12

social media fears

overcomingsocial media
fears right now

aww yeah!

1

fear number one

We won't have

CONTROL

over the conversation.

1

NEWS FLASH:

You don't have

CONTROL

over the weather either.

no rain, no rainbows.

1

fear: lacking control

You won't have control, but by avoiding social media, you miss the opportunity to participate in the conversation.

1

fear: lacking control

A natural and organic conversation is in high demand today and the era of control is over.

1

fear: lacking control

You're being talked about whether you're involved or not, so take this as a chance to get involved in the conversation.

2

fear number two:

We have to

PRIVACY.

worry about

2

NEWS FLASH

All companies

PRIVACY.

worry about

2

fear: privacy

All companies have to deal with privacy issues, but your absence could lead to a lack of trust in you by the consumer.

2

fear: privacy

A reported 93% of social media users say they expect companies to have a social media presence and an absence can be a mark against a company.

2

fear: privacy

Establish the corporate policy prior to using social media that covers privacy (or retool your non-compete contracts to cover social media use).

3

fear number three

Well, our

DEMOGRAPHIC

isn't online.

3

NEWS FLASH

That is just

WRONG...

unless your demo is a fetus or a carcass.

3

fear: reach

All demographics are online now, starting at toddler age up to 100 year olds. All continents are using social media, even Antarctica.

3

fear: reach

Facebook alone has over two million users over age 55 and the growth of all of the social networks is massive (were talking over 1000% growth in some cases).

4

fear number four

Our users won't

CONNECT

with us.

4

NEWS FLASH

Social media users

CONNECT

with others naturally.

friend
request
accepted

4

fear: connecting

It takes grooming & a concise strategy, but you wont sit alone online unless you set up a profile then stare blankly at the screen.

4

fear: connecting

The if you build it, they will come mentality is not at all true in social media.

4

fear: connecting

The benefit to social media is that you can reach new markets and you can bring in new users.

5

fear number five

What if we

FAIL???

5

NEWS FLASH

You're asking the

WRONG

question.

5

fear: failure

Scared of failing? The risk here is not in failure but in failing to try.

5

fear: failure

We have already established that consumers expect you to be online and because social media is a relatively young medium, it is still a forgiving space.

5

fear: failure

If you make a mistake, just apologize and move on.

5

fear: failure

Dont try to control the situation or pass the buck, take responsibility for a failed experiment and promise your audience that youre learning from it.

6

fear number six

We fear spending

TOO MUCH TIME

without results.

6

NEWS FLASH

Any marketing

EFFORT

takes time.

6

fear: wasted time

Fearing a time investment wont get you far, think of it as a risk spending too little time as you watch your competitors eat up your market.

6

fear: wasted time

Your value proposition in social media is an authentic presence and results vary, so we advise changing your strategy as you go. Flexibility increases your success rate.

7

fear number seven

What if people

CRITICIZE

us or our product?

7

NEWS FLASH

If they're going to

CRITICIZE

they're already doing it.

7

fear: being criticized

This is a unique opportunity to overcome objections and publicly create fans & change minds, not by controlling the message but by addressing problems head on without being defensive.

7

fear: being criticized

Social media is based upon making genuine connections, so why not use this as an opportunity to be human as you address criticism?

7

fear: being criticized

Being silent is the same to some as agreeing, so be proactive.

8

fear number eight

Is social media

SECURE?

8

NEWS FLASH

Social media is as

SECURE

as your email.

8

fear: security

Social media is not secure. Neither is television, radio or the phone. Your data is secured similarly to your email so don't give out your passwords.

8

fear: security

The golden rule: dont publish any comment, picture or article online that you wouldnt show the world on television, over the radio or in a newspaper.

9

fear number nine

What if I don't

TRUST MY STAFF

to handle our social media?

9

NEWS FLASH

Then you should

FIRE

your entire staff.

9

fear: staff ability

If you trust your staff to sell your service in person or over the phone, social media is no different- its just a different communication tool. We call this accountability.

9

fear: staff ability

Properly train your staff, keep everyone educated and as mentioned before, you will need to remain flexible.

10

fear number ten

What if I don't have

ENOUGH STAFF

to handle our social media?

10

NEWS FLASH

Every business starts

WITH ONE PERSON

and this is no different.

10

fear: commitment

Then just start small. As a business owner, sign up for Twitter and be yourself for a while.

10

fear: commitment

You dont have to constantly sell, you can simply make people want to contact you or your company by giving them an informal peek behind the scenes.

10

fear: commitment

As you find time to engage and it becomes easier, grow your efforts.

11

fear number eleven

We don't have the

BUDGET

for social media.

11

NEWS FLASH

Yes you do. It's called

A MARKETING

budget.

11

fear: cost

Social media is 68% of marketers priority in 2009 and being in the remaining 32% poses a risk of being beaten to connect with the consumer.

11

fear: cost

If you dont have dollars to invest, at least invest the time to make social media a priority.

12

fear number twelve

I have no idea where

TO START.

12

NEWS FLASH

When Edison invented

THE LIGHTBULB,

neither did he.

12

fear: where to start

An education is the first place. If you're lost, you should consider hiring a new media consultant even if just to establish where to begin.

12

fear: where to start

Depending on company size, it may be starting a blog. Others may need a presence on Facebook or Twitter while others have consumers still focused on forums.

12

fear: where to start

Exploring social networks and listening is the ultimate starting point- never dive in head-first without knowing how deep the pool is.

Wow, you made it to slide 70! You MUST have needed some hand holding to overcome your fears!

12

social media fears

& overcoming them now

Guess what? We're always here to help! We consult, speak & write about social media every day!

12

social media fears

& overcoming them now

WE WANT TO TALK TO YOU!

blog: nmlab.com/blogemail: austinlabs(at)gmail.comtwitter: @newmedialab

12

social media fears

we like talking. a lot.