Given all the fervor around social media it probably isn’t too surprising to learn that a lot of misinformation exists about the best way to engage in social media marketing. Although there is no one engagement strategy that will work for every business, there are some myths circulating that will almost certainly ensure your failure. So before you make the same mistakes, consider these few myths.
Social media is a necessity and the right tool for every business.
Despite what internet blogs would lead you to believe, not everyone in the world – or even the Unite States – uses social media. According the latest study on social media use by the Pew Research Center 65 percent of adults use some form of social networking tools.
Although this is a significant percentage of the population, it is not all of the population. Further, some of these users are only using the services casually. Social media can definitely be a valuable tool, but like with all investments, you need to take time to research your particular marketing needs before spending time, resources and money. You may want to ask yourself:
- Is this highest priority for my current marketing budget given the results I want to achieve?
- Will social media help achieve my business goals?
- Is the audience I want to reach using social media? Are they using it help influence purchasing decisions?
- Does my organization have adequate skills, resources and budget to invest?
Social media marketing is not Nike – don’t just do it – with no strategy, goals or knowledge.
Anybody can do social media. Just reassign that guy in the mail room that’s on the internet all the time.
Just because you managed to sign up for Twitter and post a tweet does not you are qualified to drive a social media campaign that yields the desired results. Most business would never dream of hiring someone without appropriate experience or credentials to create a direct mailer or press release, but will put their brands in the hands of almost anyone to for their social media presence.
If you decide to implement social marketing keep in mind that your social media identity is just as much a part of your brand identity, and sometimes more so, than other marketing channels. Be sure that you hire a professional that has adequate knowledge and experience with social media, marketing tools to track performance and public communications before handing over your corporate image.
The internet changes so fast, we don’t have to worry about a marketing strategy for social media.
All marketing efforts, including social media marketing, should be accompanied by a strategy. If you don’t clearly define what you are attempting to accomplish, and measure it, how will you know if your efforts are successful? You won’t. Technology is rapidly changing marketing, but that is no excuse for being lazy. This doesn’t mean that you must remain paralyzed into inaction until you determine the perfect execution plan. It is okay to start slow, measure the results against expectations and alternatives and adjust. However, it is not okay to just haphazardly plaster information on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn just hoping that you will somehow magically create great results.
Who cares what people say about me online? Anybody can say anything on a social network.
The new reality is that social media can damage your brand image even if you don’t decide to engage in social marketing. Customers and competitors can post a negative comment that is instant availably globally. If you are particularly unlucky it could go viral or be picked up by mainstream press that often uses social media as a news source.
Social media has transformed marketing into a less predictive and more interactive engagement with customers and prospects. You would be wise to invest some effort in seeing what is being said about you and address it if appropriate. If you decide to begin a social media campaign, remember that it encourages two way dialogue, so be prepared to respond to it
Theses are not the only social media marketing myths circulating, but they are the ones that annoy us most – well at least today. What social media marketing myths bother you most? We would love to hear your feedback.