Posts Tagged ‘social media myths’

Welcome to the last installation of Social Media Week!  Hope you’ve enjoyed this look at common misconceptions about social media.  Today’s myth is similar to when your childhood friend claims, in doomsday tones, that if you swallow your gum, it will take seven years to digest…the dreaded Myth of the Fatal Flaw.

The myth goes something like this:  the Internet is forever!  Google is king, and can ferret out every word I’ve ever said and every action I’ve ever taken!  Hence, there is no point in engaging in social media, because it puts me at too much risk for permanent reputation damage and exposure.

Not so.  True, consciousness of the fact that social media is sticky and searchable is absolutely key if you’re going to be blogging, responding, and conversing with others.  But blame the user, not the medium, for imprudent use of social tools.  Having a Facebook account or a Twitter handle isn’t carte blanche to insult, flame, and badmouth everyone in the world.  What it is (and this is way more scary) is a challenge to be authentic and transparent, to balance what you make public with what you choose to keep private, to choose your words carefully and well.

The world of social media can seem like a jungle full of screeching baboons and lurking hyenas (wait, do hyenas live in the jungle?  Oh well, let’s continue with that simile anyway.)  But being in the jungle doesn’t mean you can’t be savvy…or have fun!  To stress over every word because you know that users travel in packs and express their opinions loudly and often is to lose the entire point.  Just as it’s not here to save the day, social media isn’t here to expose your every flaw. And you’ll be amazed again and again by the generosity and grace offered by your fellow travelers…if you’re willing to fess up to your mistakes, own your words, and take responsibility for your actions.

Myth busted:  savvy self-expression is the name of the game…and mistakes happen. Free-wheeling, fast-moving social tools are what you make of them…and they’re just begging to help you test, play, make mistakes, evolve, and be real. – Erin

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.

Welcome back to Social Media Myths Week!  Today we’re covering a myth that becomes even more pervasive as individuals flock to social media in droves.  It’s The Myth of Quantity over Quality, and it’s one of the biggest controversies I know of in “the field.”  The myth goes something like this:  “If only I get X number of followers, I’ll start to get more business” or “X has Y number of followers, she must be more credible than Z.”  Whoa, Nelly, not so fast!  Contrary to popular opinion, quantity does not denote quality.

Does having a sizable audience matter?  Sometimes.  It’s all about your goals.  Here are a few observations about the quantity over quality conundrum:

For some, there is a baseline threshold of what constitutes credibility.  For example, some people will not follow someone they don’t know (italics important) who has less than a certain number of followers because it shows them that few people have chosen to devote their time to that user.

Followers are cheap…and fickle. If you lower the bar to followers or (gasp!) resort to get-thousands-of-followers-quick schemes, you compromise something in the process.  And don’t think that your real followers won’t be turned off by your constant “I got 135315325235235235235 followers in three days…click here to do it too!” tweets…they will, and they’ll leave for a more personalized experience.

Follower counts mean a bigger audience…sometimes. If you have thousands of followers on Twitter, you have a bigger chance of being retweeted, and a RT from an account with a large following means an even bigger potential sphere of influence.  However, if 99% of the RTer’s followers are bots and MLM get-rich-quickers, it probably won’t make a difference. 

“How” is always more important than “how many.” How did you get a follower?  How do you communicate with them?  How do you use social media?  These questions are always more important than “how many.”  A small audience of hand-picked, responsive, communicative, and engaged followers is always better than a huge “audience” of unengaged, uninterested followers. 

Follower counts are just one metric. Clickthrough, conversion, conversation, Web traffic…these statistics should always go alongside follower count.  Allowing follower count to trump actual results is extremely shortsighted…the equivalent of letting your obsession with Nessie (who will never appear) interfere with your awesome vacation to Scotland.

Myth busted:  It’s all about quality. The obsession with follower counts obscures the true power of social media…facilitating conversation and democratizing content creation.  Yes, follower counts are a great way to gauge your social media account, but focus on adding value and creating quality with every connection and you’ll thrive whether you have 2 followers or 20,000.

This week, we’re covering social media myths and misconceptions.  Myth #2 is one of my favorites.  As mysterious and elusive as the Loch Ness monster, it likes to shapeshift into different marketing and business functions.  It’s The Myth of the Silver Bullet, and it’s the bane of businesses everywhere!

Somehow, somewhere, this myth originated from the desperate desire of business owners, boards of directors, presidents, and bosses to find a tool that fits all three impossible categories of cheap, fast, and good.  This mythic tool can bolster even the most lackluster brand, sway even the most lazy and uninterested prospect, and produce untold wealth for all who use it regardless of skill level, budget, or strategy.

You can see where I’m going with this.  Social media’s cheap…heck, even inexpensive.  It’s predicated on lightning-fast communications.  It’s even been used well by businesses big and small!  Could it be the silver bullet you’re looking for?

Myth busted:  Like the Holy Grail, the Silver Bullet just doesn’t exist. Even super-flexible, super-fun, super-sticky-and-now social media tools can’t make up for weaknesses in your business plan, flaws in your content or failure to execute.  Even the most expensive, well, researched, well-planned and flawlessly presented ad campaigns sometimes bomb due to factors large (human nature) and small (one word that doesn’t resonate).  Think about it:  if merely throwing up a few social media profiles and calling it a day could make us all rich, would any of us be reading this blog right now in an effort to improve our brands?

If you give in to Silver Bullet thinking in your business, beware…you’re in for a lot of disappointment.  Does that mean that social media is incapable of providing great value to your business and returning amply on investment?  Of course not.  But reasonable expectations and goals and benchmarks that are tied to larger business goals are key if you’re going to make social media a sustainable, valuable tool in your arsenal.  So do yourself a favor:  focus on the realistic instead of the mythical…and stop placing all the strain on the back of poor social media already!

As a social media strategist and consultant, I run into a ton of myths about social media.  This week, I’m going to bust the most common ones…one misconception at a time.  And so, without further ado, I bring you Myth #1:  The Cookie-Cutter Approach.

I can’t tell you how many calls and emails I get that start out “I know I really should be tweeting…” “I know I need a Facebook page…” etc. etc.  To which I always respond:  “Waaaait a minute.  Not necessarily!” Somewhere, somehow, many business owners got the idea into their head that everyone, everywhere should use every social media tool and that they’re all a great fit for every business.  And that’s a myth.

That’s not to say that an understanding of social media isn’t important…it is.  In fact, anyone who disregards social media as an agent for change, a milestone in the way people communicate, and a harbinger for ongoing transformation in terms of conversation and marketing does so at their own peril.  But that doesn’t mean everyone needs social media now, and it doesn’t mean that every service is a great fit for every company.  There’s a time and a place for case studies, imitation, and emulation, but in the end, no strategy will be 100% effective 100% of the time…and the most effective strategy is always the one you can actually execute.

Myth busted:  There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. In fact, social media strategies should be different from person to person and from business to business and should reflect the unique makeup of your goals, customer base, and capabilities.  You wouldn’t let the masses dictate your business plan or your investment strategy, so why would you allow the “shoulds” and “musts” of the many dictate the way you interact with your clientele?

Stay tuned for more social media myths all week!