Busting Social Media Marketing Myths #3
Welcome to part three of Busting Social Marketing Myths. Social Media Marketing has been an essential tool for digital marketing agencies for years now, but some businesses still believe in some misconceptions surrounding it. Believing in these myths can prevent you from having a good social media presence. We feel it’s our responsibility to bust some of these common myths and help steer your business in the right direction.
Make sure to read Busting Social Media Marketing Myths #1 and Busting Social Media Marketing Myths #2 for more busts on social media marketing myths.
Myth: Social Media Is Just A Sales Tool
Social media is a unique marketing channel, where brands can connect with their followers. It’s not all about making sales, it’s also about cultivating a community. If your feed is all about brand promotion and every post is always in a corporate voice, it will make the feed feel ingenuine and it might discourage the followers from wanting to engage with your posts.
To cultivate your community, we suggest that your brand do three things:
- Post a variety of content to keep your feed interesting and refreshing. To get some ideas on what types of content to post, read “Social Media – Tips”.
- Engage with your audience by replying to their comments on posts, following them, and liking and commenting on their posts.
- Spark a conversation on your feed by encouraging your followers to give their input or answer a thought-provoking question. Then, respond to their comments. Make sure to tag their handle in the reply, so they get a notification of your response.
Myth: I Must Post My Own Content ONLY
Social media was created for people to share and spread content, so your brand shouldn’t feel like it has to be the sole content creators on your social media profiles. We get it, sometimes your team doesn’t have the time or the resources to constantly develop their own engaging content. That’s why we recommend that our clients include retweeting, sharing other people’s content, or creating repost campaigns as part of their overall social media marketing plan.
Depending on what your marketing goals are, brands can use reposts and retweets/shares to gain credibility, increase engagement, build relationships with your followers, increase brand awareness, or add personality to your feed. Brands can also combine their repost campaign with their events, contests, giveaways, and so on.
To gain credibility and increase engagements, we highly recommend that companies share articles and posts from influencers or leaders in their field. Don’t be afraid to share your opinion, explain further, question, challenge, or encourage your followers to share their thoughts on the shared post or article. Spark the conversation and get those engagements!
A good way for a brand to build stronger relationships with their followers and increase their brand awareness is to create a repost campaign. This will show people that companies care about their consumers and reposting their content can be seen as a form of consumer testimony. See examples from our Dole Plantation repost campaign below.
- Create a unique hashtag, preferably something that no one else is using.
- Encourage people to use it and tag your profile on their pictures.
- Then, select the best photos or posts to be shared on your feed.
Brands can also repost or retweet/share fun content that can add some personality to the feed. It can be a scenic photo of the beach, a funny GIF, a recipe, or a Buzzfeed quiz. See examples of fun shared content from Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii’s Facebook feed below.
Myth: It’s OK To Just Repost/Share Images I Found
It’s vital for brands to make sure that for whatever they do on any type of media, that it’s done legally and properly. So naturally, a brand cannot just repost or retweet/share without crediting the original author or poster. “If you would normally seek out permission to use content in the offline world, you should do so when posting another’s content to social media”, says Oliver Herzfeld in “Fair Use In The Age Of Social Media“.
For reposting images, we highly suggest that brands get permission from the original poster, either in the comments section of the specific picture or by direct messaging the owner. In our experience with the repost campaigns we’re managing for our clients, their followers are more than happy to let our clients share their content, and they appreciate that we asked for their permission. Once permission is granted and documented, you should clearly state the photo credit to the original source and tag them in the repost. See the Dole Plantation reposts below as an example.
If the reposted picture is from an Influencer or photographer, you may have to pay to use their content, but this can lead to a brand partnership opportunity. If the reposted picture will be used for an ad, like the Honua Kai Resort & Spa’s #HKMemories sponsored ad below, a photo release form should be signed by the original poster.
For retweets on Twitter and shares on Facebook, we recommend tagging the original poster in the retweet or shared post, even though it shows which profile the post was shared from because it’s always better to be cautious.
Myth: Delete All Negative Comments And Block The Haters!
Although it’s tempting, a brand shouldn’t delete a negative comment or block the person who posted it. This could lead to further drama and even more negative comments. The best way to deal with the situation is by politely thanking them for their feedback. Tell them you appreciate their input and that you are always looking for both positive and critical feedback to improve your brand. Don’t defend yourself directly; it never comes across well in written form and usually brings on more negative commentary, according to Sherry Jhawar in “12 Social Media Mistakes That Will Drive Followers Away From Your Brand”.
If your business needs assistance with the management of your social media accounts, give Team Vision Marketing a call and let us help you out. In the meantime, check out some of our social media programs and promotions on our web site portfolio at www.www.teamvision.com/portfolio/#social-media.
Phone: (808) 536-0416
Email: info@www.teamvision.com
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Read More Team Vision Blog Posts on Social Media:
“Busting Social Media Marketing Myths #1″
