3 Business Myths About Social Media

It seems as if every organization has jumped onto the social media bandwagon. It”s easy to come across people who boast of having social media savvy because, after all, we all use it, right?

But social media marketing is nowhere as simple as it seems. While network accounts are free, your company must invest time, funds, and patience while employees create engaging campaigns, communicate with potential partners, and dialogue with customers.

It”s easy to get lulled into a sense of ease and security when it comes to social media, but it”s not the instant and magic pill that many businesses portray it to be. Here are three major misconceptions about the use of social media for business.

1. People don”t really do business over social media

Some of the greatest B2B and B2C relationships can be developed over social media. For example, your company might notice a fun event hosted by another business, which might also interest your followers. Have your social media manager Tweet about it on your company account.

All of a sudden, you receive private messages from the event hosts, asking if your company would like to provide services at the event. These connections can happen fast, as long as you target the right audiences.

In the social media arena, it”s all about who you”re connected to. Say an industry leader with 400,000 followers mentions your company in a favorable post. All of a sudden, your audience grows immensely. Depending on the network and the post, your web views and online sales can instantly shoot up.

Social media gives consumers easy access to their idols and mentors online, and people are willing to follow their endorsements.

2. You can repost the same information on all platforms

Many social media campaigns fail because companies are not using their tools for their proper purpose. For example, a Tweet may not be effective as a Facebook post or Google Plus update.

Each one of these platforms has its strengths and weaknesses. Facebook can be a great way to drive participation, since people can easily click “Like” and view other user comments.

Twitter is a great way to spread a post across multiple networks. LinkedIn can encourage further professional dialogue, especially if companies post in related groups.

Copying and pasting the same content across all of your social media websites can water down your message. That will not be as effective as content that”s tailored to the platform.

3. Your company will benefit immediately

This is perhaps one of the worst myths about social media. Since everyone is used to posting on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and other websites, they just assume people will be interested in your company website.

However, you”re trying to build a following that”s much greater than any regular consumer account. To be truly effective, social media campaigns can take months of planning, testing, and development to strike gold.

Companies also need to invest in metrics tracking, content development, and getting listed online with Forlocations directories. Without analytics, it can be impossible to track the social media posts that work or flop.

Your company needs to grow from successful posts and learn from the mistakes. Also, great content goes nowhere without a sizable following. All of these factors can take several months for an experienced social media manager to build.

It can be easy for companies to make assumptions about social media. You”ll need to reset these expectations before rebranding your organization across various social media networks. If your team puts time and effort into purposeful campaigns, you can reap the benefits of greater audiences, boosted online traffic, and higher conversion rates.