Advice From A Social Media Marketing Agency
In this article, we’re discussing 6 prevalant myths about social media marketing that you need to stop believing right now.
Social media marketing is as popular as ever, but many businesses struggle with it. Unfortunately, many myths surround social media marketing and make people think that it’s easier than it is. These myths leave social media marketers wondering why they’re getting so little return for their efforts.
Here at Mandel Marketing, we manage a lot of social media accounts for our clients, and over the years we’ve seen the same few beliefs crop up–making it more difficult for businesses to grow. So here are six social media marketing myths you should stop believing right now.
Myth #1: Social media marketing is free
People like to point out that social media is free, but that’s not entirely true. Time is money, or “time is the currency of social media.” Whether you’re investing your own time or paying someone else to do it for you, there’s no free lunch when it comes to social media marketing. First, get a reality check. Take stock of how much time you spend on social media and how many hours you pay employees to spend on it — and then consider whether the results you’re getting justify the time.
Social media can be a time suck. You might be tempted to track everything that goes on in your social media sphere, but sometimes less is more. The KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) can be a useful guide here: prioritize simplicity over complexity by measuring the things that matter most. And remember that just because something CAN be measured, doesn’t mean you should measure it.
Storytelling on social media is just as important as engagement. You don’t need to measure the success of every post. Instead, aim to measure performance at a macro level, not a micro level.
Myth #2: Social media marketing is easy to measure
Some social media marketers believe it’s easy to measure the performance of their social media marketing campaigns. After all, one of the greatest benefits of social media for business is the ability to see how many people are looking at your content.
But if you only look at your social media stats, you’re leaving a lot of data on the table. Social media is not a stand-alone channel: It’s part of an ecosystem of marketing channels that can lead to conversions. Trying to understand how well your social media marketing campaigns are performing by analyzing only your social media stats may be deceiving you as much as it is informing you.
Myth #3: Social media marketing only works for consumer brands
Social media marketing is an effective way to grow business, but many entrepreneurs mistakenly think it’s only effective for consumer brands. This is simply not true. While B2C companies have more opportunities to use social media networks like Facebook and Instagram to connect with customers through organic content, that doesn’t mean B2B companies can’t capitalize on social media marketing.
In fact, there are many ways to leverage social media platforms to grow your business, whether you’re selling goods or services.
For example, LinkedIn is a professional network that allows businesses — both consumer-facing and B2B — to create company pages, share updates, and engage with consumers in meaningful ways. LinkedIn also offers paid advertising options that allow B2B companies to target specific audiences based on their professional background and job titles. Take advantage of these opportunities!
Myth #4: Social media is a numbers game
If you think social media marketing is a numbers game, you might be missing the point. For example, if your goal is to grow your follower count, you may find it easier than you thought to add new followers. But what if they ignore your content and never buy anything from you? You’ve increased the number of people who follow you on social media, but they aren’t engaged with your brand at all.
The idea isn’t just to get more followers or likes; it’s about making sure those followers engage with your content, use your services, or buy something from you. That said, most marketers agree that the quality of social media interactions (and not quantity) matters most. Even though these interactions may happen less often, they’ll likely have a better impact on your business in the long run.
So, when someone makes a comment or shares one of your posts, don’t forget to thank them! If a customer leaves a positive review on one of your pages, respond and share it with others online. That kind of engagement could lead to more purchases down the line!
Myth #5: Social media is easy
It’s easy to see why many people think social media marketing is simple. They may think it’s easy because they’ve done it for themselves and know how to post something to Facebook or Instagram. Or maybe they’re looking at the daily lives of famous influencers who make posting on social media look like a breeze.
However, there are some important distinctions between amateurs who use social media for fun and companies that want to make money from their posts. When you’re posting only for engagement, it’s more straightforward. With enough time and effort, you can learn how to write compelling copy for your ads, design great images and videos that catch your audience’s eyes, create personalized content targeted toward the buyers you want most, and build a strategy with these elements in mind.
But earning all this takes time, effort, and expertise. If you don’t have the time, patience, or energy to put into your own marketing right now, consider hiring someone else who already has all that knowledge tucked away in their brain. That way, you can spend less time worrying about marketing and more time making money!
Myth #6: You need to be on every social media network
It’s important for businesses to be active on multiple channels, but it’s a myth that you need to be on every one to succeed. Talk to anyone familiar with influencer marketing, and they’ll tell you it’s better to focus your attention on only a few and do them well, than spread yourself thin across too many channels and do them poorly. If you want customers to see your business as an expert in your industry, focus on one or two social networks that will help you do that.
In addition, if you don’t have help from a social media marketing agency, you simply may not have the time or resources to engage successfully with every social media platform out there.
The first step is to decide which social media platform is right for your business. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses and its own audience of users. It’s important that you choose the one where your target audience spends their time.
For example, if you’re an artist or photographer who wants to share images with the world, Instagram might be a better choice than LinkedIn. The same goes for companies whose products have a strong visual component: Instagram is a great way to show off what you make.
If you’re an accountant, tech startup, or other services firm, LinkedIn may be more relevant for you than Instagram. After all, your customers are probably other businesses rather than consumers. As such, LinkedIn will give you access to those businesses so they can see the value you offer. It’s also a trusted platform–which is important when developing your own brand equity.
Other platforms are more universally popular and attract a general audience — such as Twitter or Facebook — so if you’re looking for wide exposure and don’t have a specific target audience in mind yet, they might be good choices for you. The key thing to remember is that not every business fits neatly into one category or another.
Need Help With Social Media? Mandel Marketing Is Here For You!
If you want to succeed in social media marketing, it’s important to understand the basics. And that begins with laying out a solid foundation from which to work and build your audience and brand. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about social media, myths that can lead many business owners astray.
But if you put your time and energy into deciphering which social media channels and practices aren’t serving your needs, you’ll be well on your way to becoming more successful with social media marketing. And if you need a social media marketing agency to give you a hand with it, reach out to Mandel Marketing here.