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!