The Misleading Perception of Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing
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As everyone understands, there really is no such thing as free. No matter what you do, you will always end up paying in one way or another. When it comes to social media’s importance, it must be regarded seriously.

In the United States, more and more business owners have come to understand how important social media is for business. They also realize what a powerful tool it is and that without it, their business will undoubtedly suffer (or at least, not achieve the kind of success that they will achieve if social media is involved). If you happen to have business connections in places other than just the United States, your interactions will probably be different than if you only interact with people in this country.

The art of communication

The first thing that has to be in order when it comes to successful social media marketing interactions is communication. If you can’t communicate clearly and the person on the other end can’t do the same, you won’t be able to accomplish anything together. The same can definitely be said for sharing information and teaching other people what you know. There are many different approaches that you can take when it comes to using social media for your business. It is critical that you understand not only how to leverage it to its fullest potential but also to be able to effectively weed out information that is not particularly valuable to you and your business and to concentrate on the gems that will truly make a positive difference in your business going forward. It is essential that you think about social media in terms of how vastly it can help your business. It has widespread potential in the marketing arena and your business will be brought to the  next level based on what you are able to accomplish through social media marketing. Of course, you also need to learn to be selective at the same time. As important and valuable as information can be for you, too much information can work in the other direction when it comes to your business as well.

You need to get involved

When it comes to social media marketing, you might have a successful business if you don’t get involved with social media; however, your chances of greater success for your business are much better if you do embrace social media marketing. First and foremost, it is critical that you listen to what your clients want and need. You need to make sure to hang out with them (online and in person) and interacting with them on a very regular basis is the key to building a solid relationship that will be mutually beneficial for many years to come. Using social media to grow your business will make a tremendous difference. You can’t be the dinosaur who refuses to get involved online if everyone else is doing it. Whether you like it or not, you don’t have much of a choice. Social media marketing will help your business in many different areas, even those areas that are notoriously problematic and sensitive (such as customer service).

There are many different principles that you should follow when it comes to social media marketing. With that being said, there are also some basic principles that are lacking and that should be reinstated as soon as possible.

  • Listen to your clients: Without your clients, you wouldn’t have a business at all. Make sure that you meet their needs before you do anything else.
  • Work intelligently: It is critical that you work as efficiently and as neatly as you possibly can. Along with that, you need to be very aware of the tools that are available to you.
  • Always give great customer service: The better your customer service is, the more successful your business will be. Always communicate clearly and be transparent. Your clients will definitely appreciate the honesty and they will find you much more credible and trustworthy if you show them that you have integrity.

There is no free lunch

Chances are very good that you don’t spend a great deal of money on working your social media channels. However, you do make an investment and you do it on a very regular basis. You make an investment of time and effort and you expect a return on your investment (ROI), which is only fair. The harder you work, especially if you work social media the right way, the greater your ROI will end up being.

Conclusion

Social media marketing is critical to the success of your business. It is very important that you learn how to make the most out of your efforts. If you use social media effectively and recognize that it is an extremely powerful tool, you will get a great deal out of it for your business and you will be able to bring your business to the next level before you know it. It is also important to recognize how important it is to share top-quality content and the more you share, the more traffic you will attract. Always remember that when you are interacting with other people online or sharing valuable content, give them something that they can count on. Always be consistent.

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Author

  • Michael Cohn

    Michael Cohn is the founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of CompuKol Communications. He has decades of experience in IT and web technologies. Michael founded CompuKol Communications to help small businesses and entrepreneurs increase their visibility and reputation. CompuKol consults, creates, and implements communication strategies for small businesses to monopolize their markets with a unique business voice, vision, and visibility. Mr. Cohn earned a Master’s degree in project management from George Washington University in Washington, DC; and a Master’s degree in computer science and a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck, NJ.

5 Responses

  1. Srimathy K says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Band of Entrepreneurs
    Discussion: The Misleading Perception of Social Media Marketing

    You are absolutely right, but, this FREEBE concept is always misunderstood and misread..hence people fall a prey again and again and again….
    By Srimathy K

  2. Heather P says:

    Mr. Cohn, You might consider changing the title of this post to more accurately reflect its content. I opened it expecting to read something counterintuitive about how and why people’s perceptions of social media marketing might be flawed. Instead I got a basic “how-to” list for successful social media marketing.

    As it stands the title is, well, misleading.

    • Michael Cohn says:

      Heather, I beg to differ. Several social media marketing misconceptions are clearly identified in this article.

      The 1st misconception that social media is free is addressed in the first paragraph.

      The 2nd misconception that social media marketing is the same globally is addressed in the 2nd paragraph.

      The 3rd misconception that you can use “freestyle” communication when using social media marketing for business is addressed in the 3rd paragraph.

      The 4th misconception that you as a business owner don’t have to be involved yourself in the social media marketing activity is addressed in the next paragraph.

      I highly recommend you read the full article a second time slowly and digest what it is conveying.

  3. Mamie Smith says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Books and Writers
    Discussion: The Misleading Perception of Social Media Marketing

    Just as marketing is everywhere else, a great product, trustworthiness and benefits that the customer needs, are key ingredients in social media marketing.
    By Mamie Smith

  4. youtube marketing companies says:

    What you said was very logical. But, what about this?
    what if you added a little content? I am not suggesting your information is not solid, but what if you added a title
    to possibly get a person’s attention? I mean The Misleading Perception of Social Media Marketing is a little vanilla. You could look at Yahoo’s front page and see how they create news headlines to get viewers to open the links. You might add a related video or a related pic or two to grab readers excited about what you’ve got to say. Just my opinion, it might make your website a little livelier.