1.
THE PROPER WAY TO SET GOALS Setting goals has been a central tenet of human accomplishments since Noah built the Ark.
But even Noah had it wrong.
His objective for building the Ark was so that he wouldn't drown when the impending flood arrived.
Good objective, wouldn't you agree? But it's an inadequate goal.
There is a crucial difference between objectives and goals.
An objective is a target you must hit in the immediate future, often for compelling reasons, but a goal needs to be more visionary, farther reaching and more worthwhile.
Its accomplishment should make you a better man or woman, a more valuable business person, and a more engaged member of the human family, not just a more efficient selling machine.
Don't just test the waters or investigate potential.
In the first stages of your Social Media campaign, whether you are a small business person or a Social Media manager for a large company, it may sound like a good idea to test the waters or investigate potential.
That's far too short-sighted and unimaginative.
You may even believe that the proper approach is to start building a small Twitter following as an experiment to see what happens.
That's too minuscule to be useful.
If you can't imagine having 100,000 engaged Twitter followers, you should probably stick with traditional marketing and advertising.
Finally, if your ultimate goal is only to sell significantly more products and services, you are selling yourself and your company short, by a country mile.
You should be looking for ways to improve your product by listening closely to what your prospective customers want and need.
You should be using Social Media to dramatically improve your customer service, and you should be doing everything possible to make your new customers loyal and committed.
You should be looking for ways to help them, not just for ways to make a quick buck.
Do something that matters.
You should be positioning your company, as its final goal, to do something that really matters.
Make a difference.
Improve people's lives.
If that seems like too tall an order while you're struggling to make a profit, at least make a formal commitment now to share in your ultimate success when you achieve it.
Take baby steps if that makes you more comfortable, but don't look down at your feet.
Set your goal far down the road, even beyond the visible horizon, and then lock your gaze on that far-off end result.
Don't micromanage your Social Media effort by looking down at your feet as you take each step.
It's like looking down while trying to walk a tight rope.
If you do, it's almost certain that you will fall.
Keep your head up, your back erect, and keep reminding yourself that Social Media is not just today's task, it is a way to revolutionize your company and chart a new and exciting road to the future.
THE PROPER WAY TO SET GOALS Setting goals has been a central tenet of human accomplishments since Noah built the Ark.
But even Noah had it wrong.
His objective for building the Ark was so that he wouldn't drown when the impending flood arrived.
Good objective, wouldn't you agree? But it's an inadequate goal.
There is a crucial difference between objectives and goals.
An objective is a target you must hit in the immediate future, often for compelling reasons, but a goal needs to be more visionary, farther reaching and more worthwhile.
Its accomplishment should make you a better man or woman, a more valuable business person, and a more engaged member of the human family, not just a more efficient selling machine.
Don't just test the waters or investigate potential.
In the first stages of your Social Media campaign, whether you are a small business person or a Social Media manager for a large company, it may sound like a good idea to test the waters or investigate potential.
That's far too short-sighted and unimaginative.
You may even believe that the proper approach is to start building a small Twitter following as an experiment to see what happens.
That's too minuscule to be useful.
If you can't imagine having 100,000 engaged Twitter followers, you should probably stick with traditional marketing and advertising.
Finally, if your ultimate goal is only to sell significantly more products and services, you are selling yourself and your company short, by a country mile.
You should be looking for ways to improve your product by listening closely to what your prospective customers want and need.
You should be using Social Media to dramatically improve your customer service, and you should be doing everything possible to make your new customers loyal and committed.
You should be looking for ways to help them, not just for ways to make a quick buck.
Do something that matters.
You should be positioning your company, as its final goal, to do something that really matters.
Make a difference.
Improve people's lives.
If that seems like too tall an order while you're struggling to make a profit, at least make a formal commitment now to share in your ultimate success when you achieve it.
Take baby steps if that makes you more comfortable, but don't look down at your feet.
Set your goal far down the road, even beyond the visible horizon, and then lock your gaze on that far-off end result.
Don't micromanage your Social Media effort by looking down at your feet as you take each step.
It's like looking down while trying to walk a tight rope.
If you do, it's almost certain that you will fall.
Keep your head up, your back erect, and keep reminding yourself that Social Media is not just today's task, it is a way to revolutionize your company and chart a new and exciting road to the future.
SHARE
