Digital Marketing continues to change the marketing field, shaping it into something elder marketers would have never thought it would become. Permission marketing, content strategies and more new methodologies have taken over marketing text books and pitches.
But the internet isn’t just full of evolving strategies and informative infographics, it is also full of stereotypes and clichés, and marketing is not exempted.
Don’t be fooled by these 8 digital marketing clichés to make the best of your brand’s time online.
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1. We’re the best!
When creating your website or social content, it’s very easy to get tempted to state positive remarks such as this, or even other phrases such as market leading and the top of the industry. While it’s good to believe in your company or brand, saying it to people won’t make it true nor build credibility to your cause.
These types of phrases have been used for decades in various corporate identities and advertisements, which has lessened their credibility and trustworthiness.
Using these types of phrases are a sure way for consumers to switch attention and believe everything else you say is untrue.
As hard as it is to not share your company as the best of the best online, show consumers instead. Use reviews, awards and more to showcase just how good your brand is.
2. Everything MUST be happy and positive
With deadlines, growing email inboxes and meetings to run to, most don’t exactly have the energy to be positive and smiling all the time. Then why do we keep using the same stock images of the world’s happiest people to describe our companies?
We’re all guilty of using them at least once in our careers, especially when there is practically no budget and even less time, but it doesn’t change the fact that it is clearly staged.
People don’t enjoy watching or following always happy people, they love diversity and a little bit relatable suffering. That’s why the happiest social accounts will still show real life struggles, even if it’s only for a short while.
With the same idea as the previous point, when we use something that is overly used, people will shut down and start to ignore our work. So, next time, try and avoid that tempting stock image of people with big smiles as they group high five or sit together in a meeting room with a graph on screen.
Remember, people and brands thrive on conflict and struggle. Show it, don’t hide it and be as authentic as you can.
3. Create Create Create!
With so much content floating on the world wide web, and even more content yelling “Content is King!,” it is very tempting to simply create content.
It can be so simple; one post a day, 7 days a week, 30-31 days a month, content content content!
However, the need for content will never change but simply creating content without a plan will not help nor attract consumers. It will simply become the content we scroll past without actually looking at it.
No plan = content clutter
Don’t fall for this cliché and focus on creating valuable content for your fans and consumers by planning your content thoughtfully.
4. Every platform is the same
A prevalent cliché in the industry today, social media and online platforms are not and should not be treated equal.
Online platforms all have their own distinct personalities, and users have set expectations when they open each different app or website. As such, social media and online platforms should always be treated as different audiences and this counts for offline media as well.
Content should be tailored according to the platform’s expected content.
5. All companies are created equal
Just as platforms aren’t the same and don’t have the same expectations, so do companies and industries.
You can see B2B brands do this on their website by stating something like “we provide solutions to all sizes of companies and all industries.”
How would you feel if a B2C company treated every individual and every audience as the same segment? Would it be a smart strategic move?
Some services and products may be universal, but even they need different versions to fit different segments and the same thinking can be applied when planning your strategic goals and types of products and services to provide.
Each industry has different needs and expectations, and they’re not always so easily linked, maybe it’s time to narrow down your buyer persona before working on your business development.
6. I don’t need to be online
In a world where over 4 Billion people are online, most brands have already built their online presence but there are still a few resisting the new age of websites and mobile apps.
More importantly, many individuals in technology or online marketing industries are resisting the change.
Personal branding is digital marketing applied to yourself, and the same rules apply; you need to be online to build awareness and elevate your brand.
You don’t have nor need to share 1-12 posts today about you becoming #healthy, but you can have an online presence without needing to become an influencer. Simply use one or two platforms, and don’t only stick to LinkedIn, and engage with content already created and published. If you want to go further, create your own content to stand out.
7. Just build a website and open social channels!
Following the steps of number 3, simply creating a website and creating content on various social media platforms won’t get you anywhere without some strategic planning.
The “build it and they will come” mentality ignores the fact that there are billions of websites and millions of social media profiles. If you want consumers to find you, you need to start working on your inbound strategies.
Always be ready with a plan to promote both your website and content, at least until it has a steady stream of visitors.
8. My brand has a purpose, we support lots of causes
Cause marketing has long been part of the CSR checklist, it shows that the brand cares about causes and making the world better, but younger generations are becoming more demanding in how they see companies and brands should be socially responsible.
Consumers are now looking for purposeful brands, brands that have a deep connection with their values or causes.
These brands don’t see these as cosmetic, their values or the causes they support are ingrained into the organization in its very core.
Related > Branding with Purpose: Brand Summit to diverge from traditional branding
Cause marketing is still a valuable part of CSR, but now is the time to jump wholeheartedly into a cause or important brand value.
Don’t be Fooled
Don’t get swept up by all the clichés and popular marketing memes (yes, Content is King is a meme).
Brand relevance and differentiation continues to get harder as brands clutter the internet with simple content. To truly separate from the crowd, brands need to learn to use unconventional thinking and exciting new strategies to grab attention from audiences ready to ignore most content.
Not only that, brands need to learn to become more purposeful with their branding and digital marketing to ensure they are making an impact.
If you’re planning to break from the crowd and are willing to learn how, try the Brand Summit.
The summit aims to help us better understand how brands can be more purposeful, lean away from the conventional and grow the industry through “symposiums,” in-depth discussions and both local and international speakers.
Content will include how to become a purposeful brand, personal branding, how to grow your brand online and more.
The event will be held at the Nile Ritz Carlton this Tuesday on December the 18th.