Fear & Loathing of Social Media

By John McTigueAug 6 /2009

Recently, members of the Kuno Creative bunch attended a lunch seminar downtown Cleveland on the “Do’s and Don’ts of Social Media,” given by David Griner of Luckie & Company. Being a specialist in Social Media Strategy, he offered insight into the top 7 objections a company often uses when defending their decision not to delve into the social media world for their business.

The only thing more popular than using social media marketing is questioning social media marketing. And that’s a good thing! To confront these regular objections, Griner has kindly provided us with arsenal...

 

“A Guide to Overcoming Today’s Corporate Phobias”

 

 

Corporate Fear #1 - The Public will eat us alive.

The Blunt Answer - If so, they’re doing it already. You’re just not there to hear it. Or defend yourself.
The Practical Answer - Your critics aren’t waiting for you to use social media. Your customers are.

 

Corporate Fear #2 - We can’t trust our employees.

The Blunt Answer - Then why are you paying them??
The Practical Answer - If you trust someone to talk to your customers, you can trust them to use social media.

 

Corporate Fear #3 - We’ll lose control of our brand.

The Blunt Answer - You’re more likely to find out what your brand really is.
The Practical Answer - Social media is the ultimate way to prove your brand promise and make it a reality.

 

Corporate Fear #4 - If we screw up, it’ll haunt us on the Web forever.

The Blunt Answer - That’s called accountability.
The Practical Answer - True, the Web has a long memory. But it’s never too late to improve.

 

Corporate Fear #5 – Our audience doesn’t use social media.

The Blunt Answer – Then your audience must be deceased.
The Practical Answer – Every generation is embracing social media, but not in the same ways.

 

Corporate Fear #6 - We don’t have time or staffing for social media.

The Blunt Answer – Then start small and let the work prove its own value.
The Practical Answer – It takes less time than you’d think. Soon, it’s just a part of your daily life.

 

Corporate Fear #7 - We can’t predict the ROI.

The Blunt Answer – You can’t predict the return on an investment you don’t make.
The Practical Answer – Social media is one of the most measurable marketing tools in existence. You just have to decide what to measure.

 

Simply put, social media is just a communication tool and as with radios, televisions and phones, you can’t adapt without trying it out!
 

 

“For every moment of triumph, for every instance of beauty, many souls must be trampled.”
–Hunter S. Thompson.
The Author

John McTigue

With over 30 years of business and marketing experience, John loves to blog about ideas and trends that challenge inbound marketers and sales and marketing executives. John has a unique way of blending truth with sarcasm and passion with wit. You can connect with John via LinkedIn and Twitter.
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