The abundance of data on the internet about any given topic means that there is a lot of inaccurate information too. Social media is one of those spheres where personal experience and factual information very commonly butt heads. Considering the number of narratives, it can become difficult to differentiate fact from fiction.
To tackle the issue, we present 7 social media marketing myths businesses need to leave behind for optimal marketing success in 2023!
1. It’s important to be omnipresent on social media
One of the most common misconceptions businesses that are new to social media have is wanting to establish their presence on every social media platform. Don’t get us wrong, we understand how covering some fronts are important for most but it doesn’t mean that they should try to incorporate every website or app in their social media strategy.
Focusing on platforms where the target audience is predominantly present is the way to go. For example, fashion brands can look into having Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest accounts as these are most popularly used among the fashion folk.
Narrowing down the approach can help brands better understand the platform, and their audience and create relevant content accordingly.
A tip: Identifying marketing goals can effectively help a brand decide which platform to use.
2. More Followers = More Business
Increasing followers and engagement is undoubtedly a core part of any social media marketing plan. What can be an error is marketers focusing only on this aspect. Malpractices like buying Instagram followers or Facebook likes are common and can affect the strategy negatively in the long run.
A healthier approach would be to check the quality of followers rather than the quantity. Having an influx of followers may not mean the best engagement or ROI whereas a focused and even limited pool of users may be the best to increase sales. One of the core practices of a successful marketing strategy is to identify and target the audience properly.
If confused, head over to a competitor’s profile to check out what they are posting. If the engagement is healthy, the brand will understand the type of content its target audience is attracted to.
3. It’s okay to wing your marketing
Many businesses jump on the social media marketing bandwagon by joining social media platforms without actually having a plan in place. To promote and grow their brand properly having a strategy and a dedicated team behind is extremely important.
Without a plan of action, the content being released won’t be conversion-focused and may end up with the wrong audience too.
A set of goals and a strategy devised to achieve said goals will help the brand stay on track and also provide scalable growth opportunities.
Things to do:
- Identify marketing goals
- Identify target market
- Create a content strategy
- Develop content
- Post at the right time
- Check what works and what needs to go
4. Giving credit isn’t important because its social media
It’s fairly common for brands to land in hot water because of a “stolen” idea. We say stolen because they don’t give credit where it’s due. In today’s digital landscape, social justice is at an all-time high and users of a platform are quick to call out companies engaging in intellectual theft.
This goes beyond intellectual property and encompasses feature posts, images, videos or even a phrase. Marketers may not think of giving credit as an important aspect but it can cost a brand significantly.
If re-sharing content, a great way to give credit to the creator is simply mentioning them in the comment or caption.
5. Newer platforms shouldn’t be taken seriously
It’s a common misconception that social media apps like BeReal and TikTok shouldn’t be taken seriously. Well, TikTok is well on its way to becoming one of the most downloaded apps thanks to its predominantly GenZ and millennial audience that loves authentic short-form video content.
If The Washington Post can join TikTok and include it in its marketing strategy, doesn’t that speak for the influence the app has?
B2B and B2C companies alike are rushing to add it into their content strategies to put the human and light side of their brands to the forefront. While many new social media platforms may be pulling in numbers and it’s great to look into them, we’d still suggest researching platforms that house the majority of a brand’s target audience.
6. Social media is only for the immature
Businesses that wish to target middle-aged or elderly people sometimes think of social media marketing as unprofitable because of the assumption that their target audience might not be internet users. The Meta-owned platform, Facebook, houses a whopping population of 35.9% of the entire audience with people aged 45 and above in the US alone.
While there are platforms mainly used by GenZ users, apps like Facebook boast a much more mature audience too. The older generation may be a little late to the party, but business owners and users alike have realised the power of social media and are steadily inching towards it.
These websites are great to sell products and connect with people of all ages. Adding to that, brands can listen to what their consumers say about their product or service and provide better assistance too.
7. It’s best to play it safe and stick with old strategies
A survey of 1,000 marketers by HubSpot revealed that 80% of participants said they would change their social media strategies from 2021-2022.
While this may be a year ago, the sentiment holds true even more so. Consumer behaviour is always evolving and consequently, so do social media platforms. To be using the same approach in a completely different climate may be stunting a brand’s growth.
For example, Instagram introduced reels in 2020 to offer a TikTok-like experience. By 2021 it was announced that reels would be prioritised in the algorithm and pushed to a wider audience. Similarly, Instagram also introduced a dual-picture feature heavily inspired by the BeReal app in August.
The social media marketing world is always agile and it’s beneficial for marketers to tweak their strategies according to what’s new for optimal performance.
Now that you’ve read about some falsehoods propagated by word of mouth, it’s better to pay heed to research-backed methods and numbers. For things that you’d like to incorporate into your next strategy, look into the top social media marketing trends.
To sum up:
- It’s not important to be on every social platform.
- It’s better to focus on the quality of followers than the quantity.
- Always have a strategy in place.
- Always give credit if sharing content.
- New platforms have great marketing potential.
- Social media platforms have all age groups present. You only need to find the one most used by your target audience.
- Stay on top of changing marketing trends by modifying your strategy.
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