17 Common Misconceptions About Social Media Marketing For You To Forget In 2023

Welcome to the world of social media marketing in 2023, where the game is changing faster than you can say "hashtags"!

Yes, yes, like it or not, social media has become an integral part of our lives, with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok capturing our attention and influencing our choices.

But hold up!

Before you dive headfirst into your social media strategies, let's address some common misconceptions that are SO yesterday.

Get ready to forget what you thought you knew about social media marketing!

Why is social media (still) important in 2023

Now, let's face it: social media platforms are a swirling vortex of constant updates, new features, and trends that can make your head spin.

Gosh, we’re exhausted only thinking about it…😩

But, regardless… it’s important. And if you're still clinging to outdated beliefs about social media marketing, it's time to hit that refresh button and update your understanding.

Are you ready? Let's look into the social media marketing misconceptions that need to be left behind, pronto!

Common misconceptions about social media marketing for you to forget

In 2023, grandma.

This means it's time to debunk the common myths surrounding social media marketing and embrace a fresh perspective for success in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

Social media is a waste of time

One of the biggest misconceptions about social media is that it is a time-waster and has no real value.

Yes, we get it. Social media takes so much time and effort, it might seem daunting and way too tempting to simply ignore it, but we urge you not to.

Social media is still HUGE and is a super effective medium for building relationships, networking, and even growing a business or brand.

🐝 PRO TIP: Hard as it may be, don’t focus on your numbers, but on your journey. For this to be seamless, have a strategy, show up consistently, and be sure to always be providing value to your audience. Before posting, ask yourself ‘WHY?’. If the post makes sense for your audience, then go ahead.

Social media is about self-promotion

Influencers have gotten our minds confused.

While there are certainly (many) individuals who use social media primarily for self-promotion, this is certainly NOT the case for everyone.

Many folks still use social media to share information, engage in conversations, and connect with others who share similar interests. Not everyone wants to be an influencer, and it’s alright.

Social media is the only platform for digital marketing

While social media can be an effective tool for digital marketing, it is not the only platform available.

Oh no….

In fact, relying solely on social media for digital marketing is like putting all your eggs in one basket.

While it's true that social media platforms (such as such as email marketing, SEO, and content marketing) offer immense reach and engagement, integrating other channels into your strategy can amplify your brand's visibility.

🐝 PRO TIP: A good way to ensure you don’t go crazyyy trying to diversify your online presence Is via strategic content planning. This allows you to tactically map out your  entire social media activity in advance, ensuring a more consistent (and sane) approach.

More content equals more success

It may be tempting to just put out content for the sake of it, but we urge you do refrain froths very outdated strategy.

While creating content is extremely important for digital marketing, the quality of the content is even MORE important.

Likewise, producing a large amount of low-quality content is unlikely to generate meaningful engagement or drive traffic to your website, so there’s not much point in doing so.

More followers means success

LIE!

Actually, the quality of your followers matters more than the quantity.

While having a large social media following can be helpful in promoting a brand or business (and getting better brand deals, wink wink), it’s faaaaar from being the only metric of success.

Engagement (likes, shares, comments) and conversions (purchases, sign ups, bookings) are the most important measures of the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts.

🐝 PRO TIP: Be sure to regularly track your analytics. Determine your most important KPIs and, every so often, go back to your analytics to see what worked and what didn’t during that period of time.

Social media marketing guarantees instant results

Building a successful social media presence takes time and consistent effort. It's not an overnight success strategy.

Set your expectations right and understand that social media success is a journey, not a destination.

Try not to compare yourself to other bigger accounts and understand that it may take longer than you initially expected to start seeing results.

The sooner you accept this, the easier everything will be.

Social media marketing is only for B2C businesses

Quite the contrary, social media platforms offer opportunities for both B2C and B2B businesses to connect with their target audiences and build relationships (and there are many ‘boring’ B2B brands that are killing it on social media).

As a matter of fact, customers have high expectations for brands to be present on social media channels.

But before you go ahead and post that instagram video that you’ve been planning for months, keep in mind that consumers have very little tolerance for content that lacks value, relevance, or entertainment.

You need to be on every social media platform:

Hmmmm…. rather not. Actually, it's best to focus on a few platforms where your target audience is most active rather than spreading yourself too thin across numerous platforms.

While repurposing content might seem like a no-brainer, when you’re limited in time, it’s best to focus your efforts on what will give you results.

Social media is only for young people

Social media usage spans across different age groups, and many older individuals actively use platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn.

And that’s where content planning plays a big role. You absolutely need to know where your target audience is hanging out so that you’re sure tone present on that social media.

Let’s face it, there’s no point in being on Facebook if you’re targeting Gen Z’s.

Here’s how to find out where your audience is spending time online:

• Conduct surveys: Gather insights directly from your target audience (ask them about their preferred social media platforms and online communities they actively participate in).
• Look into your analytics: Use tools like Google Analytics to understand the demographics and interests of your website visitors (i.e. look for referral sources to identify which social media platforms are driving traffic).
• Make the most of social media analytics: Gain insights into the demographics, interests, and engagement of your existing followers (you’ll get clues about where your target audience is likely spending time based on their personality).
• Monitor industry communities: Identify online forums and observe the conversations and topics being discussed.
• Research competitor's online presence: Analyze the social media accounts and online presence of your competitors (i.e. engagement levels, follower demographics, and platforms where they are most active).

Posting sporadically is enough

This is one of the big ones (that mostly everyone hates).

Consistency is key in social media marketing, it’s true. This means that regularly posting high-quality content (and also engaging with your audience) is KEY for success.

This doesn’t mean you have to post every day (though posting more often will get you results faster).

According to Hootsuite, this is an optimal posting frequency for each social media:

• Instagram: Post between 3 and 5 times per week.
• Instagram Stories: Post 2 times per day.
• Twitter: Post between 2 and 3 times per day.
• Facebook: Post between 1 to 2 times per day.
• LinkedIn: Post between 1 to 2 times per day.
• TikTok: Post between 3 and 5 times per week.
• Pinterest: Post at least 1 time per week.
• Google My Business: Post at least 1 time per week.

🐝  PRO TIP: Rather than committing to post every day and falling behind, find a routine and posting schedule that works for YOU (i.e. take into consideration your resources such as time, effort, material, etc).

Social media is only for promotional content

If you’re dying sell your products or services, know that you don’t have to be salesy to get your message across. In fact, social media platforms are awesome for building relationships and providing value.

So next time you want to promote your brand, focus on creating engaging and helpful content instead of constant self-promotion. Your followers will appreciate it.

You need to go viral to be successful

While viral content can generate massive exposure, it's not the sole measure of success. In short building a loyal and engaged community is way more sustainable.

Plus, have you ever gone viral? Having to manage all the comments, questions, and DMs can take a loooooooot of time.

You can automate all social media activities

Automation is amazing, and if you’re not yet making the use of it, we urge you to start right way. It’s a huge time-saver and an amazing way to stay consistent.

But (and this is a BIG but), you need to also make time to engage and connect with your audience (and unless you have a community manager you can’t delegate this… you’ll HAVE to put in the work — 😥 we know, we know….).

🐝  PRO TIP: Add a reminder to your phone for you to stay on top of your game and engage with your community. Remember, the first hour after posting is the most important (the more engagement, the bigger its reach).

The same content works on all platforms

Ughhh, this is SO FRUSTRATING, but so necessary.

Each social media platform has its own unique user base and content formats, so you MUST adapt  your content to fit each platform's audience and requirements.

As an example, unfortunately (and even though these might seem similar), TikTok videos, Reels, and Youtube shorts have a different format, and each individual platform can tell if you are reusing the exact same video, so you’ll need to edit these for each of the platforms.

Here’s a helpful resource for you to easily batch videos for Reels, Youtube Shorts, and TikTok

Social media marketing is a one-person job

While it is true that many were successful on social media completely on their own, social media marketing often requires a team effort.

This would include content creators, strategists, designers, and community managers.

Moral of the story: if you can delegate social media tasks, we highly encourage you to do so.

Negative comments should be ignored

Make the most a out your haters.

Plus, ignoring negative comments can harm your brand's reputation. Addressing them promptly and professionally shows that you care.

More hashtags mean better visibility

Hasthtags have been a matter of debate for years upon end.

Do they work? Don’t they work? 🤷🏻‍♀️

While hashtags can improve visibility, using too many or irrelevant ones can make your content appear spammy. Focus on using relevant and targeted hashtags, even if it is for content organization more than anything.

Social media marketing doesn't require a strategy

Last but certionaly not least, if you’ve read this entire post you can already tell that if you want to succeed with your social media marketing initiatives you need to have a proper plan in place

Honestly, a well-defined strategy is key for achieving social media marketing goals and not burning out.

A social media strategy includes:

• audience targeting
• content planning
• engagement and distribution
• performance measurement

If you’re lost in any (or all) of the above, content marketing experts can give you a helping hand and some much-appreciated guidance.

How will social media marketing change in 2023

Social media marketing is an ever-changing field, and it is likely that there will be changes in 2023 and beyond.

So let’ peer into our crystal ball 🔮 and explore the exciting possibilities and transformations that await us in the realm of social media marketing.

1. Rise of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)

Brands will leverage these immersive technologies to create captivating experiences, allowing users to interact with products, try on virtual outfits, or visualize spaces before making a purchase (Apple’s Vision Pro is just around thevorner, after all).

What does this mean for you: Start exploring ways to incorporate AR and VR elements into your social media strategies.

2. The Reign of Video Content

Video content has been on the rise for some time now, and it will continue to dominate social media in 2023. Short-form videos, live streams, and interactive video formats will captivate audiences and foster deeper connections.

What does this mean for you: Focus on producing compelling video content that tells stories, educates, and entertains your audience.

3. Influencer Marketing 2.0

In 2023, influencer marketing will undergo a transformation as brands and consumers become more discerning.

Micro-influencers and nano-influencers will take the spotlight, as they offer niche expertise, higher engagement rates, and a more authentic connection with their followers.

What does this mean for you: Focus on building long-term relationships with influencers who align with your brand values and have a good relationship with their audience.

Frustrated with your current results?

Let's work together to create a content strategy that drives measurable results. Book a free consultation call and let us show you how.