Here’s the thing about social media: do it right – really right – and the payoff isn’t just immediate (although that’s wonderful) – it’s also long-lasting. More than that, it moves in areas and ways you can’t really predict. You can imagine it, you can hope for it, but predict? With social media that can be tougher. Here’s the cool thing, though. You don’t always have to get it as right as you’d like, as long as you don’t get it wrong. You can’t get it wrong on the enterprise side of social media particularly if you’re interested in keeping the 2nd tier going. That tier of people who find you when they weren’t looking, people who accidentally stumble into what you’re doing, and positive tweets long after the fact.
Social media can be forgiving if you move into damage control carefully and quickly enough, but that’s always tough and can be expensive (and can be counter-productive if you come off as hypocritical, dishonest, or panicked). The best thing is to not walk into the minefield in the first place.
Of course it’s easier said than done. So is surgery, so is motherhood, so is just about anything else that’s worth doing but so what? We know it, right? Thing is, we know it but don’t really want to do it. We want to shortcut it. Hey, social media is shortcuts. That’s one of the greatest selling points. But it only works if the shortcut doesn’t take you to a cliff and you happily jump off. Remember? You must not get it wrong if you’re using social media for enterprise. So if you see a catastrophe about to happen here are a few things to remember: 1st don’t panic; 2nd don’t let those around you panic; 3rd everyone slow down and think; and 4th move and move quickly. Important: constantly check on how the action is working and if it’s not, STOP. Just because you made a decision, don’t think that it’s always the right one. You hope it is, you plan for it to be, you’ve done everything right and so it should be. But too often the world moves in ways we can’t see and our great plans didn’t work. Then stop, regroup, and try again. Keep that 2nd tier in mind.
A final point. You’ve heard this before, we all have. So why are there so many people, businesses, nonprofits and more getting it so wrong?
Still Amazed 