Most of what we've come to believe about the relationship between social media and business are wrong. There are many myths that are still making rounds in the industry. The following six myth busters should support businesses to spread their reach on social media and embrace it in the right way.
Social Media is Not Measurable: Okay, this has been said many times but nothing is farther from the truth than saying social media performance is not measurable. A simple glance at tracking URls, visibility into your purchase funnel, unified customer databases can answer many of your questions. You can get answers to 'Are we doing social media the right wayIJ'
The bottom line is to make social media measurable through inbuilt tools in different social media channels. It's not as complicated as many believe it to be!
Social is for Creating New Customers: Most marketers focus only on gaining new customers. A deeper look discloses more than just 'finding new customers'. In fact, roughly 40% of small and medium-sized companies set generating leads as a social media goal. But there's more to social media than getting new clients.
let's put it in simpler terms. Majority of people on your communication list are your existing customers — former or current customers. Of course, this makes social media a loyalty and retention game as well, and not just an acquisition platform.
It Doesn't Matter What I Post or How Often: Many marketers are still oblivious to the importance of timing and frequency of the posting process. It's never 'good enough' to post anything randomly, whenever you feel like and how much you're okay with. While I don't recommend hours of activity, you should be consistent with your endeavours on these platforms.
Next big burning question is what to post. Don't make it all pitch-pitch which means that you're not there only to promote your business. Mix up your posts and share tips, reply to queries, share pictures, memes, puzzles, etc.
All Negative Feedback Should be Removed: This is a controversial one. Many of my readers wouldn't agree with me. But nevertheless, the truth is that there is no need to be afraid of confrontation. Accept the mistakes and solve the user's issue. Remember that this is also part of your social media tactics.
How to deal with Negative Feedback: Ask him/her to move to a more private conversation mode. Solve the issue and inform through a reply.
Social media is for People under 25: Young and old — both are bitten by the social media craze. And this provides huge opportunities for businesses in terms of promotion, customer acquisition and brand building.
So, don't believe the rumour that majority of social media users are below 25 years. People of all ages are there - posting, sharing and even creating content. In short, social media is open to everyone. And you need to cater to all of them.
Social Media Requires Mad Coding Skills: Okay, coding is a science and an art, and not everyone is proficient in it. But don't feel disheartened as social media is a different game altogether. The truth is that social media is for building relationships, either for personal and professional reasons. And you need to have strong social skills to build relations with existing and prospective customers.
It's always good to understand the algorithm built into social media networks but it doesn't necessitate the need to write codes. All you got to do is work consistently towards building a strong social media presence on different social media platforms.
The writer is Amol Arora, Managing Director, Shemrock and Shemford Group of Schools