Each year, as technology changes and we usher in a new season of marketing methods and ideas, it is tempting to leave the old behind in a pile of white paper and obsolete instruction manuals. Embracing change is at times beneficial, but there are also advantages to looking at our current state of B2B companies and filtering out what is still good.

We all have an opinion, and what is best for our company may not be what is best for our competitors. Here are 5 B2B myths to consider as 2015 continues on:

1. Websites do not matter: 18% of B2B buyers spent 90% or more of their budgets online in 2014, and 84% go to websites before making a business purchasing decision. Relevant, high quality content and regular content updates to keep buyers engaged and interested. Make your site easy to navigate and always include contact information.
2. Direct mail marketing has gone the way of the dinosaurs: We are inundated with technology, quick communication, and instant connections. Relevant, personal, meaningful physical mail fulfils a tangible need that the cyber world just cannot satisfy. With a unique approach and an interesting design, direct mail can reach your audience in ways technology never could.
3. Social Media is where it’s at: While your B2B company needs a strong social media presence, it does not need a weak presence on every available social media platform. The top engaged social sites driving the most web traffic last year were YouTube, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Social media can be effective, as long as you are interacting and posting updates regularly. Knowing your audience gives your company a great advantage in connecting, as does gearing your message towards their needs.
4. Email marketing is dead: Doug Davidoff at Imagine Business Development dispels this myth. He gives a few tips to encourage open and click rates, including personalizing emails, developing relevant content, and targeting the right audience. Epsilon marketing has found that triggered email messages (those sent in response to action by the subscriber) receive 119% higher CTR than a basic email message. We are responding to emails, but more so if they are attention-grabbing and unique.
5. Infographics are overrated: Infographics can exist as shareable, eye-catching, and visually appealing graphics when done right. The use of infographics as a content marketing tactic among B2B companies rose by 11% in 2014. If it’s true that 65% of the population are visual learners, and the brain process visual information 60,000 faster than text, it is worth your time and effort to invest in high quality infographics in some form for your B2B organization.

Predictions will always be made, and the future is yet to be seen. No one knows what the coming year will bring as far as trends and new concepts, but you can almost guarantee that what is considered hot and productive for B2B companies now will fade over time. Nothing lasts forever, but rest assured some marketing techniques are not as old and outdated as we may be led to believe.

What are some other B2B myths you believe need to be busted?