There’s something about Social Media that polarizes people. People either “get it” or “don’t get it“. Are addicted to it or despise it. The only thing we agree on is that everyone has an opinion.
With a dynamic website, multiple twitter accounts, and the campaigns we run for clients, I’m obviously a proponent, but I’m not going to sell you on it in this post. I’m interested in teasing out what it is that inspires a particular mind-set in the anti-camp.
It never ceases to amaze me how many smart people I sit across from in meetings and at events that say things like:
I don’t get it. It doesn’t make sense/It’s a waste of time/I’ll never do that.
How those two statements end up next to each other eludes me. It’s like they’re saying:
My shoe is on fire. Want a coconut?
To me, the first sentence suggests further investigation is required. “I don’t get it”, is an opportunity:
- Other people probably don’t either, and you might be able to get a head start by diving in
- You may find a new way of doing things that saves you time, money, energy or is simply more fun
But the possibilities are endless. And the people we meet tend to be hard driving intra or entrepreneurs. One assumes they’ve had the imagination to envision something that others could not to get where they are. So what is it about Social Media that’s hard to fathom?
Is it that the metrics aren’t obvious? What are you measuring now that suggests you shouldn’t waste time looking for new opportunities?
Is it that the concept of earning attention instead of vying for it is too foreign? What gets your attention? What do you notice, remember, participate in, act on or share? Does the stuff you seek out stick with you better than the stuff you come across randomly?
Per Malcolm Gladwell’s suggestion, I’ve spent my 10,000 hours assessing the value and influence of the strategic use of Social Media and I explain to the folks who’ll listen that there are better opportunities for getting at their goals through engagement than there have been for years.
We haven’t seen a cultural shift in the way people are being influenced by media of this order since the advent of the printing press. You can reach more people more easily who are actually interested in what you’re offering. Moreover–they can reach out to you!
I’d like to be proven wrong on this, but I’m left with the conclusion that anyone not working on a plan to use the web as a strategic resource to power their mission:
- Seriously lacks vision or imagination
- Is avoiding leadership
- Is squeezing the juice out of an existing play while they can
Business, markets, public sentiment, and the way we’re being influenced are mutable factors. They require a flexible approach to marketing that builds a foundation and grows slowly, over the long term. Invest in your marketing wisely.
And you don’t have to investigate something new every day, how about just the revolutionary stuff?
