Are You Afraid of Social Media?

Yes, that’s the question I’m asking this week in this article.

“Are you afraid of social media?’

Why am I asking what appears to be a pretty silly question?

I’m asking it because I’m meeting business people who have perfect opportunities to use social media and, in a few cases, need social media and they’re not doing anything about it!

You might say that maybe my rates are too high.

No, I’ve offered pro bono services because I felt it was an opportunity for both of us!

(For the wise guys out there who are saying maybe they don’t want to work with me, no go!  These are folks whom I have long standing relationships with and if they thought I was wasting their time, they’d say so!)

But, as I look back on our conversations, I’m beginning to realize that many people are simply afraid of social media!

There may be legitimate reasons to have misgivings.

Some prospective clients worry about the “learning curve.”  Will they be able to master this new discipline quickly enough?

Others worry about the time commitment.  Most small and mid-sized business owners are already overworked, why take on more?

People talk about the financial cost.  What’s their payback going to be?

All fair reservations at first blush, let’s talk about them for a moment.

Business is all about learning all the time.

If we can’t adapt to the changing environment around us then we’ll fail ultimately.  Social media is not the only new thing on the block.

Managing a business is all about setting priorities and managing time.

Yes, social media takes time but will replace something else that’s currently being done and is probably redundant anyway.

Cost?

Yes, social media can be expensive especially if you run into some of the snake oil specialists who are out there.

However, I focus on free and near free use of social media and, like I said earlier, I offered free service.

The conclusion that I’m left with is that some folks are just afraid of social media.

There’s the fear of the unknown.

There’s the false belief that I’ve gotten this far without it so far so why bother now?

There’s the fear of looking bad.

I rank all these fears and objections right up there with the thing under our beds that frightened us as children.

In other words, they’re not real!

Here’s what I see.

Your competitors are using social media.

Your clients are using social media and expect you to be using it too.

 You’re being left behind!

Some suggestions to help you get over your fear of social media:

1. Start small, you don’t have to do it all at once!
2. Develop a comprehensive social media program.
3. Engage a professional to help you especially when someone like myself is offering pro bono services!

One last reminder!

I still have some hours set aside in my schedule to work on select projects in select industries!

If you think you need social media (Trust me you do!) and believe you may qualify for my pro bono offer then drop me a line and let’s talk!

That’s it for now!

In the meantime, thank you for following and reading my blog!

I look forward to any and all comments that you may have.  I will reply to any comments made to this blog post as promptly as I can.

Remember!

I do this for a living and if I can be of any assistance to either you or your organization, please feel free to call on me.  Our initial discussion will be of no charge to you.

I can also be reached at conpsweeney@someddi.com.

My Twitter handle is @conpsweeney.

Stay well!