08 Dec 10 Social Media Marketing Myths, Busted
Remember the show “Mythbusters”? It seems like they covered every single crazy topic out there, but as far as I know, they never covered social media marketing myths.
Well, today I’m going to do some myth busting of my own. It might not involve a fake great white shark or wonky hovercraft, but it’ll be fun and surprising just the same.
Here are ten social media marketing myths that it’s time to finally lay to rest. For good.
1. My clients aren’t on it
Actually, they are. They might not use Facebook, but they’re probably on LinkedIn. Or Pinterest or Instagram or YouTube. You can find out quickly by doing searches within each social network. Plug in keywords (or hashtags) that you’re being found for online, and you’ll see a list of conversations and content being shared.
2. It’s free
Creating an account on a social media platform does not cost money. And that’s about where the “free” part of social media marketing ends.
Social media marketing costs a lot of time if you want to do it right and see results. Getting your content in front of your target market costs money – highly targeted ads are not free. And creating content to share on social media is not free, either – it costs time and/or money.
And that’s OK! Marketing is an important investment in the growth and success of your business.
3. My intern/15 year-old nephew/assistant can handle it
Sure they can – if you want to fail miserably at social media marketing. Getting results and seeing a return on investment requires a strategy based on experience and expertise, and a commitment to keeping up with the latest marketing AND social media trends AND industry influencers and news.
Someone who spends 10 minutes a day posting god knows what and spewing emojis all over the place ain’t gonna cut it.
4. I can share the same stuff on all the networks
Because every social media network is different, I can guarantee that your audiences are different, too. They might be interested in the same subject, but that’s it. For example, you might share your latest thought leadership-focused blog post on LinkedIn, but not on Instagram. Instead, you’d share a photo of you meeting your business hero.
5. I have to be on Facebook
You don’t “have” to be on any given network. Like I said above, it depends on where your audience is, but it also depends on where you’ll get the most bang for your buck. In social media, that means going to where your target market is the most engaged, and it might not be where your largest potential audience is.
6. I don’t have to advertise
The sad truth is that very few people will ever visit your page. And because social media algorithms rarely show a brand’s posts organically, yes, you do have to advertise if you want your content to be seen. The good news is that you can set your budget and thus keep costs under control.
7. I’ll just post stuff when I can
There are three problems with that statement. One, social media is so noisy that it requires constant love and attention to get results. Two, you need a focused, consistent strategy for it work. And three, if someone submits a customer service inquiry or asks a question and you don’t respond for three weeks, well … it reflects very poorly on your company
8. The more fans/followers I have, the better
I always say quality over quantity! As I mentioned above, you want to go where people are the most engaged and most interested in what you have to say, and that’s not necessarily where there are the most people.
9. It won’t work for my business
That’s poppycock. Even the super-secretive, everything’s-classified CIA has a popular Twitter account! If people want to buy what you have to sell, social media marketing can work for you.
10. My business isn’t visual, so I’m not going to share images or videos
You’ll miss out on a lot of potential engagement if you ignore the power of images and videos. Create a video series of quick tips. Turn testimonials and inspiring quotes into graphics using Canva. Snap a photo when you meet with clients. See what works, and repeat!
Want to “do” social media marketing AND see results?
We’re here to help you put together and execute on a social media marketing strategy that will help you meet your business goals. Let’s talk!
Aslam
Posted at 05:49h, 09 DecemberWhile it’s true that you shouldn’t just cede all social media control to “some young hipster” who knows “the ‘net” but doesn’t know anything about your brand, you need both, knowledge of your brand and knowledge of web culture. So, reaching out to people who innately know social media can be a good idea if you invest the time into teaching them about your marketing message and business goals.
Monika Jansen
Posted at 10:27h, 12 JanuaryYup, absolutely! That’s true for any marketing program, not just social media. You need to understand the brand AND best practices/the entire landscape, whether you’re talking about email.