{"id":3154,"date":"2015-06-10T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-06-10T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lcn.com\/blog\/?p=3154"},"modified":"2021-07-08T09:20:41","modified_gmt":"2021-07-08T08:20:41","slug":"9-social-media-myths-that-are-damaging-businesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lcn.com\/blog\/9-social-media-myths-that-are-damaging-businesses\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Social Media Myths That Are Damaging Businesses"},"content":{"rendered":"

The marketing landscape has changed dramatically over the last decade. Today, social media marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote your company online, but it’s not as easy to pull off as some people may think.<\/p>\n

It requires thought and planning, and while there are no strict guidelines, there are some misconceptions that every marketer should know.<\/p>\n[Tweet “9 social media myths that might be damaging your business…”]\n

Here are nine\u00a0myths<\/strong> you should be aware of when developing\u00a0a social media strategy.<\/p>\n

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1. Social Media Only Benefits Larger Organisations<\/h2>\n

Many small business owners are still unsure about whether social media marketing is the sensible route to take.<\/p>\n

Perhaps they think that their target audience aren’t using social media enough to justify spending any time on it.<\/p>\n

In fact, over\u00a070 percent<\/a> of online adults have some form of active social media account.<\/p>\n

As long as you focus on the channels where your potential customers are, it can be a cost-effective way to boost brand awareness and build customer loyalty.<\/p>\n

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2. You Need to Join Every Social Network<\/h2>\n

Even some of the largest companies in the world have only five or six social media accounts. If you’re a smaller business, it’s not sensible to create a profile on every social platform.<\/p>\n

With limited time and resources, you’ll see better results from using just one, two, or three channels.<\/p>\n

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\"socialThink carefully about what social networks are relevant for your demographic<\/em><\/p>\n

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However, it’s crucial to focus on the channels where your target audience spends most of their time. For instance, the fashion and craft industries have found great success and user engagement on more visual platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest.<\/p>\n

If you’re new to social media, check out Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, as they all have broad demographics.<\/p>\n

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3. Social Media is About Promotion<\/h2>\n

By definition, social media is about being social. If all you do is try to promote your business it will look like spam, so you need to make sure you engage with your audience by listening, interacting, and sharing content.<\/p>\n

Publish content that’s interesting, informative, or entertaining. Lend a hand to your customers, offer support and deal with their issues.<\/p>\n

Think about giving value to your audience and you’ll reap the rewards.<\/p>\n

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4. People Don’t Want to Know Company Details<\/h2>\n

In fact, consumers today are more interested than ever before in the workings of a company.<\/p>\n

In an increasingly cynical consumer landscape, transparency has become a key part of reputation management.<\/p>\n

Consumers like to see behind the scenes, so be more honest and show the human side of your business and you’ll quickly gain credibility.<\/p>\n

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5. You Should Always Have a Formal \/ Professional Tone<\/h2>\n

Professionalism in your service is vital, but you don\u2019t have to always be so formal on social media \u2013 it\u2019s an informal platform.<\/p>\n

Your followers want to feel included, so it’s important to let down your guard from time to time.<\/p>\n

People like to see photos of your team members or behind-the-scenes footage of a company event.<\/p>\n

It all helps to build stronger relationships with customers and is a great way to humanise your brand.<\/p>\n

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6. Social Media Success Can’t Be Measured<\/h2>\n

There are actually many ways to track your social media efforts and find out what is and isn’t working.<\/p>\n

On a basic level, you can count your followers, retweets, and comments over time. These give an indication of success.<\/p>\n

You can then use tools like Google Analytics<\/a> to track where your traffic is coming from. Facebook Insights<\/a> lets you track various metrics about user behaviour, and you can measure links and shares on platforms like bit.ly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related: Essential social media KPIs<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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7. You’ll See Quick Results<\/h2>\n

It may be simple to set up social media profiles, but the real benefits will only be felt over the long term.<\/p>\n

It takes many hours of social activity to start to build a following and see the difference in your bottom line.<\/p>\n

However, the sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll reap the benefits.<\/p>\n

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8. It Costs Nothing<\/h2>\n

It can be a struggle to get noticed online, and with so much competition on social media channels, you need to spend a certain number of hours each week updating your social channels and responding to your audience.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, this costs money, especially if you’re using paid analytics tools or hiring a social media marketing manager.<\/p>\n

The paid advertising opportunities on social networks will also come out of your marketing budget.<\/p>\n

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9. You’re Inviting More Negative Comments<\/h2>\n

Many business owners are understandably worried about negative coverage on social media, but there are hundreds of other online channels where people can already leave negative reviews about any company.<\/p>\n

Isn’t it better to give yourself a platform where you can defend yourself? To mitigate negative comments, respond respectfully to customers and try to address their concerns.<\/p>\n

It shows you care about what people think and most of your audience will appreciate your honesty, and perhaps most importantly it gives you a chance to turn a negative customer experience into a positive one.<\/p>\n

Related:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n