Sometimes you just need a good analogy to get people on the right thinking track. That’s where this blog post’s title came from…

Social Media has had a bad rap on success potential – mostly from those who haven’t ever understood marketing to begin with. And I have blogged a lot on how you can’t just set up an account and expect immediate success. But I needed a better way to convey that thought. So, I got the idea of the analogy of the hammer / carpenter as I was talking to a new client the other day about strategies.

My constant challenge is explaining that Social Media use needs to have both business and social relevance to followers and fans.  This has to be the hardest concept for new clients who are new to Social Media to grasp.

Business Pages ARE NOT THE SAME as Personal Profile pages!

Business Pages ARE NOT THE SAME as Personal Profile pages!

Yes, I realize I wrote that twice…

While it is true that access to Social Media has been far more reachable to anyone interested in marketing their business or non-profit cause, it can’t guarantee success by virtue of its existence. And yes, the tools are free, but you have to invest in time and learning.

How to begin?

To become a carpenter, you need to master the use of the hammer. Once you are comfortable with how to use that hammer effectively, you can begin to do the work it was meant for.

Same goes with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc……

Learn to use these tools and explore their capabilities. Take some risks! Click on the “Help” button and see the cool options that aren’t always immediately apparent.

Start being a Kid with it! Like “what’s that button do?” and push it! It won’t bite!

Don’t worry about exposing yourself with a few mishaps. The world is NOT watching your every move, trust me!

Think of it as a new video game. You have to mess with the different controls until you get a “feel” for it, right? Why should social media technology be any different?

Use Video Tutorials!

Now that YouTube has become our new how-to source, I’d be surprised if there isn’t a video for every question you may have. Try any question in the search box! You’ll probably have many choices of tutorials.

Once you get familiar enough with all your social media needs, you can get to working on the wants – the successful strategies of marketing.

I have one tip though (after getting you all psyched – sorry)

If you were not any good at traditional marketing, then you probably won’t be any good at social media marketing either. Yes, it’s different, but the basic principles of understanding your consumer still apply. You can learn, but that takes time, too.

You should still learn how to use your social media tools, but get some professional help with strategies.

Then you can learn how to use those hammers to build some great projects that SELL!