The boom of the social media bubble has made every business crawling for its space. Though this partially free platform has the power to build brand credibility, visibility, and engage with potential customers for sales, there is much more to it than meets the eye. Digital marketing maven, Liridon Vrapca debunks some of the most common social media marketing myths that every business should keep in mind before expecting the platform to do its magic.
Most companies understand the power of social media marketing and the consequences of it. However, little do they realize that just like traditional marketing that needs time and effort to showcase results, social media is no different; the techniques might vary but leave social media on its own, and expecting luck to do its trick is like living is a fool’s paradise.
Social media always gives you optimum results
Brands need to monitor and optimize their ads so that they stand out and perform optimally to give you an adequate return on investment. One of the most significant advantages of digital platforms is that brands/firms can optimize their campaigns and posts based on real-time results and analysis. While social media can indeed yield high returns, it requires constant effort, monitoring, and strategy. One should not expect results without putting in the prerequisite effort.
Social media marketing requires a considerable investment
One of the most common misconceptions is that building a stellar social media presence requires truckloads of finance. The secret to harnessing social media and unleashing its potential is patience, consistency, and a sound strategy to engage your audience. Liridon Vrapca added, “You don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to gain traction online. You can achieve strong results with a small investment backed with consistent effort to yield results.”
It’s challenging to reach a broad audience through social media marketing
Once the content is created and packaged with the appropriate hashtags, visual elements, brand keywords, and CTA, it can be published across various social media channels. The misconception is that it’s increasingly difficult for a brand to reach its target audience by distributing content organically. The truth is that brands can utilize a plethora of tools, concepts, and strategies to amplify their reach. Liridon Vrapca added, “For example, the use of influencers and paid marketing activities to reach the target audience is not just important; it is necessary. Likewise, creative or unique approaches are more likely to yield results.”
Brands need to have a presence across all social media channels
Several businesses believe that it is pertinent to have a social media presence in all available channels. However, such is not the case. What channels do your audience use? This question should make decisions slightly easier. After all, if the target audience is millennials, it would make sense to focus on channels like Snapchat or Instagram. If it’s primarily women, then Pinterest would be a safe bet. It wouldn’t make sense to devote resources to a channel where the audience isn’t active. Liridon Vrapca added, “One can easily undertake a competitor benchmarking research to learn where the target audience spends its time online. A strong digital presence does not need you to spread yourself out too thin.”
Having a large follower ensures higher brand performance
In social media, quantity is not the only credible parameters to gauge a brand’s popularity. The quality of the audience, their loyalty to the platform, and engagement are also equally important. A brand’s social media analytics and engagement team have to think consistently and creatively. The trick is not just amassed a large follower base but ensure that engagement and conversion are in place. Liridon Vrapca added, “Its better to have 5,000 highly active followers who are consuming your content or using your services, rather than massive followership that does not connect with you or your brand. Quality over quantity is always better.”
Knowing these myths can help most businesses do a reality check before setting their objectives and creating a social media strategy to derive maximum benefits.
