Though social media continues to expand its reach every day, constantly bringing in new users, there are still skeptics among us, doubting what all these great advancements can do. Sure, social media may not work for everyone. Like anything, it’s what you make of it. Just because it doesn’t work for one person, doesn’t mean it may not work for you. To make your path to social media success a bit easier I’ve outreached to social media users (via Twitter) and asked them to help dispel and confirm some common social media myths:
- Twitter is just a bunch of Facebook status updates.
· Wrong, wrong, WRONG! Twitter is so much more than “status updates” Technically, yes, you can post your status, but Twitter is about engaging users rather than just stating what you’re doing. Most Twitter users include links to articles in their tweets and sometimes small comments about said articles. They also @reply users to engage them in conversation. While it’s not uncommon to see something trivial like “time for dinner” as a tweet, that’s not what Twitters all about.
- No one’s listening to me or my business.
· On the contrary, friends. People are begging to communicate with you. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are home to millions of users who sign up to hear and be heard. If you’re trying to build your businesses brand through social media, this especially rings true. Hustle to get some followers and then work to keep them! When brands recognize their followers it humanizes them and we’re more likely to stick with you!
- Using social media in public is rude.
· You never want your Smartphone to serve as a physical barrier between yourself and whoever your having a face-to-face conversation with, but some of the best blogs, tweets, and Facebook updates are created spontaneously. We should always mind our manners during business meetings, but the truth is Twitter is becoming widely accepted in classrooms, lecture halls, and conference rooms across the nation. Avoid leaking company secrets, but if information is pertinent to what’s happening then talk about it! Some of the best ways to utilize social media is through mobile applications, and no one expects you to hide away in your office just to squeeze in a tweet.
- Social media’s for kids.
· Sure, some websites like YouTube can provide kids with videos that will be age appropriate thanks to age restriction settings, but social media is not just for the “young” crowd. Mashable.com reports that 49% of Twitter users are 35 or older. In addition, more and more brands are popping up as Facebook fan pages and YouTube users. With big corporations like Verizon Wireless and NBC journeying through the social media channels, you can rest assured these handles are not being maintained by toddlers.
- Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are all I need.
· Having a Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn page will certainly do wonders for your search engine optimization (you know, when you Google yourself), but this isn’t all that counts. YouTube is incredibly popular and a great way to host video blogs. Delicious is a helpful bookmarking website where you can flag pages and articles you enjoy most and share them again. Also, maintaining a blog, whether it is professional or personal is always a good idea.
The KEY to social media is to open up and engage those surrounding you. Just maintaining a social media presence is not enough; you must be active. Build bridges and then maintain them.