Everyone’s got something about social media, and to no surprise, sometimes what they’re saying is a little off. Here at NEXTFLY, we talk about social media A LOT. (Sometimes the occasionaly hashtag slips in a conversation, but what can we say? We’re enthusiastic). Through these conversations, we’ve heard a lot of misconceptions about social media, and now we’re here to clear a few things up.
“The more sites we’re on the more people will see us!”
In theory, this makes sense; but with social media, it’s all about getting the right people to follow you. You can have 1 million followers who won’t look twice at your posts, or you can have 1,000 followers you followed you because they’re interested in what you have to say. But how do you find those 1,000 key followers? By being on the right platform. Take the time to learn who your audience is, where they hang out in the internet and what they’re doing online. Then you can determine where you should be spending your time and efforts.
Still confused on where to start? We recently shared Buffer’s breakdown of different social media sites and who’s using what. Take a look!
“I’ll just post a lot and then people will find my content.”
When was the last time someone blew up your timeline and you went ahead and clicked on every post? Or continued to follow them for that matter? People don’t want to be annoyed on social media; they also aren’t going to go out of their way to seek out your content. So what do you do? You can use third party tools such as Social Bro to see when your audience is online and then schedule your posts around them. People aren’t going to scour the internet to find your content, you need to do the research and learn where to post for optimum exposure.
“It’s just social media, I don’t need a plan.”
As with any marketing strategy, there needs to be a plan. Creating a social media strategy for your company allows you to define goals for your efforts and develop content that support those goals. This strategic plan should also detail how you’re going to evaluate and analyze your social media marketing efforts. Though it takes time to develop a plan, it makes it easier to create content that works to meet your company’s goals.
“My company’s social media is just for marketing purposes only.”
Social media can be used for much more than just promoting your business; it can be used for customer service, recruiting/human resources, product development and more, the opportunities are endless. Social media is more than just another channel for you to share your marketing message, it’s a place for conversation and engaging your audience.
“I don’t have the time.. I’ll just get a college kid to do it.”
College students/interns can be a great resource, but no one’s going to know your company like you do. While the planning stage pay takes a little bit of time and effort, using social media can easily become part of your daily routine. With services such as Buffer and Houtesuite, you can take a little bit of time Monday morning and schedule your posts for the rest of the week. While that’s not all you should be doing, it’s one way to make managing your social media accounts a little easier.
Social media can be a great tool when used correctly. It allows you to create a voice for your company and connect with your audience on a new level. If you’re interested in learning more about how NEXTFLY can help you with your social media needs, give us as shout!