5 Most Overrated Marketing Tactics Being Used Today

In 2016 when there are more marketing tactics and channels than you could poke a stick at, what’s a marketer to do when faced with the dilemma of only choosing a few?

Let us help you weave through the clutter and find your perfect tactic by listing 5 of the most overrated marketing tactics around today.

1. OOH

OOH stands for “out of home” advertising, and refers to things like billboards and bus stop ads. This is somewhat of an obvious choice at #1. Gone are the days where a consumer could only be reached when out of the house, constantly being immersed in marketing in the world around them. Today’s consumer has the luxury of being ‘plugged in’ wherever they are, and are also more likely to consume content they want to see rather than experiencing the traditional mass market (un)appeal of out of home marketing.

Even if you’re eBay trying to incite city vs city rivalry, OOH advertising is overrated.

2. Paid Online Advertising

Whether you’re talking about social media or Google PPC, 15% of inbound marketers think that paid online advertising is hugely overrated. This is most likely due to the varying rates of success a business may have over something like an eDM campaign which is highly targeted, super niche and offers an already-engaged consumer to talk to. Having said that, we still think paid is a great way to amplify your content when done the right way and when you are tracking conversions so you can measure success.

3. Organic Social Media

I can hear you saying: “But James, organic social growth is one of the best tactics ever! You’re crazy!!” And you’re right, it is one of the best tactics to implement, but if you think that simply creating a Facebook page, writing a few posts and hoping that among the ocean that is the internet, someone will find your message in a bottle – you’re crazy. Organic social media marketing is a tool that needs to be nurtured. Start by prospecting your social media channels for savvy and engaged consumers that might be interested in your business. Then, once a warm connection is established, start the conversation instead of posting blindly online.

overated-marketing-tactics — Just some of the most overrated tactics as voted by today’s marketers

4. Email Marketing

Unsurprisingly, 13% of outbound marketers said that email marketing was their most overrated marketing tactic. A traditional outbound marketer is generally faced with a consumer that has not yet either experienced their brand, or one that hasn’t established the brand in their evoked set. Email marketing for an outbound marketer is best utilised through database marketing from an established and engaged set of consumers, rather than something like a purchased or rented list of people who’ve never heard of you.

5. PR

Many marketers I’ve talked to still don’t know exactly how PR marketing works in the scope of channels available to us today. PR advertising/marketing can turn campaigns such as product launches, from small-scale WOM into global viral juggernauts – the key? Information. It’s a PR specialist’s job to get the right information about your business in front of the right people and when used effectively, is one of the most underrated and underappreciated tactics in marketing.

When finding the best marketing tactics for your business, start by asking yourself what your top marketing challenges are. With this information in the forefront of your thinking, begin to investigate other campaigns, learn from mistakes, and don’t be afraid to dip your toe into many strange and various marketing channels.

What do you think of these 5 overrated tactics? Have any more to add? Drop us a comment below!