Demystifying The Stigma Around Social Media Marketing

What was the last purchase you made online that you discovered while using a social media platform? Now take a second to think about how you came to find that product or service. 

Maybe your friend liked an article on the latest model, or alternatively, you saw someone retweet a promotional video. Or the chances are it is a brand you avidly follow and you had to have the newest release. The possibilities are endless.

Social media is a great avenue used to connect, discover, and engage with each other and it is also still considered a fairly new method for brands and businesses to tap into markets far beyond the traditional brick and mortar storefront. 

Yet there are still many brands and businesses hesitant to embrace and adopt social media marketing into their digital strategy due to resistance and objections of their perception on it’s overall effectiveness.

In this article, we will look at how to break down the stigmas around three common misconceptions businesses and brands are confronted by when implementing social media into their digital marketing strategy.

Myth #1: My Clients or Customers Aren’t On Social Media

A common problem clients have come forward with is discovering where their audience is online. 

Arguments often come up about how their desired demographic wouldn’t be on scrolling through Instagram, or hiding away in the depths of Twitter. 

However, The Digital 2019 Report from We Are Social and Hootsuite reveals that:

45% of the world’s population are now social media users: a whopping 3.5 billion people.

The informed marketer will be able to best guide you to become informed on which platforms your prospects are on and how you might reach them. Once you are able to identify those platforms, you can optimize your strategy to tap into the Reach of your fans and followers. 

The key thing to remember is that there is a significant amount of ‘dark social’ users; users who may look and observe your profiles and content but never interact. People are often listening and they pay attention to what their friends and followers are interacting with. 

Most social platforms will indicate when a friend or follower has interacted with some form of content, allowing the opportunity to be discovered beyond your immediate following. So when you’re hunting for new prospects but only have early adopters, make those early adopters your biggest fans and provide them an unforgettable online experience so they set the tone for new prospects. 

Myth #2: There Is No ROI From Posting On Social Media

Pushback to invest in social media marketing is typically sourced when the client is unable to have line of sight on the ROI of their investment.

Expectations of immediate results from publishing content for a month tend to creep in and clients become excited when vanity metrics, such as Likes and Followers, begin to bump up. The caveat to sinking into the social media sensation is that it tends to blindside the client from the goals and objectives their overall strategy is pulling for. 

Marketers need to work with their clients to create an understanding that social media marketing is a long-term play to nurture and build awareness amongst consumers. These strategies and tactics will ultimately build a brand’s identity and narrative that allows them to directly communicate and connect with their desired audience. 

Consider that implementing strategy with your content that invites your audience to interact with open-ended questions and two-way interactions, such as Webinars, Live Video, Interactive Polls, etc., is vital to pulling raw data and insights directly from your consumers. This will not only benefit your overall positioning of your offerings, but allow you to be agile enough to pivot when necessary. 

Myth #3: No One Knows About Us On Social Media

The other side to clients feeling unable to find clients online, is that they feel that social media marketing is not making their own brand or business discoverable.

Frustration can occur when limited action from prospects has been taken while implementing a social media marketing strategy, which often partners with myth #2. When revisiting old school marketing tactics from Kathi Kruse, it’s important to note that:

A prospect needs to “hear” the advertiser’s message at least 7 times before they’ll take action to buy that product or service.

Luckily, utilizing social media marketing is a cost-effective solution for marketers, brands and businesses, delivering those messages and conversations out multiple times a day, every single day!

In turn, when someone adopts these messages and takes action to become a lead, they can create content on behalf of your brand through Word-of-Mouth and User-Generated-Content tactics which proven to significantly a brand or business’ overall Search Visibility. 

By receiving online feedback, customer reviews and even cultivating content from your customers’ experience with your product or service, you are inevitably earning media that will serve the searchability of your overall online presence.

Empowering your existing customers and clients to become brand ambassadors and advocates for your product or service to draw in new prospects and leads.  

Summary

Social media marketing can be intimidating for some and it’s understandable because there is a lot to learn in order to make the most impact for your brand or business. 

With the proper education and support, you can overcome the stigmas that block your ability to be proactive on social media and start making a difference in how your brand or business shows up online.

Choose to work with a knowledgeable marketer to support you in your overall business goals and guide you in how you can implement an effective strategy that will align with your objectives as a whole.

Alternatively, you can always send me an email or direct message and I’d be happy to see where you’re at!