I think it’s pretty safe to assume there was one recently… It is impossible to keep up with every single change in the digital marketing industry. You could easily spend your whole day just reading the news, which leaves very little time for actually doing the work. You don’t need to spend money A quick search for any marketing topic along with the word ‘free’ generates millions of results. Free SEO tools is always a popular search: Nearly six million results. They define it as “[An ad that] appears on top of a site’s content when you go to the site. The ad must be closed before you can interact with the site content.” Despite all the ‘data’ showing that pop-ups don’t work, I have been a huge proponent of pop-ups throughout the years. They work so well, in fact, that I actually co-founded a company called Hello Bar that makes it easier for brands to test and use pop-ups and header bars to increase conversions. Most tools, like my tool Hello Bar, make is super simple to test over and over again. Instead, you should be aiming for long-tail keywords of four words or longer and creating long-form content to target those keywords. Long-form content that targets long-tail keywords works.
Have you ever had a long-held belief challenged?
I find it equal parts frustrating and comforting.
One part of me thinks, “Well, of course!” The other half of me is annoyed that I didn’t have the information before.
Take, for example, making gravy.
Yes, gravy.
The mother of one of my closest friends makes the best southern-style gravy in the world. It is salty and savory, and it makes everything it tops taste amazing.
I’ve watched her make it a dozen times throughout the years.
She adds butter, drippings from the turkey pan, celery, onions, and a bunch of spices I could never quite catch. She stirs it constantly, and with some magic, creates the most amazing gravy you’ve ever tasted.
Every time I was over at their house while she cooked it I would try to memorize her steps.
It seemed so complicated, and I was too afraid to try to make it myself.
Last month, I decided to give it a try. If I couldn’t get it quite right, maybe I’d get close.
So I called her up and asked her for her best gravy-making advice.
“Neil, the best gravy has three ingredients – a fat, flour, and a liquid. I use butter for the fat. That is it.”
So, I tried it: two tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of flour, and two cups of beef broth.
And you know what?
Best freaking gravy I have ever had. (Well, almost.)
Marketing strategies can seem like that, too.
With so many moving parts, they can feel overwhelming and impossible to replicate.
Many marketers get frustrated because they don’t see results right away. They assume they’ll never reach their goals.
Too often, we let long-held beliefs stand without questioning their validity.
That is what I want to do today. Challenge a few long-standing truths about how to be successful in digital marketing.
There are a few things I think most digital marketers are doing all wrong.
1. Thinking you have to stay “up-to-date” on all the changes in digital marketing
It’s no secret that digital marketing is constantly changing.
The industry is maturing, technology is constantly improving, and users are changing the way they use the Internet.
Take, for example, voice search. In addition to talking to Siri on my phone, I can now ask my computer questions.
I can ask Alexa to order me a pizza.
Seriously, how awesome is that?
Voice search was not something digital marketers had to think about just five years ago.
So, there is some value in staying up-to-date on industry news.
The problem is that a search for “changes in digital marketing” has 1.4 million results.
That is a ridiculous amount of content.
There is no way you can read the hundreds of new articles that get published on digital marketing every day.
Marketing Land alone published seven articles on a recent Friday. Seven.
That is just one site. There are dozens of other digital marketing news sites as well.
There is simply no way to read all the news.
We all spend a lot of time waiting for Google to make a change that shakes up everything. The problem is that those updates are nearly constant.
John Mueller, a Trends Analyst at Google, says the search giant makes updates nearly every day.
Yes, we make changes almost every day.
— John ☆.o(≧▽≦)o.☆ (@JohnMu) March 9, 2017
Gary Illyes puts the average at three Google updates a day.
we have 3 updates a day in average. I think it’s pretty safe to assume there was one recently…
It is impossible to keep up with every single change in the digital marketing industry.
To be honest, trying to keep up is a waste of your time.
You could easily spend your whole day just reading the news, which leaves very little time for actually doing the work.
Don’t get me wrong, staying current is important, but it is also way over-hyped.
The best way to create long-lasting results is to consistently write high-quality content your readers actually want to read.
More isn’t always better.
For example, did you know Apple didn’t pay for any advertising for the iPhone for the entire first year before it went to market?
That is right. In the beginning, Apple didn’t pay to promote what is now its flagship product.
In June of 2015, Apple sold the 1 billionth iPhone.
I’d say that turned out pretty well for them.
Remember, taking action isn’t always better than remaining inactive. Stop chasing the news and focus on doing the work — you will be more successful in the end.
2. You don’t need to spend money
A quick search for any marketing topic along with the word ‘free’ generates millions of results.
Free SEO tools is always a popular search:
Nearly six million results.
It makes sense. People like free stuff.
But I truly believe that you get what you pay for.
If you are just getting started building your business, there is definite value in learning the ropes and using free or ‘freemium’ digital marketing tools.
Some of my favorite tools, like MailChimp and Trello, offer free versions.
Free or trial versions also let you try tools out before you invest money in them.
I am not knocking free.
However, there is a tipping point of diminishing returns with free tools.
At some point, you have to spend money if you want to succeed.
I’m not talking about those click-bait ads you see on Facebook. “How I made $100 million last month and only spent $50” — you can’t replicate that.
Those results are not typical, nor should they be expected.
But I firmly believe you have to spend money to make money.
In fact, I’ve written about it extensively because it works.
For example, a few years ago I spent $57,000 to build and promote the Instagram account @whoisneilpatel.
The purpose of this experiment was not to stroke my own ego. It was to prove that you can, in fact, earn ROI on large investments in personal branding.
And it worked.
Within a month, Google searches of my name increased by 71%. Within six…
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