10 Marketing Lies You Still Believe (That Are Costing You Money)

Let’s be real: there’s a lot of bad marketing advice floating around.

And if you’ve ever felt like you’re doing “all the right things” but still not seeing results—you’re not crazy. You’re just following strategies that were never built for real business growth.

I’ve worked with enough founders to see the patterns. So today, I’m calling out the BS.

Here are 10 marketing lies that are quietly draining your time, energy, and money—and what you should believe instead.

1. “If you build it, they will come.”

Cute. Also false.

Your beautifully designed website, brand palette, and logo mean nothing if no one knows you exist. Visibility isn’t magic—it’s marketing.

👉 Truth: You need traffic. You need messaging. You need strategy.

Without that, you’ve built a secret clubhouse for ghosts.

2. “You need to be on every platform.”

No, friend. You don’t need to dance on TikTok, write essays on LinkedIn, AND do Reels on Instagram all while raising three kids and running a company.

👉 Truth: Be where your audience is—and where you can show up consistently.

Pick 1–2 platforms, do them well, and then expand.

3. “Marketing is just getting your name out there.”

That’s branding, not marketing. And even that isn’t enough.

👉 Truth: People don’t buy because they know your name.

They buy because they trust you, understand what you solve, and see the value in what you’re offering.

Your content should answer: “Why now? Why you?”

4. “The algorithm hates me.”

Sweetheart, the algorithm doesn’t know you well enough to hate you.

👉 Truth: It rewards consistency, engagement, and clarity.

If your content isn’t landing, it’s not about being cursed—it’s about strategy. Let’s fix that instead of playing victim to a robot.

5. “More followers = more money.”

Oh, bless it.

Look, I’ve worked with clients who had 500 followers and made six figures—and others with 50k who couldn’t sell a $47 ebook.

👉 Truth: Community > Crowd.

It’s not about how many are watching. It’s about who’s buying.

6. “I need to go viral.”

You need to go valuable.

Virality is a dopamine hit. It’s unpredictable, temporary, and rarely converts unless you’ve got the foundation in place.

👉 Truth: Focus on content that educates, resonates, or converts—not just entertains.

7. “Email is dead.”

So is that myth. Email is very much alive and still delivers one of the highest ROIs in marketing.

👉 Truth: Email lets you build intimacy, control the platform, and sell directly—no algorithm, no gatekeeper. You just need the right strategy (and subject lines that don’t scream “boring”).

8. “Marketing is sleazy.”

Only if you’re doing it wrong. Sleaze comes from manipulation. Strategy comes from alignment.

👉 Truth: Great marketing connects your solution to someone’s real pain point.

When you market with empathy, intention, and clarity, you’re not being pushy—you’re being of service.

9. “I can do it all myself.”

Technically, sure. But should you?

👉 Truth: You can DIY your brand, your funnel, your copy, your email, your tech stack… but it’ll take 10x longer, cost you more in lost sales, and likely burn you out.

Outsourcing doesn’t mean giving up control—it means giving yourself permission to scale.

10. “Once I find the perfect strategy, I’ll never have to change it.”

Marketing isn’t a one-and-done thing. It evolves. The market changes. Your audience changes. You change.

👉 Truth: There is no final form. Your job isn’t to find the perfect strategy. It’s to keep refining the right one.

Let’s Recap:

If you’ve believed any of these lies—welcome to the club. So did I.

The good news? You’re now smarter, sharper, and one blog post away from turning the ship around.

Now the question is—what are you going to do with that clarity?

Your Move:

If you’re tired of playing guessing games with your marketing, I can help.

• ✅ Real strategy

• ✅ AI systems that make you money in your sleep

• ✅ Messaging that finally sounds like you

👉[Book a Discovery Call with Me]

Let’s get real about what’s working—and what’s not.