19 Social Media Marketing Myths to Leave Behind in 2021

 Like any major marketing strategy of the past decade, social media has had plenty of time to accumulate some big myths.

And despite the fact that data has disproven a number of marketing myths today, some marketers will still hold onto a few, simply because it's hard to keep up-to-date on what's really going on with social media.

Yes, social media landscapes change dramatically every day. However, as a marketer, it's important to identify myth from reality in order to create an effective social media strategy. 

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To help you separate fact from fiction, I put my MythBusters hat on and drudged up some of the most common social media myths out there.

Let's dive into some social media myths we've all probably heard from colleagues or friends. Then, I'll explain why you need to leave these old ways of thinking behind. 

19 Social Media Myths to Leave Behind in 2021

1. My customers aren't on social media.

In 2021, over 3.7 billion people worldwide are active on social media. Today, it seems like there's a social platform for everything and everyone. While family and friends connect on sites like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, professionals are networking on LinkedIn.

Odds are, at least one social media platform has an audience that will align with your brand. Not sure which one is the best for you? Check out this blog post to explore which social platform(s) are best-suited for your brand — and which probably won't work for your needs.

2. You should join every single social media network immediately.

Just because I can name a lot of social networks, it doesn't mean I should set up a profile on all of them.

By all means, research other social networks. Set up a company profile or page and give 'em the old college try. But you may find that some aren't really worth your time. If that's the case, consider removing your profile and move on. You should only devote time and resources to the platforms that align most with your audience and marketing tactics. 

The best marketers use data to identify which marketing activities yield the best results — if a social network isn't helping you out, cut it loose. 

3. Pinterest is only for B2C organizations.

Pinterest is totally awesome for B2C marketers, to be sure. But usually when someone says a channel is only for B2C, the B2B marketer in me takes that as a challenge to prove it's not so.

Turns out some of my colleagues feel the same way, because one of them wrote an entire guide to using Pinterest for business. You can also check out the accounts of brands like GE, Microsoft, Econsultancy, and yours truly for some B2B Pinterest inspiration!

4. You should only try to get fans and followers that will become customers.

Quality is important, yes, but don't underestimate the power of a large social reach. Remember some of these points next time you bemoan acquiring a fan or follower that lives outside of your sales territory or target demographic:

• More fans and followers means you're gaining access to their fans and followers.
• If they're an influencer, their clout transfers to you by association.
• When they share your content, your SEO improves.
• They may still refer business your way.

Of course, that doesn't mean you shouldn't also target a specific, high-converting audience on your social channels — to figure out your ideal target audience on social media, check out this post.

5. You should only schedule posts during the work week.

While you shouldn't force your social media manager to work on the weekends, you certainly can schedule posts or launch social media ads on the weekends ahead of time — and, depending on your audience, it might be a good idea.

Of course, you'll need to identify when your audience uses certain social platforms the most. While pique social media engagement times occur around the middle of the week, most platforms also have high engagement times during the weekends and evenings as well. 

6. You'll have amazing social media engagement if you ask your friends and family "Like" every post.

You can't just have your mom and uncle Like every post you put up on Facebook. Although it might feel like you see a lot of posts that your friends or family members like, Facebook and other social media algorithms are a bit more sophisticated than that when it comes to determining which posts get seen.

To get social media feeds to favor your content, you'll need a variety of people interacting with your content — both to grow your reach, and to show up in users' news feeds. 

So, rather than encouraging just your friends or family members to Like or heart your posts, encourage your followers to Like, comment, or share to encourage further discussion and spread your brand awareness. 

7. You have to respond to social activity immediately.

There's no doubt a speedy response is appreciated, but it isn't always required. People understand that you're running a business. There are other things going on. If you get back in a timely manner, but not in mere seconds, it's alright.

There are exceptions, of course. For instance, Verizon runs a few Twitter accounts. One is @VerizonSupport. While Verizon will share blog posts and educational marketing materials on this Twitter, it also uses it to respond to questions or concerns from prospects or customers.