Small Business Blog

1. Social marketing is for large brands

Quite the opposite is true. While social media has allowed large brands to create two way communication for the first time, small business owners, who’ve always relied on trusted professional relationships, are able to grow and manage those relationships much more effectively.

“One of the biggest misconceptions with online marketing is that social media is only for large brands. Truthfully, a small business that invests its time wisely can improve customer (or client) loyalty and traditional word of mouth marketing efforts.”

-Samir Balwani, Mashable

2. Using social media for business is for young people

This is quickly becoming one of the biggest myths of social media. More adults and seasoned professionals are realizing the value in connecting with clients and associates. If your colleagues aren’t using social media, they should be. Get them on board because your success is contingent on the success of your network as a whole.

3. There is a set way to use social media for marketing

If you’re looking for a step by step guide to generate sales leads via social media you are going to waste a lot of time and money searching for answers that do not exist. Social media is a tool just like the telephone and while it opens up a world of business opportunities, it’s usefulness is only as good as the person using it.

4. The more friends, messages, and connections I have; the better

If you’re running a small business chances are you’re looking to generate new business via social media. While this is a sound strategy, it’s likely that your relationship with a prospect is going to eventually transfer “offline”. People who already proactively network in the “real-world” tend to do much better than those who exclusively network online. There is no substitute for tight-knit professional relationships. Countless studies have shown that the amount of connections you have online has very little correlation with your success in the “real-world”.

5. It’s best to use the most trendy tool

Social media tools are as varied as the networkers who use them. Again, every business is unique and just as nobody can give you an exact blueprint for social media success, you’ll need to get out there and figure out which business networking tools help you meet your specific objectives.  It’s not likely that every tool you read about provides services that help you meet your professional objectives.