12 social media fears overcoming social 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 (we’re 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 won’t 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 Don’t try to control the situation or pass the buck, take responsibility for a failed experiment and promise your audience that you’re 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 won’t 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: don’t publish any comment, picture or article online that you wouldn’t 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- it’s 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 don’t 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 don’t 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/blog email : austinlabs(at)gmail.com twitter : @newmedialab 12 social media fears we like talking. a lot.