Social Media Myths...

Many companies, especially small businesses believe that they shouldn't even both with social media. Many different opinions exist on how to "deal with" social media. But with a great social media marketing strategy, one should never have to just "deal with" social media.
I'm going to discuss my personal Top 3 annoying social media myths, although many more exist.

1. "Social Media is only for 'the kids'"
On Facebook for instance, 61% of adults ages 35 - 54 have a Facebook, while 48% of people over 55 have a Facebook page. In fact, older users are among the fastest growing adopters of social media. So it's not a question as to whether older users are on social media, the question is more of, "what social media do older users typically engage in?"

2. No ROI exists for Social Media!
Although difficult to measure, if done correctly, social media can provide an ROI. In order to measure your social media ROI you must set up your own metrics. You can measure this return through your savings in customer service, online word-of-mouth promotion, your improved brand awareness and reputation, increased brand loyalty, and lead generation. As well, google analytics helps by showing last touch attribution.

3. Well if I "do" social media, I must be present on every social network!
No, no, no.....no!
This may seem obvious, but many companies make this mistake. Once you determine your target market, you must also determine where they have a social media presence. This will be different will all different companies which is why there is no one-type-fits-all solution. Although Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest are extremely important, if your target market doesn't have a presence on one of the networks, then don't put all of your time towards it. However, it's very important to start to understand the way each network works, because you don't want to enter into a network after a majority of your market has.

These are obviously just a few myths and I will explore more in upcoming blog posts. Until then, start researching your markets and see what social networks they're present on!

How about that content?

Sometimes when I think of social media, I think of tweens effortlessly tweeting their friends with every minute detail of their day. Or I think of how every time I log into facebook, I’m bombarded with ads and noticing less and less “friends” using this platform every day, and more advertisers turning to it.

When I got engaged, of course I changed my facebook status (which is really hard to do from a phone; Facebook: get on that!). I was then bombarded with advertisements about weddings and I didn’t even want to start planning yet.

They must think consumers are dumb, right?

WE KNOW YOU ARE SELLING TO US. WE ARE BLATANTLY IGNORING YOU.

However, this would explain why I chose marketing instead of advertising, but I won’t delve into that. But I’ve always been annoyed by typical advertisements (besides infomercials) and known that there are more efficient and effective ways to reach consumers.

For instance, I love to sew and design clothing, but I hate using patterns. So I find myself constantly researching ways to design, and shortcuts to help me with the sewing process.  I read books on sewing, but sometimes it’s hard trying to learn about a hands-on trade, while simply reading about it. One of the most effective ways for me to find different ways to sew things is by watching tutorials. It’s nice to watch someone rather than read directions.

This is where content marketing comes in. Content marketing is different than social marketing because you actually own media rather than “renting” it and you attract customers by creating your own content to enhance or change a consumer behavior and to basically, make the consumer smarter. In turn, the consumer will trust you, and always come back to you. In addition to content marketing, social media helps to get the word out

So, back to my story about sewing…

One great example is threadsmagazine.com. I can buy a sewing machine, notions, or fabric from them, and I can also watch videos about how to sew different things, read a blog, or even interact with other like-minded hobbyists in a forum.

When I found this website, I thought I had struck gold; I couldn’t believe it. While many companies just offer coupons or discounts, this company offers KNOWLEDGE. What can I do with knowledge? Anything!

The Chinese proverb goes something like, “Give me a fish and I eat for a day. Teach me to fish and I eat for a lifetime.” This couldn’t be any more true.

I now trust this company and will continue to use them because of this. So although we may notice petty advertisements screaming, “look at me, look at me!!” we always end up relying on the more subdued, yet engaging marketing. It’s like the friends you choose in high school. I always stayed away from the girls constantly begging for attention and instead chose friends that were more interesting and offered me some sort of knowledge.