The Top 3 Lies About Social Media

The wave of social media websites taking over our attention and spare time are too numerous to count. There are a lot of eyeballs being pulled away from traditional print media and moving toward online social media for entertainment, education and shopping. Savvy marketers know that they must “fish where the fish are”, and they are targeting this new media with a vengeance.

With all the excitement surrounding the shift to online marketing, especially in social media, there are a lot of people that will promise you the moon and exaggerate the results that social media marketing can provide. Here are three “un-truths” that I have heard recently in client meetings.

By using social media, everyone will be an online success.

Social media is only as powerful as the user.

If someone dropped the greatest nail gun and power saw into my lap for free, I still couldn’t build you a house, even if my life depended on it. These tools, just like social media, require a skilled user to squeeze out their utmost potential.

Just because you have a blog and facebook account, it doesn’t always mean that you are an interesting writer. Just because you have a YouTube account, it doesn’t mean that you have the charisma and creativity to make appealing videos. This is not a bad thing. You just need to recognize where your strengths lie, and partner up with people that can help in the areas where you could use assistance.

Be flexible. Be teachable. Constantly work on your communication skills and always be on the look out for other skilled marketers that can help you get your message across.

If I’m good at social media, I’ll be able to sell ANY product or service.

Good social media marketing has the potential to put your product or service in front of thousands of potential customers, but the great marketing in the world can’t replace a bad product or service. Do amazing work and social media will spread the word like wildfire. Do mediocre work and you get the same result.

I’ll just delete comments from unhappy customers and no one will ever know.

Put on another pot of coffee – Your customer service department is going to be working overtime. Ignoring or avoiding customer service issues will come back to bite you. Treat every customer’s complaint as an opportunity to shine. Be transparent and honest and you will come off as a hero, try to dodge them and someone might make a music video on YouTube about how bad your service was.

Be passionate about what you do. Constantly work on improving your communication online, and be open to hire help when the need arises. Social media is biggest thing since this industrial revolution, but the rules are being defined by the users, not by Madison Avenue executives or corporate CEOs. Learn to play by the rules and social media can become your most powerful marketing tool.