Thanks for returning to Social Media Myths Week, where the misconceptions are as plentiful as rumors of Bigfoot.  Today’s myth is a pervasive one:  The Myth Of No Time.  That’s right…that rumor you’ve heard that social media will take your schedule hostage, ruin your life, and beat up your mom in the process.

From whence this myth?  Part of it is pure overwhelm:  the streaming, 24/7 nature of social media can be a big intimidator (and big turn-off) to people used to safe, static emails or voice mailboxes.  And while, like any other business or marketing function, social media is useless unless firmly put in its place, it’s not a time-suck by default.  In fact, social media can SAVE you time (isn’t it easier to put out a query in 140 characters than to make 40 phone calls?  not to mention the time saved with invited, not interruptive, marketing that goes directly to your audience by choice instead of praying they’ll see it).  Part of the time-waster myth comes from the misconception that social media is the realm of gum-popping, Justin Bieber-obsessed MySpace tots (it’s not:  in fact, 55+ is the fastest-growing social media demographic, and users over 30 are becoming more savvy and more connected every day).  But far too many use the excuse of time to mask their fear of operating in a space that’s all about grassroots, real-time transparency…and miss out on a great low-cost marketing tool in the process.

Myth busted:  Just because social media is streaming doesn’t mean you need to get sucked down the river on a consistent basis. There are ways to keep boundaries and use social media effectively without spending hours and days browsing and chattering.  It’s all about goals and balance:  asking yourself what your goal for any tool is and devoting the appropriate amount of time to its use.  After all, consistency and conversation are the only rules of social media…and you aren’t going to die if you let the river of content flow by every once in a while.  For some tips on approaching social media with strategy and preventing the dreaded time-suck, visit my post on social media sanity at FolkMedia.  And put things into perspective:  when viewed as a tool like any other, it becomes easier to put social media in its place in your calendar and in your life.  Choose to devote your social media time to quality interactions and the consistent building of seductive, relevant content and it will be time well spent.

related posts:

1. Social Media Myths Week – Myth 2: The Silver Bullet
2. Social Media Myths Week – Myth 3: Quantity over Quality
3. Social Media Myths Week – Myth 5: The Fatal Flaw

One Response to “Social Media Myths Week – Myth 4: There’s No Time”