Exploding 8 Myths About Social Media Marketing

1.  All your company has to do is show up.

Nope.  You’ll have to show up with guns blazing and links to interesting offers and well thought out messages that are fun and memorable.  Show up like like you've been there before... like it's not your first rodeo.  Arrive alive!

2.  You’ll need to post something every chance you get.

Don’t forget about all those failed e-mail programs that companies have tried.  Folks are typically on social media for fun and a constant barrage of commercial postings just gets in their way.  The main objective for creating a great social media message should always be to produce a message so appealing that people will want to share it with their friends.  That’s when your message becomes a referral, which is THE most effective form of advertising.  The power of great creative is what spreads like wildfire through social media platforms.

3.  If you want “Likes,” just trade for them.

“If you like our Facebook page we’ll send you a coupon.”  Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not that into extortion and I know that begging will eventually create a quality perception problem.  Don’t do that!

4.  Use social media primarily to reach a younger audience.

More than half of all Facebook accounts are utilized by people over 50 years old.  That fact is distinguished by the sheer length of the majority of status updates.  The younger, more texting-oriented crowd practices brevity, while older folks feel the need to rewrite “War and Peace,” to make a point.  Social media companies have a lot of great targeting options for both Groups.  Utilize those options to reach whatever demographic you’d prefer to target for a particular campaign.

5.  Create general promotional messages for a general audience.

Unless you’re selling fresh air, don’t try to please everyone in your promotional message.  Why?  Because a watered-down approach never works and it’s usually boring to all audiences.  Create a dynamic message that speaks directly to a distinct audience.  Trust me, everyone else will understand.

6.  Social media is a tremendous medium to get involved in “cause,” marketing.

This is really not a myth, but it can be a big land mine for your company, if it’s not executed correctly.  Social media types are a pretty sophisticated lot and most of them can easily see the difference between chest thumping and genuine corporate compassion.  Never get involved in cause marketing unless your company is committed to be “authentically,” involved.  Nothing is cheesier than capitalizing on the misfortune of others to market your company.

7.  Social networks are no place for business-to-businesses marketing.

I was a Senior Account Executive at the largest B2B advertising agency in the Midwest for a few years, and the philosophy that made us successful was that we believed that businesses are people too.  In other words, most people have a natural tendency to think that “talking business,” means being dry and conservative… you know… boring!  Our agency realized that business decision makers are really no different at their desk than they are at home.  Reaction to stimuli is reaction to stimuli.  If you like fast and shiny cars at home, that preference will always follow you to work.  Real people, in real big business positions, are all over social networks.  Don’t be dull, just because you’re after business accounts.  

8.  We’ll have to hire a young, tech-savvy, person to run our social media programs.

You’re much better off contracting with an experienced marketer who happens to be tech savvy and has a real fix on the big picture.  Somebody who works at another office, pays their own health insurance, gets the job done right and will never start texting while you’re talking to them.  Of course, that would be me.  If you’d like to take the next step in using social media as an effective tool for your business, please let me know.  I would “Like,” that.

Steve Erdelen

J. Stevens & Associates

steveerdelen@att.net

314-680-6282