Social media marketing has become an essential part of every business’s marketing mix. It has gone from being a ‘nice-to-have’ component of an online marketing strategy to a ‘must-have’. 75% of B2B buyers are influenced by social media in their purchasing decisions1. Despite its ubiquity, many businesses still struggle with social media management and strategy. A survey of B2B marketers in the United States conducted by B2B magazine found that 49% of marketers found social media marketing to be the most difficult strategy to execute2.
There are a lot of myths regarding social media marketing that can make it difficult for marketers to effectively plan and execute strategies. In this article we discuss and dismiss some of these myths:
Myth #1: Using third party tools impact social media reach
There are a lot of tools for social media management like Agorapulse, Hubspot, etc. These tools allow marketers to schedule posts and manage multiple platforms and profiles from a single platform. These tools are needed to make it efficient for social media marketers to maintain a brand’s presence on multiple platforms. A common myth is that publishing to platforms like Facebook or Twitter via a third party tool will have a negative impact on the content’s reach.
This used to be true in the early years of social media. However, platforms have addressed these issues in their algorithms recognizing the need for management tools as social media marketing has grown into an industry of its own. Recent research has shown that publishing content via third party tools has no negative impact on reach.
Myth #2: Content marketing and social media marketing are separate activities
Marketers often approach content marketing and social media marketing as separate initiatives. Content marketing is considered to include blogs, articles, etc. While social media marketing is about posts on Instagram and Facebook. Often the intersection between content marketing and social media marketing initiatives is limited to the sharing of published content on social platforms.
The fact is that social media and content are complementary activities. They must work closely. Your social media strategy should be built around the content you are creating. For example, if you are writing a blog about 5 tips to XYX, you can create an infographic for each tip to share on social media. Your social platforms should be used to amplify your content.
Myth #3: You have to be present on all social platforms
Marketers often assume that they need to be present on all social platforms. Social platforms are distinct and serve different purposes, TikTok and LinkedIn are not the same and people who use both of them are using them for different things. You should only invest in platforms that are giving you returns, there is no need for a business to be active on all social platforms.
A good social media marketer will let data drive the decision on which platforms to target. Research various platforms and test them out. If you find that the effort you are putting in is not yielding desired results, it may be best to leave the platform all together. An event company might find that being active with a local community via MeetUp is far more effective than investing time in creating graphics and videos for Instagram. Remember that it’s not about targeting big platforms with large audiences, it’s about finding platforms that allow you to engage with your audience.
Read more on how social media marketing can help your business.
There were 567 500 Facebook users in Guyana, 160 500 Instagram users and 92 200 LinkedIn usersat the end of 20213. Thereis alot of potential for social media marketing when done effectively. Contact WebFX for social media management services in Guyana and grow your business by leveraging the growing audiences on these platforms.
Source:
- Mat. 21, S. Macdonald, “38 social selling statistics: how to master the art of social selling”, SuperOffice, [available online], available from: https://www.superoffice.com/blog/social-selling-statistics/, [accessed May 2022]
- Apr 13, “Lead Generation Poses Biggest Challenge for B2Bs”, eMarketer, [available online], available from: https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Lead-Generation-Poses-Biggest-Challenge-B2Bs/1009829, [accessed May 2021]
- Dec. 21, “Social media users in Guyana”, NapoleonCat, [available online], available from: https://napoleoncat.com/stats/social-media-users-in-guyana/2021/ . [accessed May 2021]
