10 Myths about Social Media in India

Social media is spreading in India at a fast pace. More and more people are adapting the networked communication channel. Businesses have realized the huge potential of social media to pump information and to attract as well as retain existing customer base. However, there are still some myths prevalent in Indian community which may hinder the progression of social media to the level it is attained to reach.

Here are the 10 Myths about Social Media in India

Myth 1: Social Media is free

Social media tools are free. However, in order to give a professional touch to your social media setup, you want to deploy a seasoned, well trained, well organized and well informed (about your business & promotions) professional or a team of professionals to take care of your social media window.

Myth 2: Social Media is Facebook

Yes, Facebook is the most popular social media platform on the face of this planet. Undoubtedly, facebook has the best business promotional aspects with a very high user base and active support from Facebook by provision of APIs to help develop third party applications by developers and thus ensure seamless integration of website with Facebook. However, in addition to other social networking sites like Twitter and Google Plus, there are social bookmarking sites, forums, social blogs, photo sharing sites and video sharing sites which open flood gates of customers to your business.

Myth 3: Social Media is only for youth

Even though the largest social media user base in India comprises of age group between 15 and 35, social media is well setup to feature both young and old. In fact, the impact will be more with the usage or engagement by middle and higher age group as it will have the advantage of sharing their past and vast experience plus retrieval (or revival) of their buried contacts for decades.

Myth 4: I have enough business

It is true that your hands are full with enough clients to reach your goals year by year. Social media is a speedy means of exchange of information between clients and the business. It is also established as a transparent means to sport business and has become a yardstick for your business legitimacy.

Myth 5: It’s all about creation of page

Just creating a Fan page or Business page on a social networking site will not take you forward unless it is backed up with regular updates and interaction with customers. Creation of your business profile and brand page is just a beginning and it will take a long way with day to day interactions and well chalked out strategy.

Myth 6: LinkedIn profile of a CEO can be managed by an agency

It is true that a LinkedIn profile of a CEO can be managed by hiring a dedicated person or a dedicated team of professionals. However, the interactions will not give right perspective as the people that you have engaged will definitely not react as you react. Impersonation will give negative impact and most of the time it leads to loss instead of gain from your social media presence.

Myth 7: Social Media is not required for my business

If you need to attract visitors to your website, if you need to create new business leads, if you need to promote your brand, if you need to optimize keywords on your website, if you need feedback from your customers then you should opt for social media. Social media will create new avenues for business.

Myth 8: My Social Media account will be hijacked

By setting up your business profile on right platforms like Google Plus, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and verifying your credentials with the service provider will confirm your business presence on social media. Any misrepresentation or hijack of your official profile can be handled effectively by taking help from social media service providers.

Myth 9: I cannot gauge the impact of social media presence

It will arise mostly out of ignorance. There are powerful online tools to trace and quantify visitors’ traffic happening through your social media presence. For example, Google Analytics is an excellent and free tool to trace online traffic to your website.

Myth 10: social media increases my work load

It is true that social media requires your time, effort and man power. As more and more enquires come through social media, you will be able to generate new customers as well. The overall benefit with the rise in sales through social media presence will justify your investment in social media by being able to gain many times on your social media investment.

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