexperienced operators will try to sell you. You see this a lot on paid Facebook ads. Also with most social channels you will need to invest money into advertising to see solid increases quickly. It takes time to set up your digital channels, measure, test and tweak to get the right balance. It doesn’t happen overnight and will require one time and resources to manage.

3. Having a few hundred likes on your Facebook page does not make you an expert qualified to teach theirs – I remember talking to a guy who had a picture framing business at a digital event who proceeded to tell me he was an expert at social media because he had a few hundred likes on his Facebook page (which he thought was amazing) and he had people requesting to know his secrets. I’d be very concerned if this guy was charging people for what is likely inferior and outdated advice. Having a few fans does not make you qualified to teach other people.

4. Beware of overseas search companies – Do your research, ask lots of questions, compare apples with apples, get compatible quotes. Effective search marketing takes time and effort to maintain our visibility. Overseas operators do not know the market or your audience and they will not deliver quality work. I have seen so many businesses run into so many problems by using cheap, unqualified search marketers from overseas, only to find themselves paying out a heap of money to fix the issues down the track. Cavaet emptor!

5. You have to be on 5 social media channels – No, in fact you may not need to be on any. It all starts with your audience and where they are. If your core audience is not using Facebook or Instagram, then perhaps you don’t need to be wasting time developing these channels. Just because the Joneses are on FB doesn’t mean you need to be.

Like everything else in life, digital marketing is the same and you get what you pay for. The amount of money you can invest on Odesk (now Upwork) with poor hires and wasted hours can end up costing you more than hiring someone local for 1-2 hours to do the job properly the first time.

I see this happen often where business owners think they can save a fortune and get bad advice from suppliers that do not know our local market at all!!  Save Upwork for very basic tasks only.

The best way to get results is to not skimp on the important stuff, communicate your goals clearly with your digital marketing team, set KPI’s, evaluate metrics and collaborate with your digital manager or supplier, making sure you are on the same page and working towards the same clearly defined goals.

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