I Bet Your Grandma Can Do It Too
By Christina Gillick

Christina Gillick here, bringing you The Writer's Life this week.

I’d like to continue busting myths related to working in social media.

Many people believe you have to be young to “get” social media. But this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Let’s break it down …

For one, my grandma uses social media. I’m not kidding.

She updates her Facebook profile all the time and “likes” several businesses so she can receive updates and marketing messages. And she tweets about her day and follows other users, including businesses, and sometimes retweets their messages. And she does it all from her iPhone.

Of course, there is more to social media marketing than liking a business, retweeting something they said, and following them.

But you don’t have to be young to do it. You do have to be trainable. And you also have to realize that, for businesses, social media isn’t about fun. It’s about accomplishing very specific business goals.

Most business owners will spend good money on a real social media expert who knows how to accomplish the business’s goals with social media. He doesn't care if they’re 20 or 60 – as long as they can get results.

So, what are these goals I keep mentioning?

Well, some companies want to use social media as a tool to attract more customers. They’re looking for someone to show them how to move people from social media connections to website visitors and then paying customers.

Other companies simply want to spread their message far and wide using videos and free content. The strategy is to create something people want to share. When they share it with their contacts, the company reaches more people and their message spreads.

The more people who hear their message, the more often they’ll be top of mind when someone is ready to buy.

Still other companies are focused on using social media for customer service. By addressing customer concerns and complaints online, companies can quickly correct any issues publicly. Using social media as a customer service medium lets other potential customers see how much the business cares about their service and the happiness of their customers.

Comcast does a great job of this with their Twitter account. One of their employees, Frank Eliason, found he could use Twitter's search feature to search for "Comcast" and see complaints people were having. He resolves their issues by sending them personal tweets asking how he can help and offering an email address for problems that can't be solved through Twitter. As a result, Comcast's reputation has quickly improved.

Businesses’ social media goals don’t end with those three options. There are actually five other goals that businesses have in mind when they hire social media experts. And, believe me, they’re all important.

I hope by now you’re seeing the very real potential in social media. You can join me – there’s plenty of room in this niche for all of us!

And even if you’re not ready to be a social media expert for paying clients … maybe you’re a freelance writer or own a money-making website … either way, I know a solid understanding of social media will help you.

Comment below to tell me why you’re excited about social media and how you might use it in your freelance career.