Top 10 Social Media Excuses

1. I Am Not a Technology Person - Sorry…this is no longer a valid excuse. Social media is here and it is here to stay. It is a whole new communications medium that is growing exponentially. You don’t have to be a “techie” to use social media as it is not only simple, but there are tons of free training opportunities out there. Just talk to your kids!

2. Just sign up and think you are “on social media”- Social media is a two-way street. Just planting a flag in the social media world and thinking you are “on social media” is not nearly enough. It definitely requires some thinking and effort.

3. Doesn’t Require a Plan or Strategy- Just like any other marketing effort, social media needs to have a strategy and plan on how to execute against it. What does success look like? What are the metrics we want to use? How are we going to communicate on these different platforms? It all takes thinking and strategy to deliver results. If it is worth doing, it is worth doing right!

4. I Do Not Have Time- If you want to maintain, increase and insulate your business, you better MAKE time. Social media is here to stay. It is changing the way people communicate and the speed at which messages are delivered. If you are not talking to your customers/audience, I can guarantee you that your competition will!

5. I Do Not Have Anything Interesting to Say- Everyone has something to add to the conversation. Unless you sit quietly all day at work and then go home and live in complete silence, you have something to say. What issues do your customers think about? What is interesting to you in the industry you are in? Social media is all about the rapid sharing of a wide variety of ideas. Find articles, share information and offer insights at the very least. On the other hand I also hear people say, “Why do I care what kind of food someone is eating?” The truth is some people don’t get social media. The key is to add value to the conversation. You can always look at a tweet as an opportunity to start a conversation about a topic you know the person cares about. “That is great that you love Ethiopian food, I do too, I know the best Ethiopian restaurant in the city, how does your calendar look next Wednesday for me to take you…”


6. It is about you, your products & company- This is probably the biggest myth and mistake in social media. It should not be all about you or your products all the time. The more you make it a commercial the less relevant you become. Think about always adding value. Get involved in the CONVERSATION, not a monologue.

7. You will not have control- Really? What makes you think you ever had control? People were always talking about your brand in different ways since you started. The conversation is happening with or without you, so you might as well get engaged.


8. I am just one person and cannot compete with big companies- Social media completely levels the playing field. There are hundreds, if not thousands of examples of small companies or efforts taking on massive proportion through social media. They engage and involve the audience and enjoy the momentum. There is nothing better than other people talking about your product/brand/ organization for you.

9. Why would I want to hear about bad things people are saying about me- This one amazes me. Like I said, they are talking about you whether you like it or not. Why not take this opportunity to turn detractors in to fans? They expect you to do nothing and ignore them, so when you engage they are surprised and delighted and often times become your most loyal fans.

10. This is a fad and doesn’t work- This is just downright silly. This medium is here to stay and it will continue to evolve and become more influential over time. Figure out how to use it to your advantage.