Before you conclude that social media marketing isn't working for you, analyse how you are using the medium. It may just be that your expectations are unrealistic.

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Marketers are getting excited about adding social media in their marketing mix but there are several myths in circulation as well. Let's have a look at some of these myths and the reality behind them.

Myth no. 1: "Social media is free"
This is true, but only to a certain extent. Anyone or company can join Facebook or Flickr, but in order to promote your company and still do so for free, you would have to do it after company hours. For some smaller companies, this may still be possible but as your set up gets bigger, you may not be able to find the time to keep up with task Also, how would you know which site is better than the others?

If you don't have a good grasp of social media trends, you could be left out in the cold. Hiring a company to maintain your online PR is an avenue you could consider, but the ROI for such endeavours is hard to measure in terms of dollars and cents.

The ROI can, however, be measured in site usage. For search engines, a link from a well-known site like Facebook is worth more than an online directory that has no relevance to your business. What individuals and businesses are doing by joining these types of sites is essentially akin to online billboards, but unlike real billboards, users can jump immediately to your site if they like what they see.

Companies can create accounts on these sites and use them as micro-marketing sites to pull traffic onto their main site.

Myth no. 2: "Social media marketing will run by itself"
Do you really think that simply creating an account with all sorts of social media websites is enough? Sorry to burst your bubble there, but it isn't.

Some online entrepreneurs make the mistake of believing that registering with a site is all it takes and that all users are equal.

Like anything in life, if you want to succeed, you need to work at it. This goes back to the first myth. Even though these sites are free, for the most part, a certain amount of effort is required. Take for instance the International Rhino Foundation's Flickr page, the site did not just create itself. It takes committed, passionate individuals like Kelly Russo of the Houston Zoo to create, upload and maintain.

A user with a wide circle of friends will always do far better than a person who has simply submitted a story.

You need a strong account with a lot of friends if you are serious about receiving social media exposure, and that will always require work on your part.

If you view that as labourious, then maybe the medium is not for you. If you have the budget, you can hire a firm to take care of these matters for you.

Myth no. 3: "Only tech-related stories stand a chance"
Websites such as Digg have started out with such stories as a main focus, but that was a long time ago. However, the one question at the back of many marketers' minds is whether there really is no room for other types of content.

At the beginning, most stories on Digg, one of the most well-known social media websites, were tech-related. But despite its shift in focus, such sites are still receiving a lot of exposure at this point. Nonetheless, the sites' early success has led some webmasters to assume that there is no room for other types of stories.

Things have changed and any type of story can make frontpage today (it was even possible in the past, and with a little work), as long as it is appreciated by the community and well-liked by consumers of social media.

R. Chandrasekar is founder & CEO of FusionGarage. Read full bio.