6 Common Misconceptions about Social Media Marketing

It has been proven several times over that social media is an invaluable marketing platform for businesses of all sizes and types. Yet, some marketing professionals, specifically the traditionalists, are not fully convinced that social media is the right place to launch a full-fledged marketing campaign. There are a few misconceptions about social media marketing that continues to bother marketers despite irrefutable fact that this platform can do wonders to your brand visibility and reach.

Here are the top 6 social media marketing misconceptions that are still stopping some digital marketing experts from realizing the full marketing potential of this powerful platform.

Social Media Doesn’t Have a Clear ROI

The end goal of every marketing campaign is to generate sales and boost revenue. The same logic applies to social media marketing. The confusion about the inability to measure returns from social media marketing is largely because of the wrong tools and wrong methodology used. Marketers focus mostly on factors like clicks, shares and comments – all largely engagement metrics. The right way to measure ROI is to compare cumulative revenue garnered through leads to the cost of social media marketing. Analytics tool that can measure the conversions brought about by social media campaign and engagement of visitors are now available to deliver precise data.

Reap Greater Profits By Having A Presence On More Social Media Platforms

This is one big misconception. Your choice of social media platforms for marketing must be in sync with your business type. Your social media marketing strategy must be relevant for your business and based on the knowledge of where exactly you will find customers relevant to your business. Social media optimization experts warn against going on a signing up spree on every social media channel that gets your attention. Having a social network account and not maintaining and updating it can send the reputation of your business for a toss. Have a practical plan in place and choose social media channels that are most relevant to your business type.

Your Marketing Efforts Will Reach A Limited Audience – Largely Teens:

Not true! Undoubtedly, social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram got a major initial push due to young audience participation but that situation has changed dramatically over the years. Today, social media is a global marketplace with users of all demographic. In fact, the fastest growing demographic of social media users is among the 45-55 age group and they are all active users. So if you think that your marketing message will not reach the elder audience, you are grossly mistaken.

Social Media Is A One-Way Channel

No, social media is the place for posting messages and making announcements as many traditional marketing managers might believe. They might have gathered this impression because they have been using social media platforms as a channel to broadcast their messages. The fact of the matter is that, when used effectively, social media can easily become a two-way communication platform where you can easily engage with your customers by asking for their opinions and reviews for your products and services. It can help you understand what your audiences need and make it easy for you to incorporate any changes in your strategies.

Your Marketing Strategies And Secrets Will Be Out In The Open

This may have some truth in a way because if your social media marketing strategy is a success, there is every chance that your competitors will try to emulate you. However, marketing is about staying one step ahead of your competitors. You can easily fox them by changing strategies, becoming more innovative and introducing some elements of surprise in your campaign patterns and strategies. It is like a soccer game. You may have a definite plan to hit the opponent’s net but the way you score every goal is distinctly different. Not connecting with potential buyers just because you fear your marketing secrets will be out can prove to be counterproductive. According to social media marketing experts, if you keep innovating, your competitors will be confused and make wrong moves that can benefit you.

Negative Feedbacks And Reviews Can Cancel Out The Positives:

Again, not true. Social media channels can be a wonderful source for getting honest and unbiased opinions about your organization and everything associated with it. It is impossible to please everyone and negative reviews are inevitable. Staying off social media marketing just because you fear negative reviews and adverse comments will result in not utilizing one of the most powerful online marketing platforms that has the largest reach. Deal with negative comments and bad reviews diplomatically. Look at it as an opportunity to improve your services and win over those who are not your supporters.

Finally, keep pace with the changing landscape of social media marketing to maximize benefits. These myths can act as a barrier in the path of your progress, so don’t believe them.