If you aren’t getting the results you want from your marketing, you might be the problem.

Well, not YOU—you’re wonderful. But your marketing efforts might be keeping your business stale.

Here’s a hard truth: It might feel safe to huddle up in the warmth of your classic marketing rulebook and best practices, but that’s not where the magic happens. The best businesses wield a delicate balance of modern strategy and mindful trendiness.

But “popular” won’t always solve your problems, even when done right. Marketers like us are constantly raising the bar. When something works for one business, everyone wants to give it a go—but that doesn’t guarantee success.

After 20 years of catching the marketing waves and helping solve our partners’ business problems, we’ve got some common marketing misconceptions you should hear. Read on for our hottest marketing takes.

The Algorithm Isn’t the Problem–Your Content Is

It’s time to stop blaming the algorithm. Many marketers are quick to point fingers when their content doesn’t perform as expected, but there’s a deeper issue at hand. While algorithms are constantly changing and updating to reflect user activity, they aren’t fully to blame for your content’s performance.

Think of social media platforms and the algorithm as an alliance. Platforms want users to stay on their app and get as much screen time as possible, so the algorithm prioritizes relevant content to keep them engaged and scrolling. It evaluates audience behaviors and interests, then serves up a perfectly curated feed on a silver platter. If your content isn’t deemed valuable, it might miss the mark.

So what will get your content on feeds and in front of users? Here are a few modern marketing strategies that play nicely with the algorithm:

• High engagement: Encourage users to like, comment and share your content through polls, questions and actionable copy.
• Use visuals: Prioritize high-quality content and grab users’ attention with short, engaging videos.
• Tap into trends When done sparingly, using trending hashtags and audio can increase visibility and help your content reach your target audience.

“Viral” Isn’t a Strategy

Don’t come at us for this one. Virality is nice to have, but it isn’t the goal. It’s an outcome, not an execution. Sure, you want your content to be seen and get people talking. But a viral moment is just that—a short-lived success caused by a temporary boost of attention. Using virality as your strategy is a common marketing misconception that focuses more on reaching a wide audience, not necessarily the right audience.

It’s far more important to truly understand who you’re talking to and what you’re trying to say. Relying on virality can be unpredictable, attract the wrong audience and might even do more harm than good.

Instead, take the time to develop an effective marketing strategy centered around sustained growth:

• Define your brand: Encourage users to like, comment and share your content through polls, questions and actionable copy.
• Lead with emotion: Storytelling and empathy make users feel connected and inclined to share your content.
• Create shareable content: Relatable, easy-to-consume content increases sharability and brand awareness. (Think memes).

Virality may just follow.

Your Competitors Are Not Your Creative Benchmark

Competitor comparison is one of the biggest digital marketing mistakes to avoid. Marketers often look at what competitors are doing and imitate it in their own efforts. “What’s working for them will work for us, right?” Not quite. Just because you share an industry or similar audiences, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have the same marketing objectives.

When you use competitors as your muse, things get messy. Not only do you stray from your brand identity, but you lack originality and instantly fall one step behind. You become a follower, not a leader.

There’s also no way to know whether their colorful gifs or flashy fonts are actually hitting home. Our two cents: your marketing should reflect you, your values and your unique brand.

Worry about you, not them:

• Go back to your branding: Reference what makes your brand unique and use it as your creative starting point.
• Identify audience pain points: Find out what your specific audience needs and bring it to the table.
• Look at the data: What has worked in the past? Use the data to make creative decisions you know resonate with your audience.

Authenticity > Aesthetic

Somewhere along the way, we traded natural lighting for production lights, real people for models and bold colors for pristine neutrals.

Aesthetics may be pleasing to the eye, but they can overpower the true messaging of your campaign. Rather than pulling on heartstrings, your audience might pull away.

Authenticity humanizes your content, making it feel real and more relatable. It earns trust, builds loyalty and drives engagement. Audiences see themselves in your brand and are likelier to engage, act and become a consumer. This can also increase your chances of virality (if you’re still thinking about hot take #2).

Showing those candid thoughts, imperfections and behind-the-scenes moments have a much larger impact—one your audience will appreciate.

Here are ways to practice authentic marketing:

• Be transparent: Showcase your processes, values and challenges.
• Mix in user-generated content: Use photos and videos from customers to share real experiences.
• Put a face to your brand: Introduce the customers, employees and founders behind your business.

We Said What We Said

Need help getting started? At TJA, we know how to play by the rules, but we also know how to bend them from time to time. We’re always thinking up new ways to challenge modern marketing strategies and help businesses break the status quo.

If you’re ready to stand out and start making waves, drop us a line.