Let’s face it. If you run a business, you didn’t get into social media for engagement. You didn’t see it as a customer relations tool. You’re not in it for the lulz. You built your business Facebook page and your branded Twitter account because you wanted it to help with marketing. Don’t lie.

As more people flock to social media sites every day, a roadblock is developing that is obstructing a company’s ability to achieve their goals: people on social media are there to enjoy and share, not for your business message. They may understand based upon their experience with television, print, and radio that advertising is a necessary part of the delivery of traditional media entertainment, but they are not ready to accept “a word from our sponsors” as readily in social media as they are elsewhere.

Advertising and marketing are different. The banner ads that you know are there go unnoticed by the masses. People don’t see ads, but in many cases they accept them because they know that these ads help websites stay afloat and pay their bills. Marketing on social media involves messaging and entering into the general conversation. If you message is all about marketing, then your audience will be slim.

Scratch the word “marketing” from your social media vocabulary and mindset and you will be more successful at achieving your marketing goals than you could ever imagine.