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I’ll admit it. I used to be
scared of social media. I didn’t know what it was, nor did I want to. I’m rarely an early adopter of
anything; in fact, some might call me a Luddite. (Yeah, I still use my 1994 HTML editor!) Let’s just say
that I resist change with every fiber of my being.

So when I first started hearing of social media,
and more specifically, social media marketing, I hoped it would just go away. I mean, the phrase “social
media” didn’t even exist when I was first learning SEO in the ’90s. In fact, a search last week
on Google’s 2001 index (which was available only during October) showed that in 2001 Google had about
1,460 listings for the phrase “social media” and the resulting pages weren’t about social media
as we think of it today. The more specific phrase “social media marketing” showed zero results in
the 2001 Google index meaning it hadn’t even been coined as a phrase.

A search in
today’s Google index shows about 19,100,000 results for the phrase “social media” and
approximately 1,630,000 Google results for “social media marketing.” It’s safe to conclude that
social media and its use as an online marketing strategy are here to stay, and are growing by leaps and
bounds. If you’re marketing websites, scary as it may sound, you need to learn about social
media.

Don’t be afraid!

Here’s the thing  there’s actually nothing to
be afraid of! In fact, you may already be using it without realizing it. What makes it confusing is that
everyone has their own definition of it. I was confused a few years ago when a friend asked if I wanted to
speak on a panel about social media. In true crotchety old-woman style, I told him that I knew ‘nuthin
’bout that newfangled social media thingamabob.

My friend looked at me as if I was crazy and said,
“Jill, you are the queen of social media marketing!” Of course, I argued that he didn’t know
what he was talking about, and blah blah blah. But he did know what he was talking about, even though it took
me a few months to come around. (Yeah, I’m slow!)

I don’t remember what triggered it, but one
day I woke up and realized that social media is nothing more than online communities where people interact
with one another. Like a chat room. Or a forum. Or an email discussion list. Holy cow! I had been
participating in stuff like that since the early ’90s! In fact, just about the only marketing I did for
years was based on participating in online communities. From my old parenting chatroom and forums in the
’90s to my later SEO newsletter discussions, forums and blogs, and every other online thing I do.
I’ve been a social media geek since day one, but never knew it!

Just be
yourself!

The reason it took so long for it to sink in was that I never set out to use social
media (or the online communities in which I participate) for the goal of gaining clients or branding myself
as an expert. But that’s exactly what happened; not as some sort of calculated plan, but simply because I
was being myself and letting my passion for SEO show through.

My first clients came from chat rooms
and email discussion lists. Today, many of them come from this newsletter or our forum  all of which
would be considered social media. I visit those places and participate in them because I enjoy them and like
to hang out with like-minded individuals. Plus, I never tire of answering SEO questions. Certainly, I could
never have consistently cranked out these newsletters since 2000 if I didn’t get some personal
satisfaction out of it.

Social media marketing works, but only if you have an authentic voice. You
can’t fake authenticity. You can try, but real people and real voices are what succeed in the social
media world. The key is to go into it without any expectations of what you may get out of it. Have fun and
you’ll be surprised at what may come from it. People like to do business with those they know, and social
media is one way of getting others to know you.

Even Web 2.0 is not as scary as it
sounds!

There’s no need to be afraid of newer social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter either. Other than their
funky Web 2.0 names and cool appearance, they are no different from old-fashioned chatrooms and forums.
It’s true that they are not for everyone and may or may not be a good vehicle in which to market your
company. But it can’t hurt to give them a test run. The worst that will happen is you’ll become
addicted! Or maybe you really won’t like it at all. If you find it’s not for you, then stop using it.
Alternatively, have someone else in your company who’s more familiar with online communities test it out
on your behalf. While you may need to provide them with some guidelines, don’t be afraid to allow them to
let their personality shine through.

The main thing I want you to take away from this article is that
social media marketing is just a new twist on an old tactic. It’s not scary, and it’s not very
different from many of the other forms of online marketing you’re probably already using.