Are You Afraid of Social Media?

Fear is powerful. Think of all the things you do, or don’t do because of fear. It’s certainly a factor for a lot of people who remain on the social media sideline and in some cases I can’t blame them. For example, any business that isn’t doing a great job and knows it, any company that isn’t taking care of their people or customers or any company that generates income by taking advantage of people should be afraid. If I were any of those people or businesses, I would really be fearful of social media because it can ruin me much faster than I would otherwise ruin myself.

That said, if you’re a business that strives to help people, to do the right thing for its employees and customers or if you’re someone who fixes problems as they come up rather than let them fester and turn into issues you probably have quite a bit less to fear in social media.

We all make mistakes and as business owners, we know that our people will also make mistakes. Hopefully they’re not mistakes that kill your business. But if they’re accidental errors, oversights or mishaps that can be addressed and fixed, don’t you don’t you want to know they are going on? After all, whether you’re active in social media or not, if you screw up, people who are in social media can still chew you up and spit you out. It’s just that you’ll never know it’s happening, until they stop coming into your business or calling to place more orders.

When I was  kid, I used to be afraid that some day I would end up in jail. Then I realized, I can only go to jail if I do something really bad. I realized that I actually have control over the outcome. So too, do you have a say about your reputation both in the business community and the social media business community. Take care of your reputation and remove some of the fear in your life.

Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.

Tags: media relations, reputation, Video Services

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