The Top 6 Social Media Myths to Avoid

Social media is one of the most valuable and misunderstood platforms in the world. While it offers immeasurable benefits for people who use it, social media is also ripe with myths, misunderstandings, and misinformation.

Unfortunately, falling victim to these myths makes it impossible to interact correctly on social media and could cost your business thousands.

Today, we’re here to bust the top six social media myths and tell you the truth about these common misconceptions, instead.

Let’s dive in.

The Top 10 Social Media Myths (and What to Know, Instead)

Whether you’re new to social media, or you’ve been interacting for years, believing these ideas will only damage your interactions.

1. Social Media is Primarily a Sales Tool

While it’s true that social media can be a very effective sales tool, that’s not its primary purpose. In fact, treating your social presence like one big pitch will only drive people away.

According to a survey by Sprout Social, social media users responded that they are most likely to unfollow a brand on social media when it starts over-promoting.

With this in mind, stop treating social media like one huge sales platform. Instead, create a mixture of content by using the 80/20 rule: 80 percent of your posts should be non-promotional, and 20 percent can be posts with calls to action that drive consumers toward your products.

Related Article:  What is Social Media Marketing?

2. If You Have a Facebook Profile, Nothing Else Matters

The fastest way to waste your time and blow your marketing budget is to get on social media without a plan or strategy. In that case, your social media interaction is essentially just noise, and it’s not doing your company or your customers any good.

While it’s true that everyone else is on Facebook, and you should be, too, it’s also true that you need a strategy if you’re going to interact effectively on the platform. Instead of just posting a few random updates over the next several months, take some time to define your top social media goals.

Ensure they’re SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-based), and then take steps to develop an intelligent social strategy that supports these things.

3. You Only Need one Profile

Social media encompasses a wide variety of platforms. It’s Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and more. Because of this, it’s not enough to focus on a single platform. Instead, you’ve got to create a social presence on a selection of platforms that work for your brand.

Remember that not all social media is created equal. If you have a limited marketing budget, niche group of customers, or specific social media goal, it’s essential to ensure that you’re finding the social platforms that work for you.

Do your research before you decide on a platform. Are the audience demographics in line with your audience? Do your customers use the platform? These simple questions will prevent you from wasting your time on inappropriate platforms and make it easier to enjoy the ROI you deserve.

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4. It’s Fine to Re-Use the Same Content

You worked hard to create that content, right? And now you can post it in multiple places. Wrong. In fact – very wrong!

This is one of the seven deadly sins of social media interaction. Because every platform is different, every platform requires a different social strategy. If you’re just re-posting the same content, again and again, you’re selling yourself and your customers short.

Instead of copying and pasting the same post into each of your platforms, take the time to make content truly unique. Even if you’re sharing the same piece of content, like an ebook, for example, the posts you use to promote them should be unique and tailored to each platform.

Related Article: Lessons in Content Writing: Consider The Source

5. It Doesn’t Matter When you Post

Some people treat social media like a solution that’s always there and always the same. The fact is, though, that social media is like a river – it’s always changing, always shifting, and always different.

In light of this, you can’t treat it like a stationary thing. Because, simply…it’s not. If you want to be successful on social media, it’s essential to develop a plan for when, how, and where you’ll post.

It’s not enough to post something whenever you want, because there are optimum times to post updates on social media. Understanding these is one of the simplest ways to ensure you’re getting as much traction as possible from your social updates.

6. You can Share Photos You Find Online

Just because something is on the internet, it’s not necessarily public domain. With this in mind, be careful what you share on social media.

If you just grab a photo from the search engines, and it’s covered by copyright laws, you could be putting yourself at risk of a lawsuit. Nobody wants this, so be sure you’re taking steps to protect yourself and your company.

Instead of using the search engines to find photos for your social media interactions, look for creative commons images or use a free stock photo site, like Pexels, to obtain images for your social posts. This keeps you safe, in the clear, and able to focus on your social interactions, instead.

Related Article: 10 Apps To Boost Your Social Media Presence

Social Media, Made Easier

Dominating social media is a much easier ask when you’re not overly subscribed to social media myths. By understanding which social media myths you can kick to the curb, and what you should be believing, instead, it’s easy to ensure you’re making the most of your social presence and engaging the customers you want to reach.

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