October 4th, 2012
by Lorrie Thomas
I can’t tell you how many people say to me (clients, students, conference attendees) that they “fear social media.”
For those of you who are suffering from social media marketing anxiety – take a deep breath, It’s OK to be scared of social media! Having healthy skepticsm is not a bad thing, you can use this as a launch pad to rechannel your focus into social media strategy. I actually find it scarier when business owners have no hesitations about social media…the fearless folks are the ones who end up executing without plans and usually end up needing interventions after disaster strikes!
Accepting the fear is the first step. But since fear is paralyzing…your fear needs to change to understand…get to the core of why you are so afraid….
Time? Fear of Rejection? Don’t know what to do? Technology is intimidating?
Remember that it’s not about the social media tools, it’s how and why they are used that makes or breaks success.
Social media isn’t scary, it’s a way for businesses (whether they are B2B or B2C) to get to today’s method of communicating and that is through P2P (peer to peer or people to people) communications.
94% of businesses are going social (source http://upandrunning.bplans.com/2012/09/24/its-no-secret-social-media-is-going-corporate/).
It’s scarier to not be a part of the conversation.
Here’s your daily marketing dose: remember this easy formula – serve and support on social media (don’t sell, sell, sell!)
When you are talking with (not at!) your current and potential customers on social media and sharing valuable content that serves and supports then you are on the right track.
Virtual Marketing Hugs,
