Social Media Phobia - Whats Keeping You From Engaging?

Social Media sites like youtube, facebook, twitter, linkedin and many others have taken the internet by storm. The “game” has completely changed - no longer is the internet a one-way communication tool where you broadcast your message and people listen.

Now you have direct, two-way communication with prospects, customers and anyone else within earshot.

Small businesses leverage Social Media to even the playing field and establish authority and credibility with customers that 10-15 years ago they NEVER would have been able to reach.  So why are so many SMB owners either dragging their feet in regards to using social media or simply fearful to get engaged?

I speak to business owners every day about their business goals, their marketing and specifically about what frustrates them in regards to internet marketing. Time and time again, I hear these same 2-3 answers when the subject of social media arise:

1. “It’s a huge time investment and time is one thing I don’t have” - now this is a very valid concern. In order to engage social media effectively, you have to be devoted to it. Unfortunately many people who already have a propensity to procrastinate use social media as a ‘legitimate’ procrastination avenue. For example: you check your fan page on facebook with the mindset of posting a few relevant tips related to your product or services and two hours later you are still checking news feeds of friends and leaving comments about the fat snook your buddy caught over the weekend.
2. “The learning curve is too steep and I don’t know where to begin” - again, a valid concern, especially for non-techie types. What you have to balance is the potential for gain, especially for smaller businesses trying to establish authority and build brand awareness. Social media channels like twitter and linkedin help you highlight your advanced knowledge - on your terms. How much is that worth to your business?
3. “We can’t measure ROI like we can with other marketing strategies” - unfortunately, this complaint can be easily overcome but too often it stalls social media campaigns that otherwise would have significant impact on sales and lead generation. If ROI is your chief concern and you have committed to the time investment and are past your learning curve, I invite you to sit down with a local social media marketer and discuss how simple, free analytics tools in combination with your historical sales data can give you insight into ROI.

Avoiding mistakes is key to success in any marketing campaign and we want to help you avoid mistakes that sabotage the social media efforts of many local businesses.

The best part is that this week you can learn from a pair of really bright social media marketers as they share insights with you via our monthly “Lunch-N-Learn” webinar series sponsored by the North Central Florida Business Report on Thursday July 14th.