Now that you’ve launched your blog and are posting regularly, it’s time to take the next step: getting your content out there.

It’s time to delve into social media.

If you’re thinking, “uh oh!” you’re not alone.

Overcoming The Initial Discomfort of Social Media

Even after all the time I’ve been participating in social media, the idea of actively sharing online still makes me nervous. I still worry about saying the wrong thing or what someone else might think. Thankfully, the reactions from our readers are much more positive than negative, and that gives me the motivation to continue. Knowing that something I’ve written has connected with readers gives me a sense of validation and positive energy and helps dissipate the fears that come along with sticking my neck out there and taking public risks.

I find the more I blog, the more I see comparisons to other aspects of my life. As a sales and marketing rep, meeting someone for the first time is always a source of discomfort. What if I forget an important point or fail to capture their interest? Did I introduce myself and my team properly? Did I make everyone in the room feel welcome? But just like blogging, if I dwell too much on my worries, I’ll never take the necessary risk of the first uncomfortable step. Without that risk, there can be no gain. I won’t make a connection, I won’t win over a customer, I won’t develop repeat business. So, like the athlete I am, I suck it up and I “Just Do It.” (Thank you, Nike, for providing my life’s motto!)

We aren’t going to lie and tell you social media isn’t a little scary. It is. But we’re going to approach the process slowly and thoroughly, just like we did the process of blogging. By helping you understand WHY and WHEN to use each of the key platforms and HOW they might fit into your strategy, social media will become a lot less intimidating than it looks right now.

What Is Social Media?

This is the question we’ll be exploring in this new series of posts on Two Point Uh Oh. The answer is both extremely simple and extremely complex, as you shall see.

The simple part to understand is this: social media is a modern form of communication. In the past, people gathered in town squares, at community events and back-yard fences, and around the water cooler. There, they exchanged information, opinions, insights, and all manner of things relevant to the fabric of their lives and their communities. While we still chit-chat with our neighbors and colleagues, today we also chit-chat online. What’s so powerful about social media is that it reaches well beyond our immediate circle of acquaintances. What we share online can spread further than anything we might share one-to-one in person. Yet the essence of social media is still authentic, human communication that arises naturally from the interaction happening here and now.

The process of social media.

How Can Social Media Benefit You and Your Business?

Again, this is both a simple question and an extremely complex one. The simple answer is that it can help you build authentic connections and relationships with customers, potential customers, partners, and fans. Just how you can do that, however, takes a much longer explanation and a lot of trial and error. This is where it begins to get scary for most of us. While there are many best practices, there really is no concrete how-to. Each person must find his or her own way.

This is just one of the many aspects we’ll be exploring in this next series of posts.

We’ll look at the key platforms, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Google+, and Pinterest, and identify their unique characteristics. We’ll also look at who uses each platform, why they use them, and how they might be useful to your overall strategy for building your online presence.

Finding the right fit.

The truth is, not every platform will be a good fit for you, your personality, and your business. Some platforms you might take to like a fish to water. Others won’t speak to you at all. That’s fine. We’re here to help you figure out what’s right for you.

What we won’t be covering are the basics of the technical aspects, such as how to create your accounts or navigate the platforms. But don’t worry, we’ll point you to places where you can get the guidance you need. And of course, we’re always available to answer your questions.

Ready to begin? Great! Join us next week as we tackle Facebook!