I, as most advertising and marketing professionals have been reading tons of social media articles every day. One common theme that I’m seeing is hesitation to participate because social media is perceived as “too intrusive.” Well, all you non-participators out there, here’s the thing about social media – you only share what you want. Social media is a choice. You choose what information you want to share and what information you want to engage in. Maybe many non-social media users are under the impression only narcissists engage on Twitter and Facebook. Not the case. You don’t need to update your status with your every move or thought. Nor do you need to post a picture of what you’ve having for lunch (FYI-to those who do-no one cares what you’re eating!) Use social media to keep in touch with family and friends or use it to follow store sales or dinner specials at your favorite restaurants. Learn more about a company by subscribing to their RSS feed. Or check out a business’ rating on Yelp before you work or buy from them.

Social media is lending a voice to consumers like no other outlet ever before. For example, let’s say you recently bought a pair of shoes from company XYZ which you are really disappointed with. Instead of writing an email or letter to XYZ’s customer service department, you can post your dissatisfaction on one of their social media sites or you can rate them on Yelp. Chances are XYZ will react differently or more proactively to your complaint since you’re now voicing it so other customers can hear it. Now, I’m not saying only use social media to complain-please, please don’t just use it to rant. Its just as easy to post a positive note or tweet about a company’s product or service- you never know-maybe they will offer you a discount on your next purchase for your kind words!

Whether you’re on board or not, social media is here to stay- so come on, start participating!