When contemplating a social media marketing program the first feeling one seems to get is an acute sense of fear.  I know this because that is exactly what I went through and now see with nearly everyone I speak to about social media.

There seems to be 3 basic aspects of social media fear:

1.  Fear of the unknown

2.  Fear of making the actual posts

3.  Fear of drowning in social media

Fear of the unknown – I studied social media for nearly a year before I ever posted my first post.  I read hundreds of articles, watched tons of video and could speak very knowledgeably about social media.  There is a social media mindset that says “just jump in.”  Then there are people (like me) that need to read, analyze, re-read before getting involved.  Let me say this flat out – my way of doing this was just plain stupid and you are succumbing to your fear when you look at social media that way.  There is nothing scary about social media.   As a matter of fact, once you jump in, that’s when the real learning starts happening and social media is nothing short of fun and exciting.

Fear of making the actual posts – I was helping friends who own a small business set up their Twitter account the other day.  They typed in their first post and then simply stopped before they actually posted.  The social media anxiety came back for a brief moment – they were thinking:

This post is OK, but what if something is wrong with my next one?

What is I say something wrong?

What if no one responds?

These are all fears that can quickly be overcome once your first post is out there.

Of course, posting with correct spelling and grammar is what everyone needs to do, there will be an occasion or two where a typo sneaks in.  It isn’t the end of the world.

If you are writing about something you are passionate about and you are REAL in your posts, it tough to say something “wrong.”

The social media community is wonderful and you will get responses as long as you are talking about something that has some substance.

Fear of drowning – This is probably the most legitimate of the fears.  Social media affords you the opportunity of focusing specifically and directly on your own niche.  You are an expert in your niche.  If you stick to your niche, your own community, then you will be just fine.  If you venture away from your core purpose for being involved in social media, you definitely could start flailing around and begin to feel overwhelmed and feel like you are drowning.  Stay true to your niche, and you will do just fine.

So, jump on in – the water’s fine!  There will be days when you’ll feel frustrated, but then there will be days when you have wonderful social media successes.  Just don’t stop believing!  For small businesses in particular, social media marketing allows us the opportunity to be seen and heard with only our time involved – not our marketing budgets.

What are some other fears that you think should be addressed?

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