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28 May 2013

Social Media Myths Exposed: Social Media Marketing Advice

Social Media Myths Exposed

With the ever expanding reach of social media the myths which surround it grow too. However like all myths although they may have a theoretical or hypothetical validity, they are fallacious. So here are some of the social media myths exposed.

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Social Media Myths Exposed – My clientele are not on social media platforms:

This is one of the more common myths which businesses use to justify their absence from social media platforms. Simply put this myth is nonsense, spouted by people who misunderstand or underestimate the reach and scope that social media has. According to statistics put forward by Yahoo! Finance, Facebook has an active populace in excess of over one billion users. Furthermore stats put forward from TechCrunch, stat that Google Plus has an online following of over 100 million active users. The same report puts the figure for active users of Twitter at 170 million. Based on this it is foolish ignorance to state that your customers are not using these formats. The conclusion is ever more erroneous when other platforms such as Pinterest or LinkedIn are taken into account.

Social Media Myths Exposed – Social media success is dependent on engaging conversation:

This is perhaps only a half myth. Conversation is certainly a long way from unimportant. Simply put you cannot ignore your fans. One it is just plainly rude. Secondly it doesn’t build a good rapport or reputation for your brand. The point needs to be made that successfully engaging with your followers and fans in conversation is an excellent asset to any social media or social commerce marketing campaign.  Recent data compiled by Dan Zarrella has shown that the number of tweets ending with @, do not necessarily positively correlate with the numbers of Twitter followers the users has. Social media needs to be seen for what it is, a lead generator. Just because people do not directly connect or interact with your content does not mean that they have not used it.

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Social Media Myths Exposed – Social media opens my company to public criticism:

There is no doubt some truth in this. In that some brands and companies have been publically criticised via social media platforms. However the venue already exists, people are able to criticise your brand if they so choose to through the internet. So by creating a page or profile on a social media platform you are not suddenly opening the floodgates to criticism. A good tip to avoid this problem is to always be a step ahead. Remain vigilant, and if and when it occurs address it directly. Here is a link to a blog post providing advice for dealing with social media criticism.

Social Media Myths Exposed – I don’t have enough content to maintain interest with my followers:

With this myth the one fact that social media has continually demonstrated in its brief history is that it moves and evolves quickly. This can also be an asset. You may have posted a link a month or so ago, just because you posted a link does not mean all of your followers saw it. With this in mind you can feel to re-post it a few weeks later, thus recycling the post. However do not use this as an excuse to keep posting the same links and content. Also if you are going to repost a link, make sure to put some fresh content or fact into the post to keep your followers engaged.

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Social Media Myths Exposed – I should only have fans who are potential customers:

Like all myths this does admittedly make sense to a degree and seemingly have validity. Although the quality of your fans and followers on social media is important, the total social reach of your brand on social media is far more important. There are some key facts to take into account when acquiring fans outside of your demographic:

  • Having more fans means you have access to a wider audience. It means that you have access to their fans and followers to. Giving your brand much greater reach.
  • If the follower is highly influential on social media platforms, then you gain some of their prestige through association.
  • If your followers share your content, regardless of their demographic, your SEO is increased by default.
  • People like to know things and appear knowledgeable. Even if they do not want to use your product or service, they may recommend you to a friend who does.