We’ve all been in that meeting: the boss is excited about some new latest and greatest social media strategy that he just read about in the Wall Street Journal. He’s read that it can work miracles for brand recognition. It will increase web traffic, boost sales, and enhance customer service, but he can’t really say why or how it works. You ask questions, but get no real answers, just a lot of meaningless jargon or mysterious acronyms. Worst still, your colleagues are nodding their heads as if they understand. Are you the only one who sees that the emperor is stark naked?
Marketing myths around social media stress our credulity, raise our hackles of reason, and simply make us mutter, “what the…?” They persist because digital marketing is not easy; it is a complex combination of technology, art, and science. Today, there are myriad opportunities for engaging customers, but good marketing strategies still take time to plan and effort to design to get to the right results.
Mindful marketing may be challenging, but mythical marketing is downright dangerous: it can damage your brand, undermine your business, and take a big bite out of the bottom line.
For example, I had a client years ago who wanted desperately to hop on the social media bandwagon. The client started a Facebook page thinking it would raise the company’s profile with a new audience. It did, but not in a positive way. Like a lot of new social media initiatives, they leaped before they looked – they launched the page without identifying the intended audience or having any clear goals in mind. Unsure of how to move forward, they left the page unmonitored and unmoderated, and it became littered with spam, irrelevant commentary, and downright incendiary posts that embarrassed the company.
As a result of their poor planning, hasty execution, and mismanagement of the process, the company abandoned their social media efforts altogether and fell further behind their competitors.
Social media is a powerful way to market your brand and connect with your customers. Before you make your social debut, however, you must start with a realistic assessment of what is best for your brand. Debunking this marketing myth starts with being honest about why, not just how, you are using social media: what is it your business really needs? How can the different social media outlets support your existing customers and promote your brand to a new audience? When you can answer these questions, you can choose the right social media tools and methods that will empower your brand and excite your customers, both current and prospective.