Category: Social

The top social media questions can range from technical to tactical when you’re new to the world of social media marketing. Although you might not feel like a master of social media platforms from day one, rest assured you can jump in and start making progress right away.

If you have a long list of social media questions, we’re betting that some of them are included in the list below. We’ve rounded some of the top social media questions and provided answers to all of them. And within the next five to 10 minutes, you can feel more confident navigating any other social media questions you might have.

1. How many people use social media today?

According to DataReportal, more than half the people on the planet use social media, as of July 2020. That’s about 3.96 billion people. In short, more people are on social media than not. 

The numbers are growing. With the pandemic having shifted many operations and activities online, people who didn’t use social media before 2020 have now hopped on board. 

“Adoption is growing rapidly, too,” notes DataReportal. “With more than 376 million new users since July 2019, that translates to almost 12 new users every second, suggesting that user numbers are growing even faster today than they were at the start of 2020.”

2. How many people use Facebook?

Statista reports there were over 2.7 billion active users as of the second quarter of 2020, making it the largest social media network in the world. Active users are those who have logged in to Facebook within the last 30 days. 

Facebook’s other products are popular, too. Statista adds that the company reports 3.14 billion people were using at least one of its core offerings each month. That includes not only Facebook, but also Instagram, Messenger or WhatsApp.

3. How often should I post?

There’s no one magic number of posts you should be publishing on a weekly basis, because the success of your posts depends on many different factors. Post frequency isn’t as important as the quality of your posts, whether you’re boosting your content, and whether people are engaging with it, for instance.

That being said, aim to post at least three or four high-quality images per week on Facebook and Instagram. (We’ll get into what “high quality” means in the next question.) That’s your minimum. Additionally, you can sprinkle in your promotional offers, recruiting posts and event posts as they come.

If you use Twitter, there’s no real “cap” on the number of tweets if you’re using the platform to engage in conversations. The platform refreshes continuously, so there are always new tweets appearing at the top of the feeds. Focus on using trending hashtags, replying to tweets and retweeting others’ content.

LinkedIn is a good place to focus on professional relationship building and growing your network. Keep it professional, and limit your posting to two to five times per week.

4. What do I post? 

Of all the social media questions, this is one of the most common — and the one that can feel like the biggest headache. It doesn’t have to be, though, if you have a handy list of content ideas nearby.

For purposes of answering this social media question, we’ll focus on Facebook and Instagram (use the parameters above for guidance on Twitter and LinkedIn). In our article 3 Major Forces Shaping Social Media Marketing for Franchises, we offer several ideas for what to post on social media:

• “Before and after” photos, if it makes sense for your business.
• Team or customer testimonials. Try Canva.com for free graphic design tools.
• Pictures or videos of your product or service in action.
• Partner shoutouts: What partners work with you and why?
• Your work with the local community. Document any photos showing how you support local businesses, nonprofits, schools or other groups.
• How-to videos. What knowledge do you have that your clients do not?
• How does your product or service make your clients feel? How can you show that?
• Networking events, even if virtual.

For busy small-business owners, the thought of snapping all these photos and videos can be overwhelming. To take some of the burden off yourself, you can activate and incentivize employees and customers to post images on your behalf. Rallio has a suite of tools to help you organize these images and videos for use on your pages.

As Smart Insights points out: “According to the Nielsen Consumer Trust Index, 92% of consumers trust organic, user-generated content more than they trust traditional advertising. This is because brands don’t pay for UGC — it is unbiased and created by users because they like the offerings of a business. As a result, UGC is perceived as more authentic and honest.”

5. Why do I need to boost?

Boosting your content allows you to reach more of your audience than organic reach alone. Although your followers may initially see your content after liking your page, they won’t continue to see it as frequently without boosting.

When you boost high-quality images and videos, your followers should start to engage with it via likes, comments and shares. You’ll then start to extend your reach to include friends of your followers and new followers, too. Even with a modest budget of $5 a week or more, boosting allows you to target your local audience and people who aren’t already connected with you.

6. Why do I need to respond to all my reviews?

When you respond to every review, both positive and negative, you build trust with your customers and people who aren’t your customers yet. When someone leaves a positive review on Facebook, Google, Yelp or another review platform, be sure to thank them. If it’s a negative review, be professional and offer to resolve the complaint.

Positive reviews

Imagine Sally leaves a review saying: “I love the customer service here. They carried my bags out to my car and provided contactless payment. The store was clean and employees were wearing masks. I will definitely be returning to this store.” 

While a simple “thank you” is better than nothing, consider going the extra mile. Personalize your response by using names and commenting on something they said. 

Here, you could say: “Sally, we appreciate your taking the time to let us know you enjoyed your shopping experience. The satisfaction and safety of our guests is our top priority. We’re happy to know you’ll be returning in the future, and we look forward to serving you again soon!”

Negative reviews

Now imagine Sally leaves a review saying: “The customer service is horrible here. I felt like I was being ignored. The store was in disarray, and employees were chatting with each other and staring at their phones. I will never come back.”

It’s tempting to get defensive here, especially if you pride yourself on great customer service. Instead of reacting to the negative review, try something along these lines: “Sally, we deeply apologize you had a negative experience shopping with us. Your situation is not the norm at our store, and we will be looking into this matter to ensure these events never happen again. We would love to speak with you to make things right. Please contact us at [email] or [phone number].”

Both responses aim to make your customers happy and bolster your online reputation. In addition, responding to all your online reviews may work in your favor in terms of local SEO. 

Consider using a solution like the Rallio Dashboard to pull in all your reviews in one place. With Rallio, you can respond to Facebook and Google reviews without having to leave the platform and log in somewhere else.

7. Do I have to respond to all my comments and messages, too?

Yes. Respond to all your comments, direct messages and other engagements on your social media pages. Again, you’re handling customer service issues, building trust and confidence in your brand, and taking advantage of opportunities for potential leads and sales. 

Fast response times on your messages and engagements can also work in your favor with the algorithms on social media platforms. For example, have you ever seen a “Very responsive to messages” notice on a Facebook business page? Pages earn this badge of honor by — you guessed it — responding to messages quickly.

8. How do I get started?

Start with your goals for social media marketing, and then develop a strategy and KPIs to support those goals. Define your target audience and how you want to reach them. Create guidelines for posting, especially if you plan to include other team members and influencers in your social media marketing team. And create brand guidelines for visuals, messaging and style.

From there, set up your pages, set up an ad account, and get to posting. Follow the guidelines in previous questions to make sure you’re posting the most relevant, engaging content and getting it in front of your audience.

9. I don’t have time for all this. What do I do?

Many small businesses do not have the time to devote to social media marketing, and understandably so. It’s a full-time job to develop your strategy, post local content, boost it, respond to everything, study your analytics, and stay on top of any changes to social media technology. 

Most people find that to be successful on social media, it takes a team. While you may initially be able to handle some of the tasks yourself, over time and as you grow, you’ll need more help. You can either assign the task to someone on your team, or outsource to a third party like Rallio. 

Got More Social Media Questions? We’re Here to Help

Whether you want to be more hands-off or be actively involved with your social media, we’re here to answer your social media questions and help you find the best solutions. Get in touch with us for a walk-through of your options.

Read more: Should You Outsource Your Small-Business Social Media? 4 Compelling Reasons It Makes Sense

There was a time when all Instagram accounts essentially had the same functionality. There was no “personal” versus “business Instagram.”

Back in the day, everyone had a personal Instagram profile with a name and a bio. At the risk of sounding like your grandparents, we’ve got to tell you: Times have changed.

Today, you have a choice between a personal and business or “creator” Instagram account (which is similar to a business Instagram, with added features designed for influencers, content creators and public figures). 

And the possibilities are now endless.

While many brands and influencers have changed over to a business Instagram, others aren’t so quick to make the switch. What gives?

If you don’t spend a lot of time on Instagram — or if you’re perfectly happy with your personal account — you might not immediately understand the benefits of switching to a business Instagram. However, when you consider the many opportunities available to you as a business account, you might change your mind. 

Whether you’re a startup business or an established brand, a mega corporation or a micro-influencer, there’s much to be gained from a business Instagram account. Take a look at 6 powerful benefits below.

Read more: How to Do a Social Media SWOT Analysis and Amplify Your Results

You Instantly Look More Professional With a Business Instagram Account

If you compare a personal and business Instagram account side-by-side, you’ll notice some key differences right away.

• Personal account: You can display your name, username, website and bio. Other information is private.
• Business Instagram: In addition to the above, you can display public business information such as the business category, additional contact options, and action buttons like “Order Food” and “Gift Cards.”

Having your contact information front and center gives you a more polished look and instills trust in your audience. It also makes it easier for people to get in touch with you — always a good thing in the world of fleeting attention spans on social media.

You Can Access Ad Tools and Analytics

One of the hugest benefits of a business Instagram account is the ability to run ads. (Note that you need to make sure you have a Facebook business page and attach your Instagram to it, because Instagram ads are created through Facebook’s ads manager. We recommend reading through Facebook’s how-to guide, Create an Instagram Business Account, for all the steps needed to get up and running.)

By running paid ads, you’ll be able to grow your following and extend your reach. With ads both within feeds and in Stories, you’ll be able to create highly targeted ads that expose your brand to your desired audience.

When you switch to a business Instagram, you also gain access to insights you wouldn’t have with a personal account. Simply tap on the Insights tab from your account dashboard to view your most recent activity.

From there, you can see how your paid ads are performing and also view post performance, post engagement and audience insights.

With your Rallio Dashboard, you can access even more robust analytics. Go to rallio.com to explore your options.

Read more: Top 5 Reasons Rallio Is a Top Franchise Supplier

You Can Link From Stories

If you have a personal account and want to send your audience to a certain website, you can’t simply type out a tappable URL within a post. Instagram won’t hyperlink to the website the way it would on other social media platforms. To link directly to a post, you would need to add the link to your bio (hence the phrase “link in bio”).

Of course, business Instagram accounts can link to a post this way, too, and it’s not a bad idea to include an important link in your bio. However, your business Instagram gives you other options, too. 

For business accounts with 10,000 followers or more, you gain access to swipe-up options within Instagram Stories. This means users can swipe up within a Story to go directly to a link of your choosing. 

Story links are a great way to send your audience directly to a certain link — such as special promotions or new products. Without it, you risk losing out on link clicks from people who don’t want to take the time to click away from your Story and head over to your bio.

Note: Yet another option for both personal and business Instagram accounts is to use a link collector such as Feedlink or Linktree. These tools help you optimize the one link in your bio by collecting all of your links under one central URL. Each of these tools works slightly differently, so be sure to research your options to see which one may work best for you.

Learn more: 10 of the Best Link in Bio Tools for Instagram

You Can Create Shoppable Posts

With a business Instagram, you can turn your photos and Stories into shoppable posts. This is a huge benefit for product-based businesses. You can either augment your existing ecommerce operations, or set up an entirely Instagram-based shop if you choose.

To get started, click the hamburger-looking icon with three horizontal lines at the top of your profile and go to your Settings. Tap Business and then Shopping. You can then walk through the steps to get approved for Instagram Shopping. (Check out How to Set Up Instagram Shopping for more in-depth instructions.)

From there, you’ll be given the option to set up Instagram Shopping on your account. Once you set up an Instagram shop, you’ll be able to:

• Showcase your products with a customizable storefront on your Instagram profile
• Tag products in your posts and Stories and create shoppable content
• Access insights about your shop such as product views and engagement

Convert to a Business Instagram Today

With so many robust tools available to business Instagram users, it just makes good sense to convert your account. There’s no cost involved other than the advertising costs you incur, which are worth every penny if you set up your ads correctly.

Rallio gives you even more options as a Rallio Local client if you switch to a business Instagram account. From the Rallio Dashboard, you have one login to all your social profiles, one inbox for all your comments and engagements, and additional tools like the ability to respond to comments and reviews.

Our Rallio Local program also pairs you with your own Social Strategist. Consider it your personal teammate who can help you get set up, run ads, handle all your social media engagements and questions, and make sure you’re making the most of your business Instagram.

Video content is bigger than ever — and the trend is only getting more popular. Yet not everyone can come up with video content ideas at the drop of a hat. Can you relate?

According to Social Media Today, 66% of people prefer short videos of products or services. In addition, 85% of businesses use video marketing. If you’re not already employing video content ideas in your business, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with your audience. 

Plus, you have so many different quick and easy options for sharing video content, there’s no reason not to use this format. In addition to simply filming something from your smartphone and posting it to social media, you can create live videos. And, now you have Instagram Reels — Instagram’s answer to TikTok — to create short-form video content.

Never fear if you’re feeling stumped in the video content ideas department. We’ve got seven video content ideas below to help you get started. Repeat these ideas using different content, and you’ll never run out of video content ideas again.

Learn more: How to Improve Your Social Video Content: 10 Tips From the Pros

Idea #1: Explain How to Do Something

What is something your customers are always asking about? What are some ways to use your products that customers might not be aware of? Think about the things you could potentially teach to your audience. Then get the camera rolling!

Sometimes, it seems counterintuitive to “give away the secrets,” so to speak. If you’re a cleaning business, for instance, why would you want to tell your customers how to clean their stovetop? Don’t you want them to hire you instead?

Yes, the ultimate goal is for your followers to become customers. However, social media shouldn’t be viewed simply as a sales platform. The majority of your time on social media should be spent building rapport with your audience, not trying to make a sale. 

So when you share a secret with them or teach them how to do something, you’re building trust and confidence. You telling them how to clean their stove isn’t going to prevent them from ultimately hiring you, if that’s what they’re looking to do. 

People don’t hire a cleaning business because they can’t figure out how to clean — and likewise, they don’t not hire one just because they saw a short “how to” video on Facebook. If and when they hire, it’s because they don’t want to clean their house themselves — and they’ve found a company they believe they can trust to get the job done. That could be you!

Read more: 31 Days of Social Media Content Ideas

https://www.facebook.com/TutorDoctorSugarLandSouth/posts/676330072958961

Idea #2: Describe a Popular Product or Service You Offer

As a business owner, you likely use the products or services you offer. Your employees probably do, too. What are some of your personal favorites and why? Tell your followers all about them!

This is the equivalent of the “staff picks” wall you might see in a bookstore or music store. You might not know these people personally, but don’t you feel more confident buying a book that someone else has recommended?

You can string together these “staff picks” into one video or create a series of videos to share over time. Invite user engagement by asking your followers to share their own favorites in the comments.

For example: Cartridge World Vestavia Hills explains popular back-to-school printer options

Idea #3: Share a Customer Testimonial

Along the same lines, you can ask your customers to share about their positive experiences with your company. Have you received any notes or words of appreciation from your customers, or online reviews from customers you know? How about sharing them in a quick video?

If you have a physical location with customers who are “regulars,” you can simply ask them if they’d be willing to be filmed. You can also reach out to customers directly and invite them to submit a video testimonial themselves. 

Like that “staff picks” wall we mentioned above, a “customer pick” is another great way to build trust and confidence in your brand.

https://www.facebook.com/psporlando/posts/182003340107855

Idea #4: Share the Personal Side of Your Business

Especially right now during the pandemic, many of us are spending more time at home, taking up new hobbies and finding different ways to stay busy. Show your followers some of the ways you’re making the best of these strange times!

When you share a video of you gardening, baking, playing with your kids or pets, or working on a home-improvement project, you show the human side of your business. You’re not all about making money and selling things. You have a real life, and your followers can relate to you. 

After all, who hasn’t tried baking a banana bread or converting their garage into a gym these past few months? These posts will hit home with the “we’re all in this together” crowd.

Read more: 5 Easy Ways to Power Up Your Social Media Presence in One Hour or Less

Idea #5: Film a Quick Clip of Something Bigger

Maybe you have a fitness business and you’re doing online classes. Or you’re a tutor offering virtual lessons. Try sharing a short clip from one of your full videos to give your followers a taste of what to expect.

If you continue sharing these clips, in time your audience will start gravitating to them. Invite your audience to turn on notifications for your posts so they get alerted when you drop a new video!

Again, you’re not giving away the entire farm. You’re building trust and rapport. You’re increasing the likelihood of followers converting into customers without going in for the “hard sell.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEANKtygXdg/

Idea #6: Share a Testimonial of Your Own

Do you have any favorite local businesses you can shout-out? Film a video testimonial of your go-to restaurants, markets, boutiques or service businesses.

When you post the video, be sure to tag the business in the post. Doing so increases the likelihood of them sharing the testimonial to their own audiences. And just like that, you increase your reach!

You can also invite engagement from your audience by asking them to drop a comment in the caption tagging their favorite businesses. You’d be surprised how much traction you can get from a post when you show some love to a fellow business owner!

Idea #7: Go Back in Time

Do you have any videos from when you first started your business? Or any other videos that take a page out of history? Share them with your followers for a “Throwback Thursday”! 

People enjoy seeing what your business was like when you were first getting started. Caption your video with a few fun facts about your startup days. Ask your followers if they remember what the times were like back when you opened your doors. 

Maybe they remember when you first opened, or they’ve lived in your town since before you got started. They can share about their own experiences from “back in the day.”

https://www.facebook.com/rallio/videos/1681365468683285/

Video Content Ideas Don’t Have to Be Complicated

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of coming up with video content ideas, pause and take a breath. Think about the videos you like to watch on social media. How can you mimic what others have done successfully?

As you get started, keep the following quick tips in mind to improve the quality of your videos:

1. Record videos in landscape orientation, not portrait.
2. Position yourself in a quiet space with no background noise, including TV, music, voices or even a noisy appliance.
3. Make sure that the light is shining in front of you, not behind. Filming while facing a window usually does the trick.
4. Speak slowly so you’re easy to understand.
5. Make sure your front-facing camera is clean!
6. Keep your video fairly short for social media. A minute or less is ideal for quick clips.

Each week at Rallio, we send many of our clients video content ideas and other social media ideas to help them keep their pages fresh. Get in touch with us via rallio.com if you could use some help filling up an idea bank of your own.

Learn more: 6 Ways to Create Memorable Content for Your Business

When it comes to posting regularly on social media, sometimes that’s easier said than done for busy small-business owners. Oftentimes when we talk to franchisees or independent operators, they tell us they’re stumped on content ideas. And getting stumped can mean not posting anything at all.

To help you avoid the dreaded writer’s block and a page with outdated content, we’ve put together an entire month’s worth of content ideas below. You’ll still need to put in a little effort to bring these content ideas to life. However, keeping this list of content ideas handy will take away at least some of the struggle associated with posting to social media.

Keep in mind, your work is not done once you post something to your social profiles. All the content ideas and social media posts in the world won’t mean much if you don’t engage with your followers. By engaging, we mean:

• Replying back to their social media comments, direct messages and reviews
• Boosting your content to make it more visible to followers and their friends
• Handling any customer service inquiries in a timely fashion (yes, social media is a customer service medium)
• Responding to job applications if you have an active recruiting campaign
• Basically staying on top of your social media 24/7

If all of the above sounds exhausting, and if even these content ideas seem overwhelming, feel free to schedule some time with us. We’d be happy to throw some ideas around of how Rallio can assist with your social media management.

Read more: 6 Powerful Content Ideas for Your Small Business

31 Days of Content Ideas You Can Start Using Today

1. Are you hiring right now? Film a video of yourself or a manager explaining the benefits of working for you. Let your followers know how to apply — you can even create a job posting on Facebook and link over to it to help streamline the process.

2. Team member Tuesday! Snap a photo of a star employee and tell your followers what’s so great about them. Ask your followers to comment with their own shoutouts if they’ve interacted with your employee before.

3. What’s your top-selling product or service? Take a video explaining its benefits and why your followers should give it a try!

4. Throwback Thursday! Share a special photo from the past — whether from the first days of your grand opening or a team event last month. Add the #tbt hashtag and a few details about this momentous occasion!

5. Have you received any new reviews or thank-you messages from customers? Create a post with their testimonial! Canva.com has some great tools for creating posts that are perfectly sized for different social media platforms.

https://www.facebook.com/MassageHeightsRanchoPenasquitos/photos/a.1067432076620442/3521543011209324?type=3

6. Do you have any special promotions right now? Create a post highlighting your sales or unique offers, and boost it to extend your reach!

7. Meet the team Monday! Share a photo of your entire team or just one or two individuals. Thank them for all their hard work, especially if they’re putting in extra effort during the pandemic.

8. What are the holidays or “national” days, weeks or months happening right now? Check out the National Day Calendar or Days of the Year for ideas of what you can post! Look for opportunities to tie these days into your business, too. For instance, Relaxation Day on Aug. 15 is perfect for massage businesses or other companies focused on self-care.

9. New employee spotlight! Highlight any new team members with a photo and any fun facts about them.

10. You can also do an owner spotlight to share your own background story on how you started your business and why you love what you do.

https://www.facebook.com/MerryMaidsTorranceSouthBay/photos/a.154956595229959/661943894531224?type=3

11. How have you been helping your local community during the pandemic? Share some details on any special services you’re offering or the protocols you’re following to keep your community safe.

12. Have any employee testimonials to share? Snap a photo of your employee, and caption it with a few words on why they love working at your business.

13. Have you seen any good brain teasers or riddles on social media lately? Share it with your followers and ask them to comment with their answers! 

14. Do you have any routines or tips that have helped you during the pandemic? Share a few words of advice on anything you’ve done to stay active, stay in touch with loved ones or stay sane in these uncertain times!

15. What’s it like to run your business day-to-day? Describe a typical “day in the life” for your followers, and share a photo showing a glimpse behind the scenes!

16. Do you have any recent jobs or customer orders you’ve completed that were particularly successful? Share a photo or video with some details! If it makes sense for your business, you could include before-and-after photos or any other visuals that show a job well-done.

https://www.facebook.com/907184876090076/videos/2688934258044787

17. Have you taken any “staycations” or local trips recently? Share a photo of how you like to enjoy your time off! Ask your followers to share similar photos in the comments.

18. What’s a fun fact about your business or something unique about your business that not many people know? Tell your followers about it!

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=4735102989848856&id=2812008105491697

19. How do you start your day? Tell your followers about your morning routine and how it sets you up for a successful day. 

20. Ever had any celebrity customers or encounters? Or memorable customer experiences? Share a throwback telling your followers about it!

21. What were you doing before starting your business? Tell your followers about the moment you decided to go into business for yourself.

22. What is the biggest project you’ve ever taken on? Let your followers know what went into getting the job done!

23. Who’s your mentor — the person who helped shape your path and inspires you every day? Share a photo and some details about why they’re so awesome!

24. Share some Wednesday wisdom! Pick out a favorite quote and use Canva.com to create an image with it. Or create a video with expert tips. Use the hashtag #wednesdaywisdom.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1390319111168336&id=246572875542971

25. What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekend? Share a photo of you enjoying Sunday brunch, an outdoor adventure or a hidden gem in your town.

26. Do you have kids or pets? Snap a photo with your “baby” in all their cuteness!

27. Any birthdays coming up on your team? Send out a birthday greeting on their special day — maybe throw in a delivery of flowers or edible treats!

https://www.facebook.com/323440977780227/photos/a.422434707880853/1911601905630785?type=3

28. What hobbies do you enjoy? Share a photo or video of you in your element — whether you like painting, hiking or working on cars.

29. Have any new recipes you’ve tried out during the pandemic? Share a photo of your favorite dish and caption it with cooking instructions!

30. Where did you grow up? Share a childhood photo and a favorite memory with your followers.

31. What’s your best tip for people who want to go into business for themselves? Offer a few words of advice to your followers!

Read more: The Best Social Media Tips, Straight From Social Media Strategists

Keep Your Content Ideas Fresh

You can recycle any of the content ideas above from month to month and keep your page updated, interesting, entertaining and informative. But don’t be afraid to come up with content ideas of your own! 

Once you get in a groove posting to your pages, you’ll likely start coming up with even more ideas. You can even invite your employees to get in on the fun by snapping photos in and around your location.

As always, reach out to us via sales@rallio.com with any questions or to schedule a demo. Happy posting!

Weeding out the social media truths from social media myths can be a daunting task. With so much information — and sometimes misinformation — out there, you might not immediately know what to believe when it comes to marketing your business on social media.

To help you separate fact from fiction, we’ve rounded up some of our best tips — in the form of social media myths, debunked. Prepare to leave behind some of the most common myths and feel better prepared to tackle your social media marketing.

Myth #1: My Customers Don’t Use Social Media

To say your customers don’t use social media is like saying they live under a rock. According to Statista, an estimated 3.6 billion people use social media worldwide. That number is projected to increase to 4.41 billion by 2025. It’s safe to say your audience is using social media in some form.

That’s especially true during the current pandemic. With fewer options to go outside the home and socialize, people are online all throughout the day. And if you’re not busy connecting with them, guaranteed you’ve got competitors who are already doing so.

Keep in mind, too, that your social media marketing does not operate in a silo. It’s just one part of your overall marketing. As your customers are using email and browsing online, you have an opportunity to tie all your marketing together and drive traffic to different mediums.

Read more: 5 Ways to Integrate Email Marketing With Social Media Marketing

https://www.facebook.com/rallio/posts/1675148132638352

Myth #2: My Follower Count Is the Only Metric Worth Tracking

Of all the social media myths, this one tends to come up with a high frequency. Many businesses focus on collecting followers like they’re collecting stamps — tucked away in a book and rarely seen. 

The truth is, the real value in having followers is what you do with them once you have them. You have to be constantly producing fresh content for them that’s engaging, local, authentic and non-salesy. 

This type of content is more likely to get liked, shared and commented on. You thereby extend your reach to even more followers, especially when you include paid advertising in your social media marketing strategy.

For a better understanding of metrics you should be tracking, check out our article The 6 Most Important Social Media Metrics to Track for ROI.

https://www.facebook.com/rallio/posts/1613056752180824

Myth #3: The More Hashtags, The Better

Hashtags can be useful to brand a certain phrase for your company, make you discoverable in search, and associate your brand with certain conversations and topics on social media. But going overboard on them can make your content unreadable and may even annoy your audience.

To avoid any hashtag missteps, keep the following key points in mind:

• Avoid using too many hashtags within the body of your caption. When you insert a #hashtag every other #word, your #sentence becomes #clunky, don’t you #think? Instead, group your hashtags together at the end of your post. On Instagram, many people will insert their hashtags into the comments section to keep the caption looking clean.
• Know your platform. You’ll be more likely to see a longer list of hashtags on Instagram than on LinkedIn and Facebook. A few well-placed hashtags can work well on those platforms. Twitter hashtags tend to center on trending topics and news; check the Explore tab to find out the latest and see if you can capitalize on a popular hashtag. Visit popular accounts, as well your competitors, on different platforms to study how they use hashtags in different ways. 
• Be thoughtful about your hashtag use. Research which hashtags are trending and the context around the trend. That way, you’ll avoid inserting yourself in irrelevant conversations or those you wouldn’t want to be associated with.

Myth #4: Social Media Marketing Isn’t Worth My Time

This is one of the more complex social media myths, because there are so many different layers of it to unravel. 

As we mention in myth #1, your customers are already using social media. So are your competitors. 

So if you decide that social media marketing isn’t worth your time, you’re basically missing out on a huge opportunity. 

It’s true that social media marketing is time-consuming. It requires constant attention to make sure you’re posting local content, engaging with your audience, responding to customer service issues and online reviews, and creating a strong social media presence. 

It’s also true that your time might be better spent in other ways, like running your business, recruiting, retaining employees and other activities.

The real truth is that social media might not be worth your time, but it’s undoubtedly worthwhile to your business. Therefore, you need to make it somebody’s job to spend their time managing your social media marketing.

You can hire someone in-house or you can outsource to an agency like Rallio. But guaranteed if you don’t carve out time and space in your budget for social media marketing, you’ll miss out on this very important aspect of your overall marketing.

Read more: 5 Common Pitfalls in Social Media Marketing for Small Business

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Myth #5: Social Media Should Be Sales-Focused

Also high up there on the list of most common social media myths, this one is potentially the most dangerous. When you only use social media to try and make sales, you risk getting ignored and losing any followers you have.

Stop looking at your followers as dollar figures and see them as the social, human beings that they are. Interact with them in a friendly way, responding to their comments and concerns. Post behind-the-scenes photos and videos that show the personal side of your brand.

As you build a relationship with your customers in this way, you’ll gain their trust. Then they’ll be more open to any promotional messages you have to say.

When a brand you like has taken the time to get to know you, and has likewise has allowed you to get to know them, they’ll be more receptive to special offers via your social media posts and ads. 

Some experts suggest using around 80% of your content to inform, educate or entertain, and the other 20% for self-promotion. However, there is no one magic “percentage” that works for everyone. Every brand is going to be slightly different from the next. 

And honestly, every social media post has some element of “promotion” to it, in that it’s relationship marketing. It requires that you be more subtle with your marketing efforts than you might be with an email campaign or a promotion on your website.

The majority of the time, your posts should not be overly salesy. Most of your posts should focus on that relationship building, even if they have an undertone of marketing your business. So whether that’s 80/20 or 70/30 or 60/40 — and maybe some months are different than others — just keep that guideline in mind as you create content. 

Leave Social Media Myths Behind

We love a good myth-busting article, and hopefully you do as well. Leaving these social media myths in the dust will help you market yourself more effectively, both now and in the long term.