While working on my presentation on improving social media marketing for this week's FREE virtual conference, Digital Marketing World: Smarter Marketer, I couldn't help think about some common social media marketing myths that really, well, drive me crazy.
Before anyone focuses on improving their efforts, they need to get a few things out of the way (or out of their minds). In no particular order, here are 3 all-too-common social media marketing myths that must be dispelled. Now.
1. "Everyone Needs Social Media Marketing."
Social media marketing is the golden child of marketing today. It's sexy, it's fun, and everyone---from enterprise organizations to small businesses---thinks that they need to add it to their marketing mix.
But you know what? That's not quite the case.
Before you invest more resources into social media marketing, ask yourself these 4 critical questions.
- Does my target audience use social media networks? Can I reach them there?
- Do I have competing, higher-ROI priorities that can potentially drive better results more efficiently?
- Will it help me achieve my goals?
- Do I have enough time to invest to do a worthwhile job? (Good social media marketing is time-consuming!)
If you answered "no" or "not sure" to any of the above questions, please take some time to reconsider your social media marketing investment.
2. "Social Media Marketing Is Easy."
Effective social media marketing isn't easy, but it is rewarding. Just because you acquired 500 Facebook friends without lifting a finger and your little sister is on Twitter, doesn't mean you can drive real, measurable business results with social media marketing.
You need:
- A good strategy
- An educated team
- Monitoring and measurement tools in place
- Adequate time and resources
- To stay on top of industry trends
3. "The Intern Can Do It!"
You wouldn't hire an intern or entry-level marketer to be your customer relations or public relations manager, would you? Of course not. You'd hire someone with experience in customer service, strategy, and communications. Please don't let the most inexperienced employee in your organization be the voice of your brand. They can assist, for sure, with proper training, but give them a few years before they start communicating to the public on behalf of your brand.
Now, it's your turn. What's one common social media marketing myth you'd like to dispel?
Want to learn how to improve your social media and content marketing? Join us this Friday, September 9, for our FREE virtual conference, Digital Marketing World: Smarter Marketer.
