3 Social Media Marketing Myths You Need to Ignore

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3 Social Media Marketing Myths You Need to Ignore

There’s no denying it. Social media is a huge aspect of our lives. We use Pinterest to search for inspiration, Twitter to keep track of real-time updates, and we check Facebook to socialize. How many times have you seen a news article on a social network instead of the evening news? Or watched a funny video? Or had a conversation with a friend?

Social media is at the center of our lives, and it should be at the center of your marketing strategy as well.

When it comes to social media marketing, new techniques and trends pop up all the time. But you have to ask yourself if each new trend is worth it. You don’t want to get stuck doing something that isn’t worth your effort. Some of these new trends will simply be social media marketing myths. Here are some of the most common myths that give businesses trouble.

You Need to Be on Every Platform

You do not need to be on every platform, and there are several reasons why. First, you want to find the networks where your customers are active. If they don’t like Twitter, then don’t hang out there. If they spend hours a day on LinkedIn, then build up your presence on LinkedIn.

The second reason is that inactive social accounts make you look bad. If you have created profiles on several platforms but don’t have the time or resources to continue updating them, it looks like you’re lazy and don’t care. That’s not what your customers want to see.

Make sure you only create accounts on networks where your customers are active and that you have the time and resources for each account.

There’s One Best Time to Post

This social media marketing myth says that everyone should post content at the same time. While it would be nice to know the exact time that’s best, this one is still just a myth.

When everyone posts at the exact same time, content and updates get lost in the overwhelming amount of content. In addition to the content deluge, your customers might not even be on social media at that time.

You need to figure out the best time to post for you. Start researching and experimenting. When are your customers interacting best with your content? Create your own schedule of ‘best times to post’ and go with that. Keep in mind that as time goes on, it will probably need to be tweaked to keep up with your customers.

Social Media is for Sales Only

If you buy into this myth, you are only going to hurt your business. Social media is a great way to engage with your customers, and that could eventually lead to more sales, but you have to be careful.

People don’t use social media networks to be sold to; they use them to interact with others. If you treat your social accounts as sounding boards for your products and services only, you won’t have much luck. However, if you share interesting content, genuinely interact with your followers, and keep up a good reputation, you will likely see returns from your efforts.

Avoid Social Media Marketing Myths

There are many more myths out there and sometimes, it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. Do your research, so you don’t end up buying into a social media myth and hurting your business in the process.

Remember that you don’t have to be on every platform, there isn’t just one best time to post, and social media is not for sales, and you will do just fine.

What other social media marketing myths have you come across recently?