I’m too old for social media (and two ways to overcome your ageist paralysis)

When Toby and Cathy are meeting with business owners for the Digital Main Street work we’ve been doing across the province, we are often faced with a range of reasons as to why business owners aren’t getting more involved with their social media game.

A big excuse we hear?

I’m too old.

Or a variation of that reason aligning with their age.

And we get it.

Business owners, do NOT be intimidated by social media! Social media is for all ages. Just give yourself time and a bit of training, and you'll be connecting with your target audience using this powerful toolin no time.

When you think about it, the incredibly fast pace of change and momentum that has occurred with marketing over the past eight years has been incredible. Remember BlackBerries? Those were a hot item just 10 years ago.

Now, there are so many ways to make your business grow online that it’s impossible to know what’s best. Plus, there’s also the overwhelm that arises when you have to actually learn the platform you plan to use (wtf is a snapchat filter, we were recently asked).

So, here are two ways we get business owners and executives to get over their own ageist hang-ups:

Idea #1: You’re likely your own target audience (and likely already using the online platforms to connect to your audience).

“Do I need Twitter? I have Twitter, but have no idea how to use it. Should I be using it?” That was a question recently asked by a gift shop owner in a downtown area of a small town.

“Is your audience hanging out on Twitter?” we asked.

Turns out, their target audience includes women between the ages of 40 and 65, have disposable income and love buying high-end gifts. You’re probably not going to find a lot of those gals tweeting out their breakfast. But they are opening up their iPads over breakfast, scrolling through their Facebook feed.

In fact, 5.5 million Canadian women between the ages of 35 and 65 have an active Facebook account (source).

So this is where the business owner should be putting her efforts to connect to her audience. Better yet, she already knows how to use the Facebook platform, and felt confident about her plan once we got clarity on creating some ideas for content.

You know why? Because that business owner was essentially her own target audience.

Summary: You don’t have to know everything, you just have to know where your audience is hanging out.

Idea #2: What’s one thing you can do to learn how to use social media better for your business?

Rather than worrying about posting daily to your Instagram stories, figuring out TikTok videos, and getting conversion through Facebook advertising, take a step back. And maybe even take a breath.

Don’t feel the necessity to do all the things. That leads to paralysis (believe us, we know).

Instead, ask yourself: what’s one thing I can do to learn more about the social media platform I’m using to promote my business?

For instance, if you’re selling bridal wear and your target audience is on Instagram, then read one article about using Instagram hashtags to connect to your audience.

Or, take two hours to play around with Instagram stories so you can ensure you’re getting into brides’ feeds.

Summary: What is one thing you can commit to learning to help improve how you use your social media platform? IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE PERFECT.

Tell us: what’s stopping you from getting on social media more often?