Social media marketing - 6 myths busted
Social media marketing is one of the most popular forms of advertising around today. Because of this there are so many different stories and opinions that surround it and it can be a daunting task to try and distinguish fact from fiction. If you are thinking about marketing your business in this way or if you just want to get to know more about the practice, here is a look at 6 common myths regarding social media marketing.
1. You will see instant results
The only way you will see instant results is if you are a very well-known business and have established yourself both offline and online. In fact, there are certain gimmicks that can be used to draw traffic to your profile, but at the end of the day these are short-term. Some of these you may have seen being used include links from other social sites, competitions and promotions. The sad truth is that if you are an average business that is just entering the social forum, it will take loads of time before you make a splash.
2. You have to feature on all the big names
Sure, there are a few well-known social networking sites and if you have ever visited them you will have seen the countless amounts of advertisements that are featured on them. The problem with having a profile on all these sites is that you spread yourself too thin, so no single site has the benefit of having a truly quality profile. Instead of having a finger in every pie you should aim to market on sites that your target market frequents.
3. Social networking is only for teens
When social networking is mentioned in any context, the first thing that comes, to mind are teens who are glued to their mobile phones in order to chat with their friends and keep up to date with the latest happenings. If you thought social media marketing only reached teens, you would be mistaken. People of all age groups belong to some or other social networking site. All you have to do is know where to look.
4. Online rapport is not the same and face-to-face
This may have been true in the days before social networking, but because the Internet has been used so often as a means of communication, more value is placed on the quality of these relationships than would have been a few years ago. Building a relationship with people through social media is more significant than you think. All you need to do is make your business interesting, keep it down to earth, and ensure you communicate with and respond to your visitors.
5. You are showing your hand
In the past, companies were very careful when advertising, since they didn't want to reveal too much for fear that the customer would get all of this information for free. With online advertising in this case, visitors value the ability to view a business transparently so that they can make informed decisions when it comes to their needs. This sort of openness also helps to build trust.
6. Just a phase
Social media marketing is as much a phase as social networking itself. As long as there are people communicating with each other on these sites there will be a platform for advertising to take place. What may change are the types of sites out there, but no matter what this is a phenomenon that is not going to die down.