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Maximizing Your Use of Online Media
I've had a number of clients and business contacts ask me lately about how they can most efficiently manage their use of social media. While there are still a lot of late (or, perhaps never!) adopters out there, it seems that the interest in the use of social media to connect with prospects and customers is still on the rise. I think the jury is still out, though, on how effective these tools are. Some companies - and consultants - are achieving the results they had hoped for; many others aren't. For me, I find the value to lie primarily in:
- Raising awareness among targeted audiences by participation in blogs and LinkedIn groups.
- Crowdsourcing (finding contacts and resources online).
- Building followers (although I'm still trying to determine "toward what end?" in some cases).
- Learning - and there is still much to learn.
I do think that, depending on the target audience, social media can be a low-cost way to make connections. That assumes, of course, that too much time isn't spent attempting to build that following. Time is, of course, money! The key, I think, and what I'm recommending to clients is that they leverage their use of various online tools to achieve economies of scale. For instance:
- A blog, updated even just once a week, can be a good way to connect with those interested in what you have to say/offer. Content can also be repurposed for guest blogs or other online postings related to your areas of expertise, or used in e-letters.
- A regular e-letter sent to a list of people who have "opted in" to receive the e-letter. This can include items from your blog, responses to comments left on your blog as well as comments you may have made on other online sites.
- LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media tools depending on your audience/intent. LinkedIn is a great business-related tool (I particularly like the Groups and Q&A options). Facebook is great if you have a business that has some visual relevance since it's heavy on the use of photos (YouTube is another good option). Twitter...well, I'm still experimenting.
Tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck can help you plan, schedule and manage various postings to these sites so you can maximize your impact and limit the amount of time you spend online.
As with any other form of communication, though, the most important thing is that your use of these tools is strategic and designed to generate measurable - and meaningful - results.
I've been researching and writing a lot about social media these days.
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| Working in the Cloud! | |
At the tail end of the second day of my work week without my trusty desktop computer (which is in the shop getting checked out for some pesky problems), I'm feeling a bit - okay, a lot! - stressed out about how much work I'm not getting done. I'm finding workarounds, though, and I'm discovering that many of them are "in the cloud."
I have been able to:
- Access my back-up files that are out there on Jungle Disk so I could work on files I forgot to email myself on Sunday night in anticipation of losing my computer.
- Work on this e-newsletter via online access to ConstantContact.
- Continue to connect with editors and sources online thanks to tools like PR Leads, HARO and Salesforce.com.
- Keep up on social media connections and research for various projects I'm working on.
- Access shared files between myself and clients through Dropbox.
Although I admit I'm probably a bit fanatical about it, there's something comforting about never having to be away from the information and tools I need to do my job and keep in touch with people - whether for business or personal reasons. I'm still not being as productive as I normally would be, and it's frustrating. But, having access to "cloud tools" keeps me from getting even further behind.
All in all, like any bumps in the road, this has presented me with some "learning opportunities" which is never entirely bad, I suppose. Ultimately, I'm sure, I'll catch up. In the meantime, I wonder what other tools might be out there that I could be taking advantage of. If you have any recommendations, let me know! |
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GOST - Something to be Scared About
I've been researching and writing a book on the basics of strategic planning for a small business audience and, oh my, am I uncovering the myths and misconceptions that are rampant out there! Confusion reigns. In fact, the responses I received to a LinkedIn Group posting where I asked the question: "What do you think the difference is between goals and objectives in the strategic planning process?," were often in direct conflict, despite the apparent expert status of the responders.
In reviewing the feedback I've received, I've come to believe that much of the trouble comes from our use of the term "goal" in personal settings. When we set personal goals we're often counseled to be clear and specific. But, in strategic planning the goal is general and the objective is measurable or, as they say, SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timebound). That said, I'm advising readers (and clients) to not get so hung up on the order or definition of these terms, but just to reach consensus among their planning team and make sure the elements are linked together well. You want your goals to drive your objectives (which clarify and quantity your goals). You want your strategies to be focused on achieving your objectives and your tactics to represent specific actions to accomplish your strategies. (A lot of business "mumbo-jumbo," I know, but it really does make sense once you start putting these principles in practice).
And, of course, most importantly isn't what goes into the plan, but what comes out of it. It's clear that the biggest challenge and greatest area of lost opportunity in the strategic planning process is actually executing the plan. (This may be related to the conflicts that develop over the terminology during the planning process, but that's probably content for another book...)
I'm interested in hearing about the experiences of those who have been involved in strategic planning activities on an organizational, department or project-related basis. What best practices have worked for you? What lessons have you learned over the years? What advice would you offer to small businesses who feel they need to "do strategic planning" but have no idea where to begin or how to do it? What would you say to businesses who say strategic planning is just a huge waste of time?
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