Social Media Myths DEBUNKED

People have a lot to say about social media these days. From different ways to garner more organic engagement to the amount you need to spend on an ad budget to make a Facebook campaign successful, not all of the information you have is completely true. How do you know what to believe when it comes to your social strategy when there are so many rumors and myths? Is social media really making a difference in your business?

We are going full myth busters this week on our blog and have put together a list of the 8 most common social media myths that we will debunk!

Myth #1: My ideal customer is not on social media.

Fact: There is every single kind of person on social media.

At this point, no one should be under the impression that any one is not on social. In fact, 86% of adults who are online use social media. The average American is on 6.1 different social platforms. 74% of Facebook users log on to Facebook on a daily basis. So the odds are that someone on social needs your company's product or service are pretty high!

Myth #2: Your content should always be about your business.

Fact: Your content should be 70% social and 30% promotional.

What do people love to talk about more than anything else? Themselves of course! So why are you focusing your social content about things that only pertain to you and your business? People want to read stuff that pertains to THEM! Think of what your audience would like to look at on social and make your page the go to destination for that kind of content!

Is your ideal client a business owner? Share articles about business tips that will inspire their entrepreneurial spirit!

Are you trying to appeal to high-level executives? Share articles about the best travel destinations!

Are you a salon owner? Share articles about the latest trends in hair or makeup!

No matter what, your focus should be on conversion.

Here's a pro-tip! Instead of sharing links directly to the third party article sites, create yourself a brand profile on Snip.ly! Snip.ly is a tool that will frame the article you are sharing with a call-to-action that can promote your brand or service. If you think about it, you really do not get anything out of pushing your followers to a Wall Street Journal. So instead, use Snip.ly and stay in front of your audience.

Myth #3: You should ignore negative feedback

Fact: Your response rate matters more when the feedback is negative.

This myth is absolutely false! If anything, it is more important to respond to negative feedback from a public relations standpoint than responding to all the fabulous feedback in the world. A lot of people turn to a brand's social media profiles to require answers or voice a complaint. When handled well, a negative comment could be a way for your company's customer service to shine through! Use these instances as an opportunity to build your brand voice.

Myth #4: Social performance is not measurable.

Fact: With the right tools, social media performance is measurable.

This is a tricky one. On the surface, social media does not feel measurable. You are keeping up with your content calendar but there is no way to tell if it is working from the naked eye. As I mentioned above, Snip.ly is a great tool to not only frame websites with your specific call-to-action, but also has visible on your post's performance. It displays the number of clicks the article receives and also the conversion rate of those who clicked through!

You may also want to take a look at the analytics that the different socials provide within their own portal. This can give you insight into how your posts are performing in order for you to improve your social strategy all around! It's a win-win.

Myth #5: You need a presence on all platforms.

Fact: You need to post on the platforms that make sense for your company and brand.

If you do not have anything to say, then do not say anything.

The same reigns true in social medias. A lot of people believe that a successful social media strategy needs to involve all of the platforms. In reality, it is much more productive to focus your attention on a few platforms that work together to accomplish your goals with social media.

While posting on Twitter can be fun and witty, it may not be the best representation of your brand. And while LinkedIn can strike up great conversations and is a place for business growth, your ideal client may be more drawn to the aesthetic appeal of Instagram.

Myth #6: Time of day does not affect a post's performance.

Fact: Time of day affects a post's performance more than you think.

This could not be MORE untrue! Time totally affects the performance of your post. Time of posting can affect engagement as well as impressions.

For example, the best time to post on Facebook is Wednesday at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. While on LinkedIn, the least engagement per day occurs on Sunday and the least popular times are everyday between 9:00 PM and 3:00 AM.

As a general rule of thumb, the safest time to post on social is between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. This is because of the lunch break scroll!

Myth #7: Your social media audience will come naturally.

Fact: Social media is a pay-to-play model.

Some people think that if you are posting great quality content, the followers and engagement will come naturally. This could not be more false! Imagine you were buying a billboard. You would not buy a billboard on the side of a random dead-end road, you would want it where people can see it! Your social pages without a following are just like a billboard on a dead-end road.

Facebook has become a pay-to-play model where only 2% of followers see your content organically. Check out our blog post about Facebook ads as well as boosting to see how you can improve your posts performance.

Myth #8: Social media marketing is easy.

Fact: Social media marketing takes insight, time, and effort to be successful.

A lot of business owners try to take the do-it-yourself route and wind up in way over their head. For us, handling our clients' social media profiles, running lead generation programs for them and handling their Facebook ads is quite literally our full-time job. As we have discussed before, social media is a lot more than just throwing a few posts on the internet and hoping that it helps your business. It takes time and thought!

If you want to improve your social strategy, you could go the do-it-yourself route and hope for the best. Or you could go to tryhyperchat.com and schedule a demo with us to see how we can help you Turn Social Into Sales!