Social Media Myths DebunkedHere are six of the most common and harmful social media myths

Social media is one of the best ways to get the word out on your small business. Doing it right, however can be a challenge, especially when there are so many misconceptions and myths about how social media should be used. Here are some of the most common and harmful social media myths today.

1. You Have to Be on Every Social Network

It’s more about quality than quantity when it comes to your small business’ social media presence. You could be on every social network site but not be using them at all effectively so it wouldn’t make any difference. Try to reach your full potential on one social network at a time and then move on to the next – still managing each with some consistency to keep your customers engaged.

2. One Social Media Site Is Sufficient For Your Online Presence

With that being said, the importance of quantity should not be undermined either. It is vital that once you have established a solid presence on one social network that you proceed to branch out to a few others. Facebook may be the biggest one but others are growing at increasingly rapid speeds making it extremely valuable to broaden your horizons. The more your small business is involved in, the more customers you will reach.

3. Your Customers Are Not Active In Social Media

That simply isn’t true. A reported 80% of internet users are involved in social media meaning they span all demographics. You are doing your small business a disservice if you are overlooking social media, regardless of your target demographic.

4. All You Have To Do Is Create a Page and Leave It Alone

Absolutely nothing will happen to your social media pages if you don’t stay on top of them. Keep up your social media activity in order to attract new followers and generate buzz. No one will hear you if you don’t speak.

5. Pinterest is a Passing Fad That Your Small Business Doesn’t Need to Be Involved In

Pinterest is growing extremely quickly right now, actually. It’s attracting about 2 million Facebook users daily. It can’t hurt to get on Pinterest – do not underestimate it’s power (especially if many of your customers are women).

6. It’s Impossible to Have a Significant Impact if You Don’t Have Thousands of Followers

That ain’t true! It’s more important to have a small audience of dedicated customers than large audience outside your target market. Don’t get too hung up on numbers. Just do your best to provide valuable content to your current followers and more will come.

 

 

 

 

Photo courtesy of Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net