I am disappointed. I can’t lie. As the social media envelopment of our culture continues apace, I am hearing a lot of “No’s,” and I am worried about it. But really what do I have to worry about? I have everything I need for now right? A good job, interesting clients that challenge me, a bright professional future, lovely friends, intellectually satisfying interests that I have the time to develop.
But worried I am, and it’s because I am hearing the word No, a lot. And I am hearing it from the very people who have the most to gain from saying yes.
The Face That I Am Accustomed To
The face that I am quickly becoming accustomed to is one of disappointment. As I meet and talk with more and more businesses, brands and individuals, I’ve advanced to formal discussions about being a consultant for a number of clients. I consider this stage of my business a “building for the future” stage, and I am blessed to have several great clients currently that assure me I can continue on this path for quite some time. And as I build my business, I actively search for new clients to take on now or in the future.
But I am getting some serious push back. But not the kind of push back that I expected. As I’ve said again and again, I am not an expert, and I am not a guru. I am just a guy with some ideas, a guy who has embraced social media, has become an evangelist for it; and when it comes to business, I am a guy who has thought long and hard about how social media can change and improve businesses in the hospitality industry.
The kind of push back I have received does not concern my plans, my strategies, my philosophies or my ideas for businesses. It doesn’t concern metrics or potential ROI. In fact, businesses are, for the most part, very excited about social media opportunities, excited about finally engaging social media and cognizant of the fact that they simply cannot do it themselves.
To be sure there are plenty of firms out there who think they can, and I wish them luck. But this is dangerous, because it is mostly about saving money. Do you really want to penny pinch when it comes to the future of your business? Does anyone deny that social media is going to be a a major driver of interest in your business, and eventually sales? Is there anyone out there still bold enough to deny that in the very near future social media is going to be the PRIMARY way that businesses communicate, find and market to their customers?
So the face that I am quickly becoming accustomed to is the face of disappointment, the disappointment of business owners who want to engage social media, who know they need to, but simply aren’t ready yet.
Image Source: Dave Bleasedale on Flickr
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I remember a book from years ago that contained advice on how to be a consultant. It was a bunch of apparently silly aphorisms which he would then explain. Your article made me think of this one, “Never promise more than a 10% improvement. If you deliver more than a 10%” improvement, Hide It”. The point being that people can only see so far ahead of where they are. So I think it is with Social Media. It’s headed that way fast, but some folks in the hospitality industry are just coming to grips with the concept of a website for local business.
You also mentioned that you are an ‘evangelist’ for this. Maybe in your excitement to promote this, you are coming across a bit too strong (or too fast), and there is a natural tendency to push away. And if you are painting a picture of a glorious era by embracing social media, you may be promising more than a 10% improvement. I know I have to watch out for this when I get to gushing about websites. I have to contain my excitement and remember to stay within the 10% rule. I have a client with a deli website. Six months ago, she didn’t know what a URL was. Now she does and is looking at Facebook and Twitter to promote her business. If I had told her all about Facebook when she was still figuring out how to log into her website to update a daily menu, she would have told me to go away. I remember another aphorism from my real estate flipping days, ” A confused mind says no”. So part of the wisdom of the 10% rule is trying to impart is that when you start to go past that boundary, (either from over zealous behavior or just information overload), the recipient of the information just gets confused and says no…
Bryan, I think you are to onto something. As someone with an inordinate amount of energy and passion, it is incredibly likely that I am simply overwhelming people. Blogs, twitter accounts, facebook fan pages, mobile development, SEO, iphone Apps, sheesh! It really is a bit much no?
thanks for the tips and if i can dial it down a notch i’ll let you know how it goes
I feel your pain, Zac. 10% improvement seems fitting for traditional marketing endeavors, but a bit low for social media potential. Perhaps it is a good starting point – I certainly wouldn’t ‘hide’ any improvement % above and beyond 10%, but rather crow about it.
As for the increasing apprehension to go nuts – and part with wads of cash – with social media, or even just a website upgrade, businesses must look at the overall picture. “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” hardly applies anymore. Biz owners (whom aren’t social media enthusiasts) that think they can create, nurture and grow their socmed presence themselves are missing opportunities. Wouldn’t they rather hire a pro to lead their biz into unfamiliar territory like social media, and spend their precious time doing what they do best – running their show?
I was looking for your social media is dead posting… but couldn’t locate it so I hope you don’t mind me posting to this thread! BTW, Zach this is a bit of a personal message too!!
Zack Cohen:
First of all, I’d like to say how nice it was bumping into you on the street!! I have been avidly reading your ‘Social Media’ posts and I have had quite a few rebuts in store for few, however I didn’t have the time to sit down and properly compose a response that would do justice to the thoughts caroming back and forth in the hollows of my skull…
(That and your posts were so eloquent that I didn’t want to reply at a Dalton 5th grade writing level (I know you’ll appreciate that sentiment
Anyway, you pose some excellent questions in your posts… Some, I feel, are more teetering on the philosophical side of the scale than from what is actually occurring in my view of the real world. You compared Social Media to that of the SEO trends of a few years back. However, I disagree because (without any condescending tone) Social Media and SEO implementation are two completely different beasts. SEO is for an industry insider, a programmer, web page designer, basically a techie or someone working with or managing code and website rankings. Social Media has given the everyday person one of many facets to ‘play’ with. I know too many people who only use social media apps to play Farmville for god’s sake! I certainly see the point that you are making. However, while reading your blurb I get a sense of dark, almost Schiller (HM)-esque pessimism about the potential of growth that I see as almost endless in Social Media. Perhaps it won’t be in the form of 8 new Social Media apps that check you in to restaurants and post to the internet what food you ordered off the menu (although that may not be a bad idea!), but I see an integration between hardware and software that will bring the world exponentially closer than most ever though possible. Hell, when we were in high school you were cool if you had a beeper. (and not even a qwerty beeper but the 10 place LCD screen where you’d have to use those 143/07734 codes, etc.)
What I see to be the difference now is that Social Media has evolved to the point that different levels of computer and internet users can find uses for them in their everyday lives. For someone like you and me who are avid about checking into places and leaving reviews, becoming mayor of just about every place I visit, is one type of user. However, for the less computer-inclined, social apps serve as connection forums for long lost friends, and have practical applications for them as well no matter how mundane we may see them as.
What I want to see in the future is complete integration between hardware and software that will couple GPS, automatic check ins to apps like foursquare or gowalla, perhaps a verbal check-in using engines like dragon’s voice recognition so after a check in one could simply speak a status and it posts it without the need to type.
I have actually been working on various prototypes exploring these possibilities… So what are your thoughts about this? I have been lurking around reading your posts, but I have to tell you that I am always interested in your thoughts… Not many in my network are as intuitive in the subject of Social Media and its future and application.
So keep up the good work, and I hope to link up again soon… Hell, I’ll just Foursquare-stalk you next time I’m in Manhattan. I’d love to grab a brew and chat. I know the head chef, Ed Brown, at the Sea Grill. We’ll have some special plates that aren’t on the menu. (Since I’ve been seeing some of your delicious food postings as well!!) Anyway, all best Z! ~Dre
Andre
Thanks for your comments above. I think you are right in that the social world will be segemented. Two developments that I am about to blog about make what I am about to say make sense. The Apple Tablet and Seesmic Look, when taken together, might represent a way for social media to go mainstream…have you seen it?
z
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