Overall, social media advertising isn't a costly expense. You can run most ads for just a few bucks, after all ­– and if you have your target audience pegged and choose the proper ad settings, those few bucks can get you pretty far.

However, if you're not handling social advertising correctly, any amount of money spent is money wasted. Moreover, since digital ads can work wonders for your brand, it's a huge opportunity to let go by.

In this article, we're going to go over some of the biggest social advertising myths that hold brands back. That way, you can avoid the mistakes that far too many brands have made and come out on top from the beginning.

Myth: Having a Social Media Presence Is Enough

Some brands mistakenly believe that if they're present on social media, the platform will do the rest of the work for them. You're there, your audience is there – that's all you need, right? This couldn't be further from the truth.

There's nothing worse than an inactive social media account, which screams, "We're not professional, and we don't care about our brand presence." You'd be better off having no social media profile at all than an inactive one.

When it comes to social media marketing – advertising included – you can't set it and forget it. You have to regularly engage with your audience and measure the impact you're making with your posts and ads. Then, you have to make adjustments to your campaigns to fix your mistakes and try to do better. Rinse, repeat.

Myth: My Customers Don't Spend Time On Social Media

While it's true that some of your individual customers aren't hanging out on social media, your target audience overall is likely on some form of social media – which means you should strive to set up marketing and ad campaigns somewhere.

For example, if your audience isn't on Instagram or TikTok, which cater to younger users, maybe they're on Facebook, which has a higher percentage of older users. Or, if they're not on Twitter, maybe it's because they prefer the video-first format of YouTube.

The point is that it's likely your audience is using some type of social media. It's your job to figure out which one and then create a presence there so you can reach them. Also, you may have to use different platforms to reach different segments of your audience, so keep an open mind when you're starting out.

Myth: Running Social Ads Makes Newsletters Unimportant

Social advertising should be just one component of a greater marketing strategy. And part of that marketing strategy should absolutely include newsletter and email marketing.

Yes, social media may have more engagement opportunities since people can't comment on newsletters. And some social media platforms have been more recently launched than, say, MailChimp. However, email marketing is still hugely beneficial – in some cases, it even works better than social media. Plus, you can do a lot with it. For example, by including affiliate links in your newsletter, you can use it for social advertising, not just sharing information.

One reason why email marketing is so worthwhile is that the subscriber has opted in to receive information from you. That means they're more vetted than someone who happens to see your social media post or even someone who's smartly targeted by the demographics settings of an ad. Plus, newsletters sit in a person's inbox until they're ready to open it, so they'll receive it when they're in a prime position to take in (and act on) the information.

Myth: You Have to Be Present On Every Social Platform

Nope! This one's definitely not true ­– it's not even suggested. Having a profile on every single social platform is the perfect way to spread yourself too thin.

Instead, a better approach is to only choose the platforms that are most relevant to your brand and audience. If that means you want to have an active account everywhere, at the very least, start slowly. Open and maintain one or two profiles, then only move on to the next when you have those down pat.

Also, when it comes to advertising, you don't have to run ads on every platform you have a profile on. For example, you may find that you get fantastic organic traffic on Pinterest, but your Facebook posts don’t have a very impressive reach. In that case, focus your ad budget on Facebook Ads.

Sales Conversions Aren't the Only Worthwhile Outcomes

Ultimately, you want your business to earn more money, which means making more sales is going to be a huge goal. But don't underestimate the power of brand awareness. Even if some of the people you reach don't buy from your company, the people they reach might.

For example, let's say you post your products to Pinterest. Some of your followers re-post your pins, but they never actually buy. That's okay ­– their followers will see your products, and they may become customers.

That's why brand awareness ads exist. Yes, some of them will lead directly to sales, but the bigger idea is that the more your brand is out there, the larger your audience will grow. And as your audience grows, the number of people who actually buy from you will too.

Final Thoughts

Every brand is unique, and you may find that you don't agree with every myth on this list. For example, maybe you sell such a wide variety of products that your audience does cover all of the social platforms out there. Or, maybe you market a service that appeals to non-tech-users, so your audience really isn't online much at all.

You don't have to blindly follow social media marketing advice simply because tips apply to the masses. Instead, select the suggestions that make the most sense for your business and leave the rest behind. That's the way to create a truly tailored strategy that will garner the best results.