For nearly fifteen years, social media has dominated the world of online interaction. From the very first days of MySpace and other first-generation social media websites, people have been finding benefit in internet communication. Some use it for their personal lives, while others find value in it for their businesses. Social media allows even the craziest of stories to spread like wildfire, so it should come as no surprise that plenty of myths and urban legends about social media itself have spread all over the world. If you’re worried about whether you’re managing your social media presence properly, then you may want to keep reading about four common social media myths you should forget.

The Need to Have a Huge Presence

Pinging URLs to your audience on social media is an absolutely necessary part of the process. However, many believe that a large audience is the only way to be successful. The truth is that your audience’s level of engagement and interest are far more important. From a practical standpoint, would you rather have an audience of 100,000 people where one percent of them engage on each post, or an audience of 10,000 where twenty percent of them engage on each post? Quality trumps quantity in every measurement on social media, so be sure your focus is on growing your audience in a sustainable way.

The Need to Be On All Platforms

Many brands have taken to heart the saying that social media is a universal game. We hear that you need a social media presence on all of the major networks, but this simply isn’t true. It really depends on the brand and the amount of effort that can be put into it, but a brand can do well while being even on just one social media platform. Ideally, you’ll research which networks are most likely to be used by your target audience and pick the most optimal networks for promotion. A common default position to take is to pick at least two of the “big three” (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). Each offers unique features and community benefits, and virtually anybody who uses social media is on one of these networks.

Avoid Personality on Social Media

Businesses should strive for a professional look, conventional wisdom tells us. On social media, however, this is a death sentence. People on social media don’t want to read your latest press release or review specifications for a new product: they want to be entertained, amused, and moved. Emotion can be one of the strongest forms of communication, and it is especially refreshing for many to see a business that knows how to connect. Use this to your advantage, and throw conventional wisdom about “professionalism” out of the window here.

Social Media Can Do It All

Social media is powerful. It very well may be the most powerful form of communication in the world today. It drives news cycles, political opinions and just about everything else. With that being said, merely pinging URLs on social media alone is not a sufficient marketing strategy. You still need to be concerned with growing your business via SEO, email marketing, paid advertising on other platforms and all of the other conventional marketing efforts.

These four social media myths are outdated – and in some cases, dangerous. Forget about building a huge audience if they are not interested in what you’re offering. Do not be afraid to open up to people. If you only have so much time and energy, focus that on the social media platforms that will give you the most benefit. Also, remember that social media is not a cure-all for your marketing needs. Do you know of any other social media myths that need busting? Tell us below about them!