Archive for February, 2010

5 Common Fears about Social Media

1. I'm afraid I'll look stupid because I don't already know this stuff. The Fear: If I ask for help or if the "young people" find out that I'm clueless about social media I'm going to feel really out of the loop. I secretly fear that people are going to make fun of me behind my back. The Reality: Part of being a good leader is knowing when you don't know something. You've got to know when to ask for help- bottom line. Plus, guess what? Everyone else has the same fear! Even the young techy people who you think are so confident and plugged in don't even know everything. And if they do they have vast amounts of digital knowledge it doesn't mean they have any business sense at all concerning what to do with their knowledge or how to run a business. "Everyone is my superior in some way," said Socrates. [ READ MORE ]

Flexibility is the New Relevance

You often hear people talk about Twitter or Facebook with the same disdain/detachment that parents tend to have when they analyze some outlandish outfit that their teenage son or daughter is wearing before heading out to school. "Oh it's just a fad," Mom says as Dad averts his eyes shaking his head in subdued shame and contempt at the zebra print/goth/homeless attire of his 15 year old daughter[ READ MORE ]

Social Media: Goals, not Tools

A big mistake that businesses make when it comes to social media is falling in love with the tools themselves, aka making it about the products and not the people.  The tools change.  No one ever heard of Twitter a few years ago but now it’s through the roof.  Facebook is a household name now [ READ MORE ]

Know Your Audience

Check out this chart- It shows a sample breakdown of what your potential audience might be using in the way of social media.  A lot of times usage and channels varies depending on WHO the audience is.  Just because Twitter is insanely popular doesn’t mean that if you’re a mortician it’s going to help your [ READ MORE ]

Fear of Failure and the Honeymoon Phase

The problem that occurs most often with business owners who try to jump onto the moving train of social media is that they let fear prevent the leap or from sticking it out past the learning curve.  Fear is THE factor, not just A factor.  Social media requires a new vocabulary, learning some new tools [ READ MORE ]