5 Myths about Social Media Marketing

Consumers have now moved into the digital space, yet they still crave the attention of corporations they admire. Unfortunately, many brands are still getting stuck on social media, failing to effectively utilize this channel.

Social media is constantly changing, so myths are constantly spreading. It’s important to go through some of these myths and figure out where they are following the wrong path.

Myth #1: Consumers Aren’t Reading Your Social Posts

Contrary to popular arguments, not only does your social content get read, it also has the ability to influence purchasing decisions. In fact, HubSpot concluded that in 2011, “67 percent of B2C companies and 41 percent of B2B companies have acquired a customer through Facebook.”

However, it’s important to remember that your reach on Facebook is determined by a number of factors, one of which is fan engagement with your content.

Text-only status updates tend to perform poorly compared to images and links; so, make sure to consider that when creating your social strategy. Well-respected corporations like Proctor & Gamble offer contests and engaging photography send out coupons weekly and anoint very specific employees to be their brand ambassadors.

Remember, though, Facebook isn’t the end-all-be-all of social networks. No matter what the social network, consumers will read any text, video, image, contest or coupon you publish.

Myth #2: Too Much Content Will Reveal Trade Secrets To Competitors

Having thirty pages of content doesn’t make you a bookbinder. The more transparency you maintain with your customer the more trust they have in you, followed by loyalty and increased sales.

Failing to leverage social media will reveal some weaknesses to your competitors, though — like your company’s inability to provide knowledge and remain current within your industry.

Myth #3: Social Media Cannot Heal Reputation Wound

Just as important social media is, it is important to also keep a check on the posts, which get posted relating to your institute. Also, Ignoring website feedback could produce bad social karma. Receiving that indignant Ripoff Report can destroy your reputation in search results.

Professionals know how difficult it is to rebuild a tarnished reputation; avoid this nightmare by implementing an aggressive social media strategy from the very beginning.

Ensure that your social page administrators are empowered to mitigate each problem quickly, individually and thoroughly. As you develop a strong rapport with your customers via social channels, egregious racketeering sites like Ripoff Report will lose credibility.

Myth #4: Social Successes Should Be Gauged Solely By Social Interactions

The numbers of social interactions you get out of a campaign are a KPI, but ultimate success should be measured by sales opportunities or revenue. Interactions may enhance the likelihood of increasing sales opportunities; but, if you don’t close any of those leads, the campaign is a failure, regardless of how many interactions were generated. Marketing exists to drive sales.

Joseph Knoop, a Pinterest celebrity with over 3.8 million followers, is a living testimony that Pinterest isn’t just for creative types and stay-at-home moms, but for businesses, as well. For eg: many businesses have their pages on pinterest. The more their articles or pins get pinned or liked, the business becomes more popular and thus the sales increase.

Myth #5: Social Media Marketing Costs Nothing

Though major social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube are all free to use, hidden costs always exist when implementing a social media marketing campaign. These costs might include spending hours developing a social strategy, creating content assets, posting updates, and responding to customers. An effective social media campaign is much more than one of us simply posting a random blog or FB post when we had time.

To create an active and engaging social media promotion, you need someone who prioritizes and implements the plan, manages the messaging, and monitors the mediums for customer feedback.

Additionally, paid social campaigns should not be discounted — these are very effective for increasing brand awareness and gaining new followers outside of your existing customer base.

So, I now hope you got to know many new things and surely the myths are broken. See our other posts also. J