Hoarding Books
This is a Guest Post from Sean Clark
Are you hoarding ideas rather than executing them?
In my work I spend much of my time helping construct social media strategies for clients. On some occasions I work with them to implement them too.
A lot of the time it is at this execution phase that companies stub their toe, just when the work needs to be done. This reaction is nothing you will not have experienced before, it's fear…fear of the unknown.
Yes you have the social media plan in front of you, with the tools and tactics ready to act upon it, but now you have to expose your soul to the world!
Get Over Yourself
Do you find yourself in this situation? Is it at this point you think about reading yet another social media book? A few more blog posts or white papers? Or book yourself on one more seminar?
You can read all you like, consuming book after book, attend all the seminars, but if you don't get out of your own way social media will never work for you.
When you were a child did you ever sit there on the beach and watch all the other kids playing in the water? You didn't want to go in because it was cold, but were so eager to join in. Then once you'd plucked up the courage and finally got wet, the excitement of the game took over and you didn't think about the cold at all.
Apply this approach to your social media, sure you'll may feel cold at first. But eventually you'll warm up and get used to it, especially if you have a passion for your work.
Keep Going
Once you've started keep going. To be really effective with social media you need to be consistent.
If you follow me on Twitter, or read the articles on my website, you'll notice I Tweet everyday. I curate content from articles I have read and share them on my stream, interacting with others where and when I can. I also, post a new blog post every week.
It's become a habit, one that's so hard to break, that I feel compelled to write and publish content each week.
So once you have started, stick to the plan. Revise and adapt, but a good social media strategy should form part of your business strategy anyway, so will need revising from time to time. Because it is part of your business strategy you should treat it as such and allocate the time it requires.
Are You Still Here?
If you are still reading to this point I hope it is out of politeness, and not that you are still looking for the answer!
If you still haven't decided whether social media is right for your business, then speak with someone that can help with that question. Often it is not whether it is right or not, but how much resource it will require, and whether you are willing to commit.
The first step is in “doing”…so this post is “done”, now it's your turn…
