That first recess at a new school can be awkward.  Do the kids play the same games here?  What are the unwritten rules for the swings?  Do the big kids meet on the blacktop or under the trees by the fence?  And, most importantly, will anyone want to play with me?

Social media marketing, for many companies, feels about as comfortable as that new playground.  Some companies suddenly feel the urge to hide in the library until recess is over and the understandable, bell-regulated classroom time begins again.  But hiding won’t make it go away.

The good news, as Barbara mentioned in the webinar, Social Media Marketing and ROI, is that you don’t have to jump into the middle of the playground right away.  It’s a good idea, in fact, to linger at the edge of the tanbark and watch what the other kids are doing, listen to what they’re saying, and begin to play once you know where the hot lava monster lives.  From a social media perspective, this means checking out what other companies are doing, soaking up the culture, and only then joining the conversations and starting your own.

It can be a challenge to companies who are used to dealing in websites, which are, as Barbara says, like resumes, clean and professional, to switch to the casual style of social media.  You don’t want to play tag in your suit, so to speak, and if you try, you may not get the results you want (although the embarrassment it would cause might make an engaging blog post…).  Social media requires a new level of integration between the professional and the casual, the business person and the everyday person.

School would be unbearable for even the most dedicated student without some time to play four-square.  Similarly, company marketing strategies need to add social media to their mix along with their other approaches to ensure a happy, healthy outcome.