How to Cure Your Fear of Social Media - Kelowna Web Designs

Does Twitter make you cringe? Facebook got you feeling nauseous? When a colleague tells you that your biggest competitor uses LinkedIn to get new customers, does your stomach sink in disappointment?

If so, you?re not alone.? While 81% of business executives in a recent Economist study agreed that social media marketing provides their company with tangible benefits, many execs still resist embracing social for their brand because they?re scared.

According to Social Media Explorer contributor Jason Falls, there are 3 fundamental fears/excuses holding execs back:

• Fear of the unknown (?Instagram? Pinterest? Vine? What can I really gain from all this?!?)
• Fear of change (?Our advertising strategy does its job. I don?t want to upset the equilibrium!?)
• Fear of technology (?Digital media moves so fast, there?s no way I have the time or energy to keep up.?)

If any of these look familiar, you?re on the right track for business extinction. Social media marketing impacts how Internet users (aka: Your Target Market) find, experience, and perceive your brand online.? And yes, it influences SEO, too. Says Falls:

?Since mid-to-late 2010 (or maybe earlier) Google and Bing have been using social media engagement metrics as a ranking signal.?

Since 2010, friends: social media marketing is here for the long run.

Nobody expects Facebook to become your passion; even a basic handle on social media communications goes a long way in growing small business success online.

So today, we have a couple tips to help cure your fear, and prepare you to get higher traffic, better search rankings, and more customers online:

1. Test-drive a personal account first.

If the pressure of representing your company on social media feels overwhelming, start with personal accounts on the platforms you intend to eventually use for business.? This will help you feel comfortable using the platforms, which will give you the confidence to reach out to potential customers, industry influencers, and colleagues down the road.

2. Avoid the buffet.

To load up on the full buffet of social media platforms is enough to give anyone indigestion. Skip it, and order takeout. Take just what you need.

There is no magic number for how many social media platforms to engage. Depending on your business goals, target market, and competition, it could be anywhere from one to twenty (or more!), though small businesses average 3-5 active platforms. The important thing is to focus on what fits your business.

Social media marketing is less intimidating and easier to manage when you only have a few platforms to master. Who knows, it might even be fun.

3. Listen and observe.

Nobody expects you to jabber up a charismatic storm from your first day on Twitter. Get in there and observe how industry influencers, personalities, and competitors start conversations and represent themselves.? Consider this the research phase. Take your time.

Find relevant discussions on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and check back often for the opportune time to put in your two cents. It will come. And when it does, you?ll be ready.

4. Tweet tip: text a friend

Twitter users contribute to an ongoing newsfeed with 140-character-sized ?updates?, an utterly loathsome task for people who don?t know what to say.

Get into the habit of tweeting for your business by structuring tweets like text messages to friends.? Not the ?drinks 2nite @ mine? YOLO!? texts, mind you.

Imagine you discover an excellent article online that you want to share with a friend.? If you sent the link via text message, what would you say?

Structure tweets like informed, grammatically correct text messages to respected friends and save yourself the stress of looking cool on Twitter. If your friends think you?re cool, you probably are.

Now go forth and bravely stake your social claim! But first, be the inspiration for our next blog post. Tell us:

What holds you back from getting into social media marketing?

Reference

Horton, Chris. ?Why Business Executives Fear Social Media Marketing.? 11 May 2012. Socialmediatoday.com

Have You Heard of Twitter Vine?

About the Author - Sarah Bauer BA English Literature

Working alongside dedicated web specialists and graphic designers at Navigator Multimedia, I'm committed to discovering the latest SEO content writing techniques and digging deep into social media trends and tech news. It's a constantly changing game that I'm fascinated to explore, and writing Navigator's blog gives me the chance to share all my findings with our awesome clients! With a BA in English Literature and an obsession with the written word, I'm prepared to take on your content writing needs. If you're looking for professional web editing or blog maintenance, contact me at sarah@navigatorweb.ca. I'm the go-to around here for fresh, researched content!

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