| Do You Really Know Social Media? 8 Huge | | | | They know it better than you and I. |
| Misconceptions | | | | 5. The large companies know social media, why |
| About 10 minutes prior to writing this, I was combing | | | | doesn't our company just use the same vendors? |
| through articles to see if there was a definition of | | | | There are a few things wrong with this statement / |
| social media which I really liked. There was nothing. I | | | | question. First, a lot of vendors feast off of ignorance. |
| came across an abundance of articles which were | | | | Second, many feast off of an interview they did with |
| vague and which the author had seemingly no idea | | | | some newspaper - maybe they were featured in the |
| what social media is. | | | | LA Times two years ago. Don't believe everything you |
| Social media is a way to bring to people together via | | | | read. |
| the web and spark an interest in the online community, | | | | Third, some of these firms, in the early stages, |
| thus enabling these users to converse about said topic | | | | obtained Fortune 500 clients and they use this to |
| (or topics) together on your social media platform. | | | | leverage sales with future prospects. What most |
| Common Misconceptions: | | | | people don't know is that it has a huge snowball effect. |
| 1. In 99% of instances, you do not know this medium if | | | | If a company was to snag a contract from a big fish, |
| you play on Facebook and Twitter. These are social | | | | they have free reign. Forth, these companies have |
| media applications which have defined and set a | | | | bigger fish to fry and, more likely than not, do not have |
| standard for the networking platform as we know it. | | | | a high priority for low paying accounts. |
| Most likely, what you are doing is using these various | | | | 6. Let's keep the social media decisions to the |
| platforms to chat with your friends and, depending on | | | | executive marketing team. This is quite off-base as |
| the site, possibly networking. | | | | well. Do you remember those kids you hired and put in |
| 2. It's okay to put "social media" on my resume. Yes, | | | | a cubicle? Like it or not, they are the closest you are |
| due to the fact that a lot of marketing divisions of | | | | going to get to a media expert. SM is a young person's |
| firms do not know what social media actually is, you | | | | game. Your firm should have these youngsters |
| may get away with it. However, you will eventually | | | | involved with every decision you make regarding social |
| (and it will happen) run into somebody who knows | | | | media. Swallow your pride and use the appropriate |
| social media and you will be embarrassed. | | | | resources. |
| 3. SM is for every company. Wrong! Your company is | | | | 7. You're involved in the medium because your |
| going to be competing with 100 hundred other firms in | | | | company has a video on YouTube. That's like |
| your space to get the attention of online gurus. If your | | | | comparing your high school football competition to the |
| company sells office products, you should probably | | | | Pittsburgh Steelers. Now, if you get 1,000 hits a day to |
| save your money. I once had a competing recruiter | | | | your video, yes you know social media. Though, if you |
| ask a client who was in telecommunications hardware | | | | did, you would probably not be reading this as it is quite |
| if the marketing person in which they needed to hire | | | | elementary. |
| had to have experience in the medium. If none of your | | | | 8. Putting the Twitter, Facebook logos, etc. on your site |
| main competitors have an Alexa rating under 200,000, | | | | means that your firm is heavily involved in SM. If you're |
| then creating a buzz through these types of platforms | | | | saying to yourself, "well, we have 2,000 followers on |
| will cost too much money and probably won't have | | | | Twitter," look closely as to who they are as the site |
| much effect. | | | | has a terrible spam problem. |
| 4. People who truly know and can effectively execute | | | | Now that you have an idea as to what social media is, |
| SM can be hired for under $150,000. Being effective at | | | | you should have fun and toss around ideas as to how |
| social media is very, very hard. If somebody has | | | | to effectively utilize it for your firm. When doing so, you |
| mastered this skill, they can make your company rich. | | | | should have your young marketing representatives in |
| However, if you think that they are in the business to | | | | the room as they will prove to be an invaluable |
| do so for under $150,000, rethink your strategy. At first, | | | | resource. |
| use your younger marketing representatives for help. | | | | |