Synapse Software
Episode 11: 5 common digital marketing assumptions that are often incorrect
In today's podcast, we discuss 5 digital marketing assumptions that are currently very popular, but aren't always correct. We also discuss the buzzword "certificate", its relationship to things like SSL, and its use as a way of verifying identities.
Myth #1: Browsers will be a certain size
There was a time when the average browser size was 800x600, then 1024x768, and the number of users deviating from that norm was relatively small. This meant you could design for a specific size. Sicne then, two things have happened that render that thinking, like the 800x600 screen size, obsolete: some people have gotten much larger screens while many are happy with the smaller screens from several years ago; and the rise of mobile devices have introduced both significantly smaller and significantly more varied screen sizes.
Myth #2: If you don't have a mobile app, you are losing customers
It depends. What would your customers do with a mobile app? Is a mobile web site (or even better, a responsive web site) a better approach? Stay tuned for the next episode for more thoughts on this particular point.
Myth #3: Insert social network here is the silver bullet to lead generation
People don't use social networks to get sold to. They use social networks to be social online. While some social networks can lead indirectly to lead generation, that's not their primary function, so you need to leverage the social aspect to build a community, with clear ways to gain additional value from the community through calls to action that you might include in your sales funnel.
Myth #4: People are now more social than ever, meaning more leads that will result in more sales
It's difficult to tell if people are more social than ever, or if they are simply replacing "traditional" social actions with online replacements. Certainly the use of social networks is on the rise, but even that doesn't mean that they are looking to become leads in your sales funnel. Furthermore, beware of quantity versus quality. Just because a lot of people are in a particular community doesn't mean your sales numbers will go up.
Myth #5: Users of social networks are dying to interact with your posts
A big part of social networks is the idea of something going "viral" or, at the very least, of many people sharing it with their friends or connections. This is not something you can force. Asking people to retweet something is not the best way to get retweets; having a great message that is likable and sharable is.