What’s Keeping Your Business from Using Social Media

Even today, many small business owners are scared of marketing their companies with social media. They continued doing what they had always been doing and getting the same results. Does that sound like you and your business?

As I’ve talked with different owners over the years, I’ve come up against the same old comments about social media. I believe most of the objections about social media are based on fears of moving into the realm of the unknown. Do you have a fear of social media marketing?

Let’s talk about some of the recurring objections that keep you from utilizing some of the best marketing tools on the planet.

Objection # 1 – I don’t understand how social media can help me.

There are a lot of things in life we don’t understand, but that is not a reason to avoid them. Think about all the things we do now that we really don’t understand. We use our cell phones, but when we first got them, we had no clue; we had to learn. Now they are our best friends, and they are so valuable to our businesses. Cell phones are so important that if we forget them at home, we go back for them. Social Media is the same way. At first, we really don’t get it, then we suddenly realize what an important piece it is to our marketing puzzle.

Objection # 2 – I have no time to maintain it.

This one is an invalid excuse. The bottom line is (and I’m going to be harsh here), we make time for what is important to us. If our businesses are important to us, we need to make the time to promote them. Just like you make time for lunch or client appointments, you need to find time to do this. Your business depends on it. Start with just 10 minutes a day. Schedule it on your calendar if you need to. You won’t regret it at all.

Objection # 3 – People will use it to talk badly about my business.

If people are going to talk badly about your business, they don’t need you to have a social media presence. But you can bet they’ll be on social media! It’s actually to your benefit to have a social media presence. For instance, if someone posts a complaint about your business on Facebook and you aren’t on Facebook, you may never know. But if you are on Facebook, you have options to address the complaint. You can reply directly to them and ask them to message you directly (DM). This way you can take care of the complaint privately. You might also find your loyal clients rally on your behalf. If someone posts something negative, your fans may defend you by posting good things about your business, leading to free, positive PR. If the complainer turns out to be a troll, you can delete the comments and block the user, preventing them from making any further comments.

In conclusion, social media does not have to be so scary. Face your objections and start marketing, anyway. What do you have to lose? Even small efforts will get your business name in front of more people in a short amount of time, and that’s not scary at all. That’s your goal.

So, what’s keeping you from using social media to market your business?