by 
As with any new technology, social media has spawned its share of misconceptions and myths that keep people from interacting.
Itâs time to debunk the big myths that are keeping business owners and marketers on the social media sidelines.
Myth #1: My Customers Aren’t on Social Media
Wow, if I had a dollar for every time I heard this oneâŚ. Seriously, this myth keeps more businesspeople from interacting with potential customers through social media than any of the others.
The fun part is all you need is a little data to convince people that their target customers are indeed on social networks.
For instance, 80% of female Internet users have become fans of a product or brand on a social network site and 72% said they learned about a new product through social media. Â As the graph here shows, more than half of Facebook and Twitter users are over 35, not to mention LinkedIn.
Social networking is a true cultural phenomenon, and there is no demographic that isnât represented substantially on one or more sites.
Myth #2: I Canât Measure the Impact of Social Media on My Business
The social media return on investment debate has been picked apart by so many intelligent and creative marketers, you would think it wouldnât make this list. But it continues to rank high on the list of objections about social media and I completely understand why.
Since the interaction mechanisms are different with social media than traditional marketing, judging purchase intent and likely customers from social media behavior is a new skill for many marketers.
It doesnât have to be overly complicated though, and if you put in place some of these methods to tie online behavior to offline actions, you can track the impact social media is having on your bottom line.
Pay close attention also to the referrals from social media sites on your web pages and these peopleâs behavior compared to users who get to your site through other means.
Myth #3: I Donât Have Time to Manage Social Media
Learning how to interact on social networks is very easy, because it simply involves talking with people and having candid conversations about interesting topics. Though you do need to spend some time interacting with people and posting useful, engaging content, the returns on your time should be enough to make social media interaction worthwhile.
Launch Social Projects Faster and Easier
Looking for a content creator, campaign manager, or strategist for your social channels or a special project?
Find the right expert for even the most complicated project or campaign in just a few clicks with our new FindHelp marketplace. You'll have more time to focus on other areas of your business without sacrificing your social presence. Browse highly qualified Facebook and Instagram experts today.
After some basic exposure, youâll see how similar social media interaction is to offline conversations, and it should come naturally.
Some helpful tools can make interaction a breeze, including HootSuite or TweetDeck for Twitter interaction, and Ping.fm to post updates to multiple profiles from a single interface.
Myth #4: If I Engage on Social Media Sites, Iâll Get Loads of Negative Comments
Nobody likes to hear negative feedback about their work, product or service. Many businesspeople fear that their social media profiles will be overrun by people posting complaints and competitors âflamingâ their brand. But the beauty of social media interaction is that transparency and responsiveness rule the day.
Your Guide to the Future of Business
The Web3 renaissance opens up new opportunities for entrepreneurs, creators, and marketers who are ready to embrace the changes. But, who can you trust?
Introducing the Crypto Business Conference; a premium event for anyone who wants to learn how to put Web3 to work for their business.
Join us in sunny San Diego, California, for the first-ever crypto conference for business pioneersâŚnot finance and tech nerds. Youâll get actionable, business-building ideas from proven innovatorsâwithout all the techie jargon.
If a customer chooses to voice a complaint publicly, you have the chance to demonstrate your customer service ability to a wider audience. If the person is unreasonable and continues to post negative information, people observing the dialogue are more likely to admire your efforts to right the situation, rather take to heart the angry customerâs complaints.
Plus, sometimes your customer base does the heavy lifting for you, like this gem from the American Airlines Facebook page.
Myth #5: Social Media Is Hard Work
Well, this one isnât a myth, but itâs worth addressing while weâre at it. Sure, successfully growing and interacting with a community on social networks require dedication and reasonable, sustained commitment.
If that sounds like hard work to you, well, it is, but the rewards justify the effort. If youâre allergic to hard work, then you probably shouldnât be in business anyway.
Take some pride and joy in the interactions you have with your community and soon, what may have felt like another item on your to-do list will actually be one of the best parts of your day. And when you start demonstrably affecting sales and capturing purchase intent with social media interaction, then the hard work will be worth it.
I hope these myths wonât hold you back from engaging in social media interaction any longer. There are customers out there waiting to talk to you and all you have to do is join the conversation.
Which other social media myths do you think need to be âdebunkedâ? Have you fallen victim to any of these? Do you have anything to add when addressing these myths? Leave your comments in the box below.
Curious about NFTs, DAOs, and Web3?
Follow the Crypto Business podcast to find out how NFTs, social tokens, DAOs (and so much more) will affect your business in the near future.
Every Friday, host Michael Stelzner interviews leading industry experts about what works right now in Web3 and what to expect in the future, so you can prepare your business for the shift, even if you're a total newbie.
