Hello! Today I’ll be coming back to running again – but it’s an analogy and very short so please bear with me.
When you first take up running (or any other activity) you don’t think of yourself as ‘a runner’ – you are just you, doing something new, challenging and often exciting. As you grow in confidence and ability you reach for a goal – maybe one you never thought possible, like a marathon – or in my case a half and you strive to achieve your aim.
But. Once you’ve done it and got over yourself for being so clever, you have to face up to the harsh reality. You can never call yourself an amateur – a non-runner – again. Like it or not, those days of ‘little old me, I’m just messing around’ are over.
You have become the thing!
I’m sharing this because I think many of us have come to this place with Social Media. It’s been so long now, that claiming to be fiddling around with the possibilities and dabbling no longer ring true.
It’s time for small businesses to forge ahead with a good strong strategy. Take each social media tool in turn and have the confidence to use it in a way that best suits you. That’s not to say that there won’t be uncertainty – the Facebook changes alone are enough to keep everyone on their toes – but it’s time to admit that social media is not just an exciting new challenge but a solid part of the marketing mix.
So here’s a rallying call to all those still hovering about in the LinkedIn discussion pages debating whether social media can ever really match up to the good old skills – Let’s cook or get out of the kitchen.
Theres a very quick learning curve, I think its just a matter of applying what we learn!