Social media marketing is a powerful tool to increase your customer reach but there are some misunderstandings about it. In its simplest form, social media is a way to connect with friends and family to share what is going on in your life. In its more complex form, social media is a unique way to market your business and products to the entire world in a short amount of time. While you can take months or years to study the intricacies of social media and craft business strategies, there are three common myths about social media marketing that are hurting your business. 

Myth #1: You have to be using every single social media platform.

Expanding your customer reach is certainly a goal for business owners and coaches as that yields more sales and personal clients, which equals increased income. However, the real question to ask before signing up for every platform is: where are my ideal clients? They could be on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok and many more. Where should you start? Using TikTtok because everyone is currently using it to showcase their new dance trend efforts may not be the most ideal for your business. Start by identifying who your target audience is and find out where they are hanging out. You can start by using the template below to create who your ideal customers are. Once you’ve figured that out, use those platforms to market your business.

Myth #2: Aim to go viral. 

It’s exciting to see a post go viral as they are usually entertaining or thought provoking but of the viral campaigns you’ve noticed recently, could you say what company sponsored them? I can’t either. Aim to provide value in your posts mixed in with some of your personality as opposed to aiming for shock or entertainment value. Your ideal client wants to learn from you so your valuable lesson will be heard and remembered long after the latest viral video fades away.

Myth #3: A lot of followers = a lot of profits

It feels good to have a large number of social media followers but are these followers interacting with you? Are they liking or sharing your posts? Are they leaving comments? If not, then chances are they are not your ideal customers and chances are they will never purchase one of your products or services. Evaluate your own posts; it’s quite possible they’re boring and that’s the reason for no response. Be more creative with your posts and watch for audience interaction. This directs back to the need for niching down to your ideal customer. You’re not trying to appeal to everyone; you’re trying to appeal to only a specific group of people. Pay attention to finding that demographic and the number of engaged audience members will follow, as will the profits.

Don’t forget to create your ideal customer so you can use social media marketing for your business effectively! 

Check out this free Six-Figure Business Action Plan for more tips on how to create a profitable business and find that ideal customer.