As digital platforms capture the vast majority of new ad dollars, advertisers who rely on outdated assumptions risk wasting budget and missing customers, according to Audacy SVP of Digital Sales Jenny Sutton. In a new Insights post, Sutton outlines several persistent digital marketing myths that continue to limit performance for local and regional businesses.

Among the most common missteps is the belief that launching a website or social profile alone will drive traffic. Sutton says digital visibility now requires ongoing SEO, paid search, and upper-funnel promotion to ensure brands appear at the right moments in the consumer journey. Another misconception is that meaningful awareness requires massive budgets. Digital targeting, retargeting, and real-time measurement allow even modest spends to generate impact when deployed strategically.

Sutton also challenges the idea that local television alone can deliver reach. With streaming now accounting for more than half of total TV viewing, she argues that combining broadcast with digital video can expand reach by 10% to 40% without increasing spend. She cautions against treating all digital channels as interchangeable or fully automated, noting that human oversight remains critical for optimization and messaging shifts.

Finally, Sutton points to ROI concerns as a solvable problem, emphasizing the importance of clear conversion goals, tracking tools, and match-back reporting to connect digital engagement with real-world results.