I subscribe to a newsletter written by Dianna Huff called “The MarCom Strategist.” This subscription entitles me to some sweet gems like this one. I thought that Diana did such a great job debunking this widely believed social media myths, that I’d reprint them here. (If you’re not familiar with Dianna, I suggest you take a look at her MarCom Writer’s Blog.)

These 3 Myths of Social Media that Dianna describes can often prevent a company from even considering social media as a viable part of their marketing plan. When you say “social media” red flags such as “time-waster”, “no ROI”, and “kiddie marketing” go up all over the corporate suite. So it is you CEOs of SuchNSuch Company – you are the ones who need to understand the true value of social media. Because like it or not, social media is here to stay and if you don’t get involved soon you, your product and your company will be left behind. Your customers are on line, spending money and creating relationships with your competition. So take a look at these particular myths, debunked by one who knows:

And now, courtesy of Dianna Huff:

Three B2B Social Media Myths And Why You Should Ignore Them

Myth #1 –- Social Media doesn’t apply to my business

It’s easy to ignore social media –- especially if you’re a B2B industrial company. Social media is new, it’s flashy and it’s just not something a crusty sales guy has any interest in. (Just give ‘em a booth at a tradeshow and they’re happy –- harrumph!). If you’re ignoring social media for this reason, it’s time to rethink your strategy.

Companies such as Dell and Comcast use Twitter to sell products and improve customer service (respectively). HubSpot uses LinkedIn Groups to grow its community and increase its user base. And, Cisco uses YouTube and other social media tools to promote new products (i.e. routers!). Social media is definitely a business tool.

Myth #2 –- Social Media is a fad

Yes, social media is hot right now and yes, everyone is talking about it, and yes, every time you turn around some mainstream publication is writing about the millions of people on Twitter. If you’re thinking social media will go away, you’ve got a long wait. This is because social media is basically an activity we’ve all been doing since the beginning of time: talking with each other. Thanks to the Internet, it’s now easier to connect with people –- whether in the same town or across the globe.

Although the urge to connect with others will not go away, how we connect with people online will continue to evolve. What do I mean by this? When the Internet first came into play, we had Internet bulletin boards and email list serves. A few years ago MySpace and Friendster were the “hot” platforms; however, both have been supplanted by Facebook and Twitter –- and these, too, can quickly fade or get bought out by other companies. (This is why it’s important you use these tools as *part* of your marketing strategy and not your *only* marketing strategy.) Hence, it really pays to be conversant with the social media tools available –- because while the tools will change, the ability to seamlessly connect with   your customers and colleagues wherever they are online will only add more value to you and your job.

Myth #3 –- Social Media takes too much time for little return

As a results-based marketer, determining ROI from social media is something I still struggle with. With traditional marketing, you send out a direct mail letter and get XX responses, and a certain percentage of those responses go on to become sales -– giving you a fairly easy way to   calculate ROI. Social media doesn’t always work this way because it takes time to build a network and community online. You have to log on  every day and see what people are saying. You have to Retweet posts, read other people’s blogs, follow conversations, answer Questions on    LinkedIn, and respond to friends on Facebook.

So it can be difficult to determine if people begin doing business with you because you responded to their Twitter posts, they read a comment you left on a blog and then clicked through to your site, or they watched your YouTube video.

However, social media does work –- if you see it as a tool for connecting with people and listening to them versus pushing out tired press releases  and product pitches. As you connect with others, your network grows. As you listen, you get to know people (your customers) and   their challenges, likes and dislikes, and even their online habits. You begin to know people for who they really are –- versus simply seeing them  as a name and job function –- and that is where the magic starts to happen. Why? Simply put, people do business with people they trust. Social media helps you build this trust.