Social Media Myths That Can Hurt Your Business

In many ways, social media has become synonymous with online marketing. It helps businesses connect and engage with potential customers wherever they may be online, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn. For small to medium businesses, it also offers incredible opportunities for increasing brand awareness and building online trust and authority. If you’re looking for an internet marketing company to work with you on developing a solid digital marketing strategy, Smart WSI Marketing can help. Get in touch with us today!

Have You Heard These Social Media Myths?

Talk to any internet marketing agency and they’ll tell you that, over the past decade, social media’s role in digital marketing has grown by leaps and bounds. And during that time, it’s managed to acquire some pretty interesting mythology.

Below are 15 social media myths that, if believed, could hamper your internet marketing strategy. We also give you the truths you need to hear and how you can use them in your social media efforts.

Myth #1: Your Customers Aren’t on Social Media

Many business owners don’t worry about social media because they believe their target customers aren’t using it. Yet, study after study shows that people of all ages are regular users of one or more social platforms. The truth is, if you’ve avoided social media until now, you could be missing out on reaching a huge portion of your target audience.

Now’s the time to start building your brand’s social media presence. And the best place to start? By asking your customers which social media sites they use most. A digital marketing agency can also use analytics tools to help you find customers.

Myth #2: You Need to Be on Every Social Media Platform

Many business owners avoid social media because they don’t have the time or energy to manage multiple social media accounts. The good news is you don’t need to spread yourself thin to be successful with social media marketing. Even being active on one platform can be enough if it’s the one where your ideal audience is. For instance, Facebook is still the most popular site for adults, but less so for teens. Snapchat enjoys high engagement from a mostly young female audience. And LinkedIn has carved out a niche for itself in the highly educated professional category.

Myth #3: Social Media’s All You Need to Build Your Brand’s Reputation

With over 70% of customers saying they’re likely to recommend a brand to friends and family if they’ve had a positive experience with it, it’s obvious social media can potentially do wonders for your brand. But like with most things digital marketing, it’s never wise to put all your eggs in one basket.

When starting out, consider using social media as a thought leadership tactic where you build your brand’s reputation and credibility. Then use other tools like SEO, paid search, and email campaigns to round out your digital marketing strategy.

Myth #4: Social Media Is Free Advertising

The major social media sites are free to join, but they shouldn’t necessarily be seen as free advertising. Organic posts cost time and effort and don’t always reach your intended audience. Luckily, social media ads are still some of the most affordable ways to raise brand awareness, boost audience reach, and expose people to your products and services. Your digital marketing agency also offers social media management services for business owners who don’t have the time (or expertise) to do it on their own.

Myth #5: Social Media Networks Are the Same as Broadcast Channels

It’s common for brands just starting to use social media to brag about their business. But if you want to succeed at the social game, you need to make it an interactive experience. It’s call social media for a reason! The content you put on your social media sites should be less about your business and more about your customers. So, instead of talking “at” your followers, get them to join in by asking questions that get the conversation rolling.

Myth #6: You Must Post Social Media Content Multiple Times Every Day

This is one of the most widespread social media marketing myths and potentially one of the most detrimental. Most small business owners don’t have the time or resources to post three to five times a day on various social media accounts. Thankfully, measurable results come from posting consistently. If even that puts running your business on the back burner, having an internet marketing agency do the work for you can be well worth the investment.

Myth #7: I Don’t Need Social Media If I Keep Up My Website

Customers can indeed find your website through online search, but you have to first rank well for that to happen. Plus, building meaningful customer relationships is much more challenging if you only rely on your website to do it. Social media lets people know you exist and helps you effectively communicate with your audience.

Myth #8: Social Media Is a Great Source of New Customers

Statistics show it’s rare for businesses to attract brand new customers through organic social media posts. But social media is great for connecting with existing customers. Focus your social media efforts on developing deeper relationships with existing customers, and, over time, they’ll become reliable repeat customers and brand ambassadors.

Myth #9: Social Media Has Replaced Email Marketing

The reports of email marketing’s demise are vastly overrated. In fact, it remains one of the most effective ways for businesses to promote their content and increase conversions. Statistics show that people engage with an average of 11 brands daily via email compared to eight brands on Twitter and nine on Facebook. Don’t replace your email marketing campaigns with social media!

Myth #10: Social Media Ads Should Appeal to Everyone

Understandably, many business owners think sharing their ads with the widest possible audience is the best way to increase sales. The problem with this approach is you end up diluting your message to appeal to everyone. You want to target your ads to people who are relevant to your business, and the best way to do that is to get as specific as possible with your audience.

Myth #11: Social Media Marketing is All About Gaining Followers

Nothing can drive social media campaigns into the ground quite like this myth. A “more the merrier” approach to social media marking often means you end up promoting your content to people who aren’t interested in what you have to offer—they’re in it for the party! To grow your following, post content that’s relevant to your business and the audience you want to reach. These followers are most likely to convert to customers and add genuine value to your online presence.

Myth #12: Don’t Schedule Posts for the Weekend

It’s true that peak social media engagement times occur in the middle of the week. But, depending on your audience, weekend posts could be a profitable way to go. Scheduling software makes it easy to launch social media ads and other content over the weekend when many of your followers may be online.

Myth #13: You Must Respond to All Social Interactions Immediately

Everyone loves a speedy response, but one isn’t always required. As long as you get back in a timely manner, it's perfectly fine, and you aren’t likely to lose any customers over it. Of course, if you run a support account separate from your business one, it’s best to respond to questions or concerns as quickly as possible. The last thing you want is the public seeing complaints that go unanswered.

Myth #14: Social Media Is Necessary, But It Doesn’t Drive Bottom-Line Results

Let’s cut to the chase: social medial drives leads and customers, and that means it drives bottom- line results. Still have doubts? Consider these five stats:

1. More than a third of consumers use social media to learn about brands and their products and services.
2. Over 40% of GenZ customers have made a native purchase from a social media platform.
3. Three out of four Millennials say social media helps them engage with companies and brands.
4. Nearly 80% of people say social media user-generated content significantly impacts their purchasing decisions.
5. Almost 65% of buyers say they’d rather send brands a message on social media than call for customer service.

Choosing to use social media advertising or influencer marketing strategies can be a viable opportunity for increasing sales!

Myth #15: Social Media Is All About Bashing Companies You Don’t Like

Many business owners take a cynical view of social media. But the truth is, angry customers have always had plenty of ways to make their displeasure known. Word of mouth, Yelp and Google reviews, and many other online sites allow them to give feedback when they aren't happy. Not leveraging social media out of fear of negative feedback does less to protect you and more to harm your online marketing efforts. Focus instead on getting ahead of the conversation. When a negative review or comment appears on your social media account, respond quickly and offer solutions. Another smart tactic: encourage happy customers to share their positive stories.

Putting Social Media Marketing Myths to Rest

A recent HubSpot survey of over 1,000 marketers found that 80% of them intended to change or increase their social media strategies in 2022 in order to get their content seen by a wider audience. That’s good news for small businesses because remaining agile and ready to pivot puts them in a much better position to succeed in an ever-changing social media landscape.

Whether you’re just entering the social media marketing game or you’re hoping to increase your current efforts, it’s important to remember social media marketing is a long-term strategy. But as long as you focus on creating consistent, relevant content for your target audience, the value you provide will eventually build connections, strengthen customer relationships, and produce ongoing results for your business.

Smart WSI Marketing is an Edmonton digital marketing agency that can help you use the latest social media marketing strategies to create trust, highlight your brand’s personality, and boost sales. To learn more about how we do it, contact us today.

Lynne Motkoski, Marketing Strategist

Specialty: Online Marketing Strategies
Education: MA Communications & Technology, BComm [U Alberta]
Author: The Online Marketing Handbook for Busy Entrepreneurs (coming soon)

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Lynne is known for her strategic approach to marketing communications, technologies, and lead generation. She has a passion for education, keeping up with current marketing trends and practices, and helping clients keep ahead of their competition.

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