8 Social Media Myths to Leave Behind– Part 1

There’s no question that social media marketing is important for any business. Anyone looking to connect with new potential customers should be putting it to work. That said, there are way too many myths about the use of social media. Business owners believe them because they are out there being repeated by a lot of people.

Unfortunately, they are untrue. Believing them will hurt your business.

So, let’s bust up some myths! Here are either 8 that we hear often enough. You need to stop believing them if you’re going to grow your business with social media.

Myth #1: You Need a Presence on Every Social Media Site

I am so glad this is NOT true. That’s a formula for burnout. The notion that you need to be active in every social media site is a harmful myth for your business and, frankly, for your mental health. It takes time, effort, and money to maintain an active presence on ANY social media site. No mortal human has time for all of them and the effort to put a team on all of them isn’t practical.

What you need is an active and meaningful presence on the sites that offer you the best opportunity to connect with your target audience and engage your customers. That has to be your goal. Most businesses should consider Facebook. If you are a B2B company, you should consider LinkedIn. If you’re selling an aspirational product or service, then it makes sense to be on Instagram or Pinterest.

Does this mean you should never try something new? Of course not! Set up a profile and give it a try. But if you aren’t connecting with your audience after giving it a try, it could be it isn’t the right one for you.

#2: Fans and Followers are Worthless if They Don’t Become Paying Customers  

NO! NO! NO!

Social media is for attracting new customers. But I hear a lot of business owners who tell me, “Followers who aren’t paying customers aren’t worth having.” WRONG. That’s simply not true.

Your fans and followers don’t need to buy from you to be useful. Having a large following can raise your profile presence. It enables new customers to find you. If you’ve got fans or followers who have a lot of clouts, you’ll get some recognition because of it.

Most importantly, a follower who doesn’t buy your products can still refer their friends and followers to your business. Think about how in-person, word of mouth works. You probably know a lot of people who know what you do but don’t have a need for working with you. Social media works the same way.

Run ads designed to attract paying customers, of course, but don’t ignore the benefits of followers who aren’t your customers. They can be a huge help to you.

#3: It’s Useful to Have Your Friends and Family “Like” Your Posts

We often hear about business owners asking friends and family to “Like” your posts. Their goal is to get more engagement. Does this work? Not really.

Social media algorithms are sophisticated. You need a wide range of people all engaged with your posts.

Does this mean you should tell the people who care about you not to like your posts? Of course not! What it means is that you have to be asking your fans and followers to engage with your posts. Give them a good reason to do so. Ask questions, encourage them to share your posts, and most of all, share content that’s useful, educational, and entertaining so they’ll want to engage with you.

#4: You Shouldn’t Schedule Posts on the Weekend

Generally, this is good advice, but it’s not absolute. It’s a common practice for businesses not to share new social media content on the weekend. While it’s true that some of your followers might not spend as much time on social media on the weekends as they do during the week, you shouldn’t assume that weekend content is unnecessary.

Some products lend themselves to the weekend. Think of entertainment, food, and transportation. Some people wait until the weekend and think more about them then. Some people dedicate time for work on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I know a lot of business owners that reserve time Sunday evening to prepare for the week. Those could be times to connect with them while no one else is.

Try scheduling a few weekend posts to see how they do. You can use Facebook Insights or whatever analytics tool you prefer to determine which days and times are the best for posting.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this article with four more myths we all need busted and out of our thinking.