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Social Media Myths

Started by jacobmorgan · 8 months ago

After hearing about and witnessing all sorts of odd and strange social media strategies/campaigns/discussions, I decided to address some of the big social media myths out there.  I’m sure you know of several social media myths as well so please share them in the comments.%C ... Continue reading »

22 comments

  • John Carson

    8 months ago

    A great list Jacob, glad someone is being the voice of reason.

    You missed one: don't believe a social media "expert." -- We're all still learning this game every day ... try specialist, evangelist, consultant ... not expert.

    I posted about this a few weeks ago: http://blogs.gcigroup.com/fineprint/2008/10/08/...

    Cheers,
    JC.
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    8 months ago

    thanks john,

    ah great extra myth to add in there, and that is very true (i mean false?) saying you're a social media expert is like saying you "know" people, well nobody is right 100% of the time :)

    thanks for reading and commenting John
    reply
  • John P. Kreiss

    8 months ago

    This is important information for anyone interested in using social media for marketing purposes. It's not a sprint. It's a marathon and requires patience. I'm not sure how many people understand this including the people working in the industries we serve (real estate and construction).

    How many people set up a blog and give up six weeks later because they perceive that nobody is reading it? Anything worhwhile takes a commitment of time and effort.

    John P. Kreiss
    MorganSullivan, Inc.
    http://www.morgansullivan.com
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    8 months ago

    howdy john,

    it's definitely a marathon, a never ending marathon that build up the longer you are in it. i have seen a lot of blogs that have just been abandoned because they aren't getting the traffic levels they desire, it's ok, i don't feel bad for them, let them die off. if you aren't willing to work hard (like yours truly) then you don't deserve an audience!

    thanks for reading and commenting john.

    by the way my last name morgan and my gf's last name is sullivan....interesting :)
    reply
  • DrewG

    8 months ago

    Great article again Jacob. Many in my company (marketing) are very into the social media realm, and as a company we are working on moving more towards it as a whole. I have been developing a weekly Social Media reading list for everyone, and many of your articles have been included. Your writing provides insight for someone like me, who reads blogs and social media articles daily, but also are extremely helpful for beginners to start thinking about these things differently (or correctly). Keep up the good work.
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    8 months ago

    thanks drew,

    which company are you working for? im very flattered and humbled that you have been including my articles in your reading list. i have a lot of other previous articles involving social media that you may find interesting. if i can help you or your company out just let me know.

    im definitely striving to provide insight and ideas for folks involved in the marketing and social media space.

    thanks for the kind words drew! and thanks for reading and commenting!
    reply
  • DrewGneiser

    8 months ago

    Axiom Marketing Communications (Minneapolis)
    We write a social media blog as well at http://www.dailyaxioms.com, which is fairly new and a work in progress, but we are working hard to bring new things everyday. In the future, I would love to get your help at Axiom, but let's connect more first. I'll be reading your blog and offering comments, so let's keep talking and interacting, and when the time comes, I'll be sure to ask for some more help.
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    8 months ago

    just checked out the site and the blog, hope things are going well. im sure the blog will kick off, takes time and hard work.

    you know where to find me so if you need something feel free to ask :)
    reply
  • wineworld

    8 months ago

    Great post Jacob
    another great myth is "you can be cool by association", conversation takes work whether face to face or online. You cant just come along and cherry pick who you want to pitch to.
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    8 months ago

    ah yes very good point indeed and something i think a lot of marketers and social media "experts" need to pay attention to. if you are out to build relationships you don't have the luxury of only trying to become friends with the "cool kids," hmm that may be an idea for a post there :)

    thanks for reading and commenting mr wine!
    reply
  • Lisa Hoffmann

    8 months ago

    Another myth: Social media is all about the technology. The technology is the vehicle, but it's the conversation that counts. Most people who try to master every new social media platform as it's introduced will become overwhelmed and give up. It's not about the technology, it's about the talk.

    I tell everyone who asks me how to start in social media to treat like any other human interaction.
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    8 months ago

    hi lisa,

    another great myth and yes of course you are correct. the conversation is where the real meat is. i know of several folks who tried to join every social network out there only to become overwhelmed and then quit all together.

    the people matter, the technology just provides for a way to connect with them.

    thanks for reading and commenting Lisa!
    reply
  • grossidn

    8 months ago

    This is a fantastic list, Jacob. I think using social media vehicles is just one tool in the marketing strategy bucket. Do you have a post about Social Media Truths? That would be equally interesting to read, I'm sure.
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    8 months ago

    thanks for the kind words. social media is just one part of a marketing strategy and not a means to an end; you are absolutely correct. i like the idea of a social media truths post, i might have to create that :)

    glad you found the information valuable.

    thanks for reading and commenting hope to hear more from you in the future!
    reply
  • dominic

    8 months ago

    Thanks for the list

    Let me try a "positive demythification" ;-)

    "Social Media doesn't scale": false, any sizable company has 1000's of people engaged in blogs, forums, social groups with work related conversations.
    The challenge for companies is to leverage this time already spent and make its people productive.

    I like the "everyone loves my brand". As a matter of fact, unless you're a really big name, people don't talk much about your brand or even don't talk about it at all. What discussions are about is "customer challenges" that you may solve, issues that are waiting for you to provide an answer to !
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    8 months ago

    you are very welcome dominic. hehe positive demythifcation, i like that. good point about social media scaling, im actually going to write a follow post called "social media truths" that should be interesting, scaling is a topic i will include.

    thanks for reading and commenting!
    reply
  • dominic

    8 months ago

    Thanks for the list

    Let me try a "positive demythification" ;-)

    "Social Media doesn't scale": false, any sizable company has 1000's of people engaged in blogs, forums, social groups with work related conversations.
    The challenge for companies is to leverage this time already spent and make its people productive.

    I like the "everyone loves my brand". As a matter of fact, unless you're a really big name, people don't talk much about your brand or even don't talk about it at all. What discussions are about is "customer challenges" that you may solve, issues that are waiting for you to provide an answer to !
    reply
  • Robert_Worstell

    7 months ago

    Jacob: Excellent article. And of course, I found it via FriendFeed.

    Here is an idea which is perhaps mythic: Is then social media a personal crusade of sorts? Hate to bring in something with religious overtones (unlike "evangelists", which has become secular) - but it goes far beyond personal branding - your company or yourself becomes bigger than the individual or that one company/corporation.

    Your company/personal brand becomes part of the conversation - and history (since the Internet memory is eternal).

    Conversations, while fueled by content, actually trump the individual content submitted. The whole is bigger than the parts.

    The myth is, then: Companies remain unchanged from social media "marketing". Those which remain unchanged and continue "business as usual" actually cease doing business in this venue.

    In order to claim ROI, the company will change it's product and/or way of servicing it's clientele. Has to. It's part of a conversation now, not just standing on a stump with a bullhorn, saying: "Buy my stuff NOW." The days of broadcast one-way flow marketing were over years ago - and that they ever existed in fact is yet another myth...
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    7 months ago

    howdy robert,

    yep social media is a bit like a personal crusade, it's about people trying to leave their mark. the whole is definitely bigger than the parts and in fact the conversation is more important than the post itself.

    "companies remain unchanged from social media marketing" is definitely a great myth to add to the mix, your company does change, and quite a lot.

    very well said, thanks for reading and commenting, hope to hear more of your thoughts and ideas on here.
    reply
  • Trace Cohen

    7 months ago

    Thank you for clearing up all these misunderstood myths. Basically what I get from this is that you need to be authentic and add value, otherwise all the time you spend online is a waste if you are trying to build a brand or SEO anything. Being a thought leader and actually interacting with other people is where you strike gold.
    reply
  • jacobmorgan

    7 months ago

    hey trace, great takeaway points there. if you're going to build a brand online, you might as well do it right!

    thanks for the comment
    reply
  • Busby SEO Test

    6 months ago

    Agree with your first point . Most followers doesn't mean a good relationship, it's about how we interact with all of them. Because of we are in the social world we should do social. Talk to each other and share experiment with them.
    reply

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