5 Major Social Marketing Myths – Busted!

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SOCIAL MEDIA MYTHOLOGY

Nearly $5 billion was spent on social marketing tactics in

2013 (Forrester), and marketers plan to increase social

media budgets at a higher rate than any other channel in

2014 (MediaPost). But despite its popularity, social still

remains the “new kid” on the marketing block, with

networks like Pinterest and Instagram just barely cutting

teeth compared to mature, well-oiled channels like email

and print.

As marketers the world over share conflicting stories of

social triumph and trial in the pages of leading industry

pubs, rumors run rampant across this largely uncharted

marketing territory. We’re busting 5 major social marketing

myths that have made their way into mainstream

marketing lore, and revealing proven facts and strategies to

help guide your social efforts and execution.

1. Social ROI Doesn’t Exist

2. Social Needs Its Own Set of Metrics

3. Social Marketing Is an “On-Network”

Affair

4. Social Is Competing with Other

Channels

5. Social is “Big Brother” for Marketers

5 MAJOR MYTHS:

Social ROI Doesn’t Exist

MYTH #1

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MYTH #1: SOCIAL ROI DOESN’T EXISTReturn on social marketing investment is undeniably one of the most hotly debated business topics of the 21st

century. But while 88% of marketers claim to have an unclear view of social ROI (Webmarketing123), this doesn’t

make it non existent - it simply means that many marketers don’t know how to measure it. That said, this

misconception is largely perpetuated by our next myth.

Only 12% of marketers claim to have a clear view of social ROI! (Webmarketing123)

Social Needs Its Own Set of Metrics

MYTH #2

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MYTH #2: SOCIAL NEEDS ITS OWN SET OF METRICS

While social marketing has forever changed the way

brands connect with consumers, it has not changed

the underlying metrics driving performance for most

businesses - which is where many marketers seem to

lose their grip on social ROI. Just as email opens or ad

clicks alone don’t provide much business value,

engagement, followers, and other social-friendly

metrics are only as valuable as the consumer actions

and insights they facilitate.

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Do visitors who share content spend more time on site?

Are customers who leave reviews more likely to make repeat purchases?

Do the insights derived from users’ social profiles improve user experiences and, in turn, shopping cart conversions?

To calculate and optimize ROI, social must be evaluated according to its impact on traditional marketing metrics

and KPIs. This can be done by tying consumers’ social actions directly to purchase behaviors.

MYTH #2: BUSTED!

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Social Marketing Is an “On-network” Affair

MYTH #3

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MYTH #3: SOCIAL MARKETING IS AN “ON-NETWORK” AFFAIRWhen browsing marketing blogs and bylines, it’s always surprising to find that the majority of social resources still

focus on implementing on-network strategies like scheduling posts, monitoring comments and leveraging

hashtags. Contrary to seemingly popular belief, social marketing does not exist in a vacuum, and social efforts

should not be confined to your Facebook timeline or Twitter feed.

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MYTH #3: BUSTED!

!!Marketers must refocus to reach and engage users on their own properties, where they can more effectively

collect valuable consumer insights and drive desired behaviors via solutions like social login, share, ratings and

reviews, gamification and more.

The reality is that brand visibility on social networks is shrinking, with brands’ updates being pushed increasingly

faster and further down followers’ social feeds.

CASE IN POINT

Recent changes by Facebook to make room for paid placements have stunted

organic brand page reach from 16% of fans to about 3%.

(Ignite Social Media)

Social is Competing with Other Channels

MYTH #4

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MYTH #4: SOCIAL IS COMPETING WITH OTHER CHANNELS

How often do you come across statistics comparing the effectiveness of social vs email marketing? Or

foreboding predictions that social will soon eclipse search? These types of reports fuel the misconception that

social media is out for every channel’s lunch.

Rather than viewing social as an alternate marketing strategy and pitting it against more traditional mediums,

businesses must realize that social marketing is most effective when it is used to complement these other

channels.

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MYTH #4: BUSTED!

Need proof? 19% of Gigya clients have seen a 30-50%

increase in referral traffic by adding social sharing buttons

to their web properties, and sites that feature ratings and

reviews typically experience a 10-20% increase in search

result CTR thanks to user-generated content (Inchoo).

The insights gleaned from users’ social graphs, including

their locations, relationships, interests and media

preferences can also be used to inform campaigns and

improve performance across channels. Personalizing

emails improves CTR by 14% and conversion rates by 10%

(HubSpot).

Social is “Big Brother” for Marketers

MYTH #5

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MYTH #5: SOCIAL IS “BIG BROTHER” FOR MARKETERSWhen was the last time a website requested permission to cookie you, or your browser asked if you wanted to

share your search history with a third party?

While many people believe that the crux of social marketing rests on brands' abilities to collect heaps of personal

data from unsuspecting users, the reality is that social networks actually have far more strict and transparent

privacy policies and controls than most sites and data brokers.

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MYTH #5: BUSTED!

Not only do social users have direct access to

personal privacy settings, but major networks are

making increased efforts to build privacy

awareness. For instance, Facebook has recently

been testing a pop-up featuring a friendly blue

dinosaur that reminds users to check their privacy

settings (The Drum).

One popular way for brands to gain permission-

based access to users’ social graphs is via Social

Login. By allowing users to login to sites and apps

using one of their existing social media accounts,

brands can request access to specific, valuable

social data points, giving users total control over the

information they share.

There you have it: 5 of today’s most prevalent social media marketing myths, busted. We’ve armed

your business with the truth and tips behind social ROI, cross-channel integration and privacy - time to get

started measuring, optimizing and making the most of that growing social marketing budget!

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