Social media is quite the buzz word these days, with everyone talking about how it can help their business. But with the latest trends also comes misinformation, and this article will address the 3 biggest social media myths right now.
#1 It's FREE!! Is social media really free? The tools of social media are certainly free to use. But what is the cost to use them? The cost here is time, time that is taken away from other business activities. Every hour you spend on social media is one less hour you spent on other business activities, such as closing a sale. If you are spending lots of hours on social media, but not seeing an increase in conversions, then you may need to rethink your social media strategy.
#2 I don't need a website if I'm already using social media! Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! A website, at the absolute very least, is your online business card. At best it is a powerful marketing tool that helps convert potential customers to paying customers. A website is a business building block staple, and social media cannot replace it. Your social media campaign is another tool in the marketing toolkit, it shouldn't be the only tool.
#3 I LOVE social media! I use it to ADVERTISE all the time!! This myth is the worst of the three. The key word in social media is social....you should be using social media to connect to other people and engage with them. Using it solely for advertising is equivalent to spam, and sooner or later your followers will stop paying attention to what you have to say. This is not to say that you should never use social media to discuss your promotions, just keep it to 10% or less of the content that you post.
Stephanie Osborn is the owner of Tech Smart Friend, a social media consulting company.