Social media marketing is all the rage and yet it appears to be here to stay. Unfortunately, so are the misconceptions.
You may be a small business owner considering putting your time, money and energy into social media marketing. Before you dive right in, here are some myths that require busting!
#1: Social media marketing is free
While it’s true that you can sign up for things like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter for free, it is necessary to put monetary value on your time. You’ll spend time developing and implementing it as part of your online marketing strategy.
You’ll need to creating content, monitor and measureoutcomes using analytics, get feedback on your outreach, and build relationships.
Time is money.
# 2: I’ll hire a young person to handle my social networking – they already know that stuff.
It may be tempting to recruit your teenage neighbors to show you how to use social media, but do you really want that same person to be the one to develop your business profile? Would they know whichsocial media platforms fit your goals? Do they know how to tap into your target audience and shape your brand and your message?
Your social media marketing plan should be as carefully create as your other marketing efforts.
# 3: If Iget my social media marketing message “out there”, it would be vulnerable to being “bashed” by the competition.
Even if you aren’t using social media this could happen.
At least with social media, you can monitor what’s being said about your business and publically respond to any less than flattering comments before they get blown out of proportion.
Handling complaints can win your customer’s satisfaction. Studies have shown that 50% of dissatisfied customers look for a response within 7 days to see if they’ll take their business elsewhere or stay. Of the dissatisfied customers that post a complaint and receive a response, 46% were pleased and 22% posted a positive comment about the business.
# 4: Our Company has a Facebook page so we are now social media marketers.
Facebook is number one on the social media marketing scene, but there are numerous online networking places where your customers are congregating. Once you’ve identified those places, you can tap into it.
Besides, social media marketing is not a “set it up and forget it” way to do business. It takes consistency, time, and planning to come up with the best platforms for your business and relationship goals.
#5: Using marketing companies to buy “fans” and “likes” will build my business.
Nope. Doesn’t work that way. Inflating your social media numbers does nothing but cost you extra money.