Marketing is an ever-changing field of practice. Marketing has fads and styles that are all the rage one season and then, could be considered detrimental the very next season. Why is this the case? Why can’t the same practices that you learned about fifteen years ago in your Marketing 101 class still be used today? Well, let me ask you one question. Are you still using the clothes you wore in that class?

Marketing changes constantly because people change. Just as fashion trends, music trends or political trends are in a constant state of flux, so should your marketing strategy. The following are a few key tips for staying up to date with marketing trends and avoiding marketing myths that you may have even heard in a classroom before.

Myth #1

Marketing is NOT Advertising

This is a huge mistake very commonly made, especially among small businesses. When asked to shed light on their marketing efforts, they direct attention to advertisements alone and believe that they have done enough. This is a horrendous misunderstanding. While basic advertisements play a role in accomplishing marketing objectives, they are just one facet in a multi-faceted function of business, a part of the whole.

Advertising pushes messages out to customers and potential customers. Its one goal is to reach out and dangle your business in front of people’s noses and hope they bite. However, marketing should not be approached this way. If it is, it’s being executed very poorly. Inbound marketing is the latest style, so to speak, in which your customers actually come searching you out. You are an answer to their problems and questions that already existed and through strategic practices of inbound marketing, you show them that by virtue of them finding you.

Myth #2

You Can’t Judge a Book By Its Cover

If your cover is not attractive, then what is going to draw me to read the book? In the world of marketing, your cover, or your brand, is your first impression and it must be impressive. Short, crisp brand names and taglines are the hottest items right now. Keep it relevant and memorable, but see if you can’t tell a story with just a few powerful words.

We live in a visual world, so the other things to keep in mind are simple colors and images. Jewelry store sd marketing efforts will do you no good if they can’t be easily connected back to your brand, so find a design that demands attention, but doesn’t overpower the content, something pleasing to the eye. Once you craft your perfect balance, embody your brand with pride. Let your customers judge away.

Myth #3

If It Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It

While this might be a great personal motto, it does not exactly apply to your marketing efforts. While an email campaign might be reaching one audience with great success, you could be missing out entirely on a social media audience that you could be capturing as well. Try a variety of methods and messages and don’t be afraid to try new things. If you feel that your marketing is starting to feel routine, guess what, so do your customers. Marketing should always be trying to stay one step ahead of the trends and find something new and exciting for your customers.

Written by Nicole Wilson