Nope! I am not defending social media here neither am I donning a lawyer’s coat. I am simply bursting some of the mythical bubbles that go against this ‘people’s medium’ – Social Media.

1. Social Media Is ONLY for Branding

This theory has been over sold since the times businesses decided to explore this territory. As a matter of fact, social media is primarily for branding and serves as an excellent reciprocative tool as far as direct feedback is concerned. But breaking the stereotypes, social media is not just restricted to building a brand anymore. It’s more about building an EXPERIENCE. It has eventually become an indispensable business tool for any of the marketing activities.
2. Social Media Isn’t for Marketing

This seems to be WRONGLY infused by agencies into the businesses. Why would they do that? Simply to avoid the question of ROI! While some agencies across the world have shrugged this off and are working only on ROI model, there are certain biggies who feel mention of ROI from social media will backfire. If your agency isn’t working on commitment, it’s time to switch your agency. Social media is a part of 4P’s of marketing and separating it from marketing is equivalent of making it handicapped.

3. Social Media Demands Big Bucks

WRONG! Social media is the cheapest advertising medium for any and every business today. According to Adweek.com, “It’s cheaper. A lot cheaper. You can reach 1,000 people for a fraction of the cost using social media than you can through television, billboards or even email.”

Proclamation: It’s possible to generate 1000 leads in a day for your business on social media, by spending ¼ of what you would spend on television, radio, OOH or any other advertising medium.

4. Facebook Is the Strongest Social Medium for Business

While Facebook is one of the top tools for business, it cannot be strongest tool for ALL the businesses. The reason – Audiences! If your business talks to business, then Facebook definitely isn’t an accurate tool. It would rather be served by LinkedIn, which is a B2B platform. According to Internet, there are more than 200 social networking sites and our world is still limited to Facebook 😛

5. Social Media CANNOT Get Me Sales

If this is what you believe in, then you have probably not heard of Cost Per Acquisition campaigns on social media. Well, not only SALES but registration, leads, bookings, and lot more happen through social media.

Isn’t it cool to book a test drive on Facebook?

6. Social Audiences Aren’t Serious

Yo! There’s some cool gang of youngsters hanging out on social media sites to connect with friends and have conversations. Ever tried befriending them? They will surely respond optimistically to your gesture. It’s a just a matter of seconds that these stranger YO guys will turn into your biggest influencers and positive resonators. The audience is pretty serious out here when it comes to buying decision as there’s a lot of peer influence and organic viral promotion that makes decision authentic.

7. Social Media Contests Aren’t Serious

Like my earlier point, the contests may not lead to purchase but they are definitely serious if planned and executed well. Heard of Oreo’s super successful campaign on Twitter? Well, you must just Google it.

8. Social Media Won’t Foster My Offline Business

This is one of the biggest myths! Social media has been lending a helping hand to retailer’s big time. From creating brand awareness to getting targeted walk-ins, I just can’t stop going Gung-Ho about social media here. A well known pizzeria in Australia named Philadelphia saw a 41% sales uplift after resorting to Instagram for advertisement. Get started with social media marketing and let some new walk-ins pump in.

So, what stops you from being social? Go and get your brand shining on the top of the charts leaving all the stereotypes aside.

Author: Divya Arjun Gajaria

Breathing social media at the moment! Pursuing PhD in Social Media simply for the love of it 🙂 Driving innovation for businesses with social media strategies and strategic concepts. Always hungry for more knowledge.