5 Myths About Social Media Marketing

Social media allows people to connect all over the world and make friends with people they never would have met otherwise. These days it’s hard to get people to communicate outside of staring at their cell phones. Using this to a company’s advantage can greatly benefit its brand awareness. Social media marketing is one of the strongest working parts of a marketing strategy today. However, there are a lot of people out there that don’t quite understand social media and its importance from a business perspective. We’re here to crack down on some myths to better educate the effectiveness of social media marketing and its impact on businesses and brands.

People think all we do is play on Facebook all day. Unfortunately, this is just not true! It takes time to develop specific social media marketing strategies for each individual business, create content that’s engaging and unique, connect and interact with multi-generational audiences, and analyze endless insights and reports in order to better attract new followers and customers. It would have seemed abnormal 10 years ago, but nowadays, companies are investing in social media managers that are able to dedicate their time to this specific media outlet.

Social media is less important than other marketing initiatives. A strong social media presence, when presented well, can establish credibility, increase exposure, and achieve effective brand awareness. As said by Kawamoto at Imagibrand, “When a brand invests in having a quality story relationship with their online consumers, they’re investing in more than just weekly videos and photos. They’re investing in the psychological phenomenon, the mere exposure effect, in which people naturally hold positive sentiments for a brand when they’re exposed to repeated exposures of this brand.”

Social media marketing is cheap/free. Advertising can be costly, no matter the platform. The more popular Facebook and Instagram become, the more money advertisers will need to spend to get the best results. Companies like Starbucks spend upwards of $260 million in advertising each year (Statista.com). While we all don’t make billions of dollars a year in order to spend this much on advertising, businesses small and large should always set aside a budget for marketing expenses. Sure, you may spend $5 boosting a Facebook post, but what did that $5 accomplish for you? A few likes? Maybe a comment or two? Having a strategic plan that is tailored to your company’s goals is key. Not sure how to create a plan or budget? Contact us today.

The more I post, the more followers I’ll get. On the contrary, the more posts you take up in a user’s feed, the more likely you are to seem spammy and ultimately will lose a follower. Based on updates from Facebook’s algorithm last year, businesses that post too much and receive little to no engagement, will see an even bigger drop in visits and engagement. Quality over quantity is always key, but it’s important to be consistent. Look at the data that’s in front of you. See when your audience is online, what days have the greatest engagement, and schedule your content accordingly. This could mean twice a day or three times a week. Every business and brand is different. Your content should be meaningful and reflect your overall message.

I shouldn’t post personal things on my business page. This one is a little tough. Sure, you shouldn’t post endless photos of your cat on your business page (unless it’s perhaps a pet sitting company that you represent) because it just wouldn’t make sense. Sure, you may get a few likes, but people are following your business or brand because of what you represent. We are HUMANS not robots. Tell a personal story, share how you got started on the career path you’ve taken, give shout outs to people that inspire you. Your posts shouldn’t be ‘sell, sell, sell’ all the time. Social media is good for business, but it’s also fun.

As a business dipping into the social media pool, it is important to remember why you chose to use this outlet. Social media is an amazing tool to promote yourself, your hobbies, tell a story, and interact with family and friends. But it’s an even better tool for businesses. Choose a marketing specialist that has what it takes to develop a strategy that will make your business successful. From there, remember marketing isn’t free, nor cheap. Invest in what you know will payoff in the long run. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and earning a mass amount of followers doesn’t happen overnight. Put in the work, have a strategy, be creative and results will follow. Trust in the power of social media.

As always, we can take that pressure off of you. Social media is time consuming and a lot of work. If you’re interested in putting the extra load on us, we’d be happy to set up a free consultation.

Now, let’s get social!

Sources: https://imagibrand.com/6-myths-about-social-media-marketing/ https://hackernoon.com/8-social-media-marketing-myths-busted-f9ab17a2a179 https://www.statista.com/statistics/289363/starbucks-advertising-spending-worldwide/