Skip to main content

Social Media Myths Busted

Written by Shelby Stone
June 24, 2019

Today, we’re debunking the exact social media myths that might be holding you back from effectively leveraging these powerful platforms.

In the modern day, social media is undoubtedly an excellent and effective platform for marketing, and over 98% of all digital consumers are using this channel. If someone runs a business, the chances of them using some form of social media to advertise their business are extremely high.

However, like everything else, social media marketing is plagued by several misconceptions as well. To ensure that you run your business successfully, it is crucial that you look past these myths. Here is a list of social media myths along with the facts that bust them.

Social Media Myths Busted
Social Media Myths Busted

Here are some social media myths:

1. A Larger Number Of Posts Are The Way To Go

Many businesses believe that excessive posts will help their business grow significantly. Regular posting indeed helps increase your visibility in the online space. Excessive posting, however, will only annoy your viewers or followers. Instead, choose to post based on the shelf life of a post on your social media channel,

The number of times you should post varies from platform to platform, and the shelf life of posts on different social media channels differs as well. For example, compared to Facebook, the shelf life of a Twitter post is significantly less. This means you can afford to tweet multiple times a day, but restrict yourself to just one post a day on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook.

Frequent social media posting boosts the online visibility of your business. But keep in mind that customers don’t want to feel overwhelmed. Excessive posting can harm your business as it will turn viewers off.

2. Using Maximum Hashtags

Plenty of businesses out there believe that using a large number of hashtags on all social media posts will boost their visibility online and help them gain a bigger following. This is probably one of the most common myths about social media marketing.

The truth is that using only relevant hashtags that line up perfectly with the content of the post will increase your visibility online. Besides, overusing hashtags on posts can hurt your business as well.

The post you upload can easily get lost in the thousands of posts that are uploaded each day. This results in your post being viewed for hashtags that are entirely irrelevant to your content. Switch to using a limited number of hashtags that align with your content correctly. Slowly but surely, you will find there is an increase in your following.

3. Use a Business Tone

That it is necessary to use a business tone while talking about your business or your services is a myth. That can make your business sound either artificial or intimidating. Avoid using an extremely formal tone as this may push your customers away. Maintain a balance in the tone you use while communicating with your audiences. Make sure that it reflects the human side of your brand and your professionalism. It’s always nice to see the real people behind the business, so make sure you remain true to yourself.

4. Social Media Is More than Enough

Another myth that many businesses tend to believe is that social media marketing alone is more than enough for their business to grow. However, the truth is that only social media marketing campaigns that are integrated with other marketing strategies will result in success. It is essential to remember that social media is simply a platform for broadcasting information about your business & services.

It is important to focus on generating leads via social media channels, but balance that out by using other advertising and marketing avenues in the right measure as well. There is a reason why it’s called social media.

Users online are interested in posts they can benefit from. They want something that can keep them engaged and provide value, rather than be bombarded with business promotions and ads. If you use social media solely for promotions, you may find yourself being nudged into the shadows.

5. You Can Post Content At Any Time On Social Media

While it’s true that you can hit “post” at any time, you should avoid doing so. Simply because the function exists, doesn’t necessarily mean you should use it. Every social media platform is different and has specific times when potential customers log in and browse around.

Consider using your data analysis from all previous campaigns and figure out when users are most active. For example, reports state that LinkedIn posts that are uploaded on Tuesdays & Thursdays receive the most engagement. However, these trends depend on the business and industry as well. Your best option is to use Google Analytics and find out when the ideal time for posting content is and follow a set schedule with posting.

6. You Will Always Be Followed In Return

The most common myth which exists about Instagram is that if you follow people, they will instantly follow you in return. However, this isn’t always the case, and users will follow you based on the amount of value you can offer them. If users simply follow you out of solidarity, they may do so for a couple of days and will then most likely unfollow you if they find your posts and content to be uninteresting.

Once your followers realize that your posts provide them value, they will visit your website and browse further. To ensure that users don’t unfollow you, only follow those who genuinely seem interested in your business.

For any information about our digital marketing services, feel free to contact us at Aliado Marketing Group via our online form, and we’ll get  back to you as soon as we can.

Social Media Myths Busted