“We’ve always done it this way.” That is a dangerous and eye opening way of thinking, especially when it comes to running a business. ScloHobook banner

Today I’m going to toss out a few Marketing Myths to challenge you.

  1. Everybody reads the newspaper,
  2. I don’t need a website, I’ve got a Facebook page.
  3. Word of Mouth is my best form of advertising.
  4. Everyone knows about us.
  5. If I can’t track it, it isn’t working.
  6. Half of my advertising is wasted, if I knew which half, I’d stop it.
  7. Nobody listens to commercials on the radio.

I could go on and on, but each of these is a topic that I’ll go into more details in the weeks ahead.  Let’s address each of these 7 Marketing Myths briefly.

Everybody reads the newspaper. 40 years ago, Fort Wayne advertisers supported 2 daily papers.  The morning paper was delivered 7 days a week and was the place to go to read in depth articles, obituaries, sports scores, and the comics.  They also had the classified ad section full of jobs and cars.  The internet has made most of those reasons to buy the morning or afternoon paper obsolete.  Circulation numbers are a fraction of what they used to be and we read the online versions instead.

I don’t need a website, I’ve got a Facebook page.  If this is the way you are managing your online presence, you are in danger.  Imagine if you had a landlord who could change the rules anytime they felt like it?  They could double the rent without consequences?  They could let others live with you and you had no say in the matter.  You really need your own home on the web, not just social media.

Word of Mouth is my best form of advertising.  While it may be true, how do you get people to talk about you, to get the ball rolling?

Everyone knows about us.  I have an advertiser that has been around since 2001.  They cut their advertising a couple years ago because they thought the same thing.  Now they are rebuilding their marketing because they saw the light.  Everybody didn’t know about them.

If I can’t track it, it isn’t working.  Relying only on trackable numbers to prove your marketing is working is another dangerous myth. As consumers, we are exposed to 1000’s of marketing messages every day.  Most of these messages serve to build brand awareness, very few lead to direct sales transactions.  Do you know which exact marketing piece motivated you to spend the last $20 you spent?  Odds are no, you don’t know.  It it a combination of messages layered that move us to spend our money.

Half of my advertising is wasted, if I knew which half, I’d stop it. Read the previous paragraph again.  There are ways to improve your R.O.I. but it takes some creative homework.  I can help and again, it’s not an exact science, but there are some ways to compare.  Contact me.

Nobody listens to commercials on the radio. Surprisingly to some, the percentage of radio listeners who listen to ads is greater than tv viewers who watch ads.  Starting tomorrow I am going to revisit the subject of radio advertising.  I will share some of the insider knowledge about advertising with WOWO Radio in Fort Wayne.  That is where I work.  I shared some of this info for the first time in February and it’s time for an update.

I’ll also include how to do a complete integrated marketing campaign with me utilizing WOWO and a growing collection of digital marketing solutions offered by our companies (Federated Media), digital division.