By Kristy Hesom
In order to find a solution to your fears, you first have to isolate them. They need to be understood and picked apart. This is the focus this week, in Part 1. Only then can you come up with any viable solutions, which we’ll focus on in Part 2 next week.
Everyone’s reasons may differ, but there are a several fears that resonate within many organisations when it comes to social media. It can be because they fear negative feedback, they might worry that social media could interfere with their brand message, or they simply do not know how to communicate on the various platforms and do not want to waste their time.
Too much negativity
It seldom feels good to receive negative feedback, and when it’s on an amplified platform like social media, it can be even worse. Conrad David, founder and CEO of social media agency,
Hashtag SA, says that clients raise this concern on a daily basis; “We don’t want to be on social media because of the negative sentiments and responses we’ll get from businesses.”
Craig Schelin, director of
Boost Digital, says their clients share this concern, with bigger agencies worried about damaging their reputation. “Often negative attention to a larger organisation can go viral and can be detrimental to a brand.”
Losing sight of the brand message
Bianca Quinn-Diavastos, head of business solutions and strategy at
25AM, points out another fear; “Some organisations worry about losing control of their brand message and their ability to shape consumer perceptions of their brand.”
While you could be saying one thing about who you are, social media could have a completely different idea.
David also says that organisations often think that they don’t need to be on social media because their industry isn’t relevant. A butcher, for example, may think it’s unnecessary because their customers come into their shop. They fear their social media is therefore trivial and a waste of time.
Communicating on social media
Another fear is communication, points out David. An organisation that doesn’t know how to effectively communicate on social media, whether it’s through how they post or how they respond, could write off using social media as a form of communication.
This goes back to the fear of losing sight of your brand message. If an organisation feels that their message doesn’t resonate with the age of social media, they might not make use of it. With each platform often having different ‘lingos’, communication could become overwhelming for an organisation.
Employees on social media
Adam Oxford, editor in chief of
htxt.co.za, points out that organisations often see the use of social media as a “productivity drain” and therefore ban the use of it in the office. He goes on to say that this fear does not stem from a misunderstanding of social media, but rather from a deep understanding.
“They understand that the actions of one ex-employee completely beyond their control can be brutal to their brand,” he says. This isn’t just true for ex-employees, however. Anyone who is associated with an organisation can say anything (either on social media or elsewhere) and damage a brand beyond repair.
While these fears are not without merit, in order to stay relevant, organisations need to overcome these fears and embrace social media. In part 2, we’ll be focussing on how organisations can overcome these social media fears.
Do you have any social media fears? Tell us in the comments below.