The Complexity of Social Media

Social media has opened up two worlds, in my opinion. The first world is bright and full of sunshine--this is the positive side of socialmedia, the side we all signed up for when we found out we can connect with friends and family. On this side, businesses saw more opportunity to promote and advertise at a very cheap price. However, there is also a dark side. We'll stay away from this side.

So, you are a business owner and you want to get closer to your fans and customers. You've read all the reports on how social media can increase your profits by 30 percent. But, you have also read reports on businesses being destroyed by social media due to the leaking of information not meant for the public eye.

As a result of your research, you have come across a bit of a problem that you have to solve. But unbeknownst to you, there is no way to solve this problem; it is just the complexity of social media.  You may read a couple of positive reports about it and find you are ready to jump head first into it. But, some harsh reports have you skidding to a stop at the edge in hesitation.

As a suggestion, I would say go ahead and jump in, but make sure you have a life jacket (or an inflatable rubber duck around your waist) to keep you afloat in the event you begin to drift toward the deep end of the social media pool. I say "jump in" because it can't hurt to try something out. If you don't like it, you are more than welcome to leave and continue doing business the way you were doing it previously.

The floatation devices are not for show. In fact, they are a necessary tool if you don't want to be one of those people discussing a bad experience with social media. Online reputation management is what those lifesavers are, and if you need to call on them to fix your reputation, you won't have to go far because you are prepared.

More than likely, if you get involved with social media, your brand will come across some negative comments. If those comments are enough to scare you off of social media, please make sure that you take care of your reputation. You cannot just assume that if you stop using social media the comments won't continue. Know that what is said is left in the huge database of the internet and can be dug up at any time. As an owner, it is your responsibility to make sure those comments are sent far away and cannot come back to damage your reputation.

Maybe you have realized that social media is just a little bit too complex for you and you have decided not to engage in it. Make sure your reputation online is clean and clear and there is nothing that can come back and haunt you from it.