#1 Social Business Action List = What You are Going to STOP Doing!

If I had 100 bucks for every time a client has told me one of the below statements I would be writing this from a year long all expense paid trip to the island of choice!

• “I don't have time to blog.”
• “I don't have time to do social media.”
• “When am I ever going to find the time to tweet?”
• “Do you tweet all day long?”
• “I don't even know how to work my iPhone.”
• “I don't have time to train my staff.” 
• “My staff is too busy doing our events and direct mailings.”
• “My staff is afraid of social media.”
• “My sales representatives don't have time to tweet.”
• “My sales representatives don't have time to get on LinkedIn.”
• “I'm afraid if they get on LinkedIn they'll find another job.”
• “We need people to come to our events so I can keep our current staff.”
• “My web developer doesn't think we need a blog. He's got other priorities.”
• “My web developer said he can use the same website he built as an intern 10 yrs ago.”
• “I am doing the designing now as I had to layoff my team due to being short on revenue.”
• “Everyone in the city is our target market as they need to come to our events.”
• “I don't have time to talk to our customers to find out what they need.”
• “I already know what our customers need. They just need more events and better newsletters via direct mail.”

STOP!

If any of these statements sound remotely familiar, STOP what you are doing right now. Do NOT pass go. You are not going to collect your $200,000,000 this year doing what you have always done. Look around you. Are you laying off staff? Are your current methods working? Are you missing revenue goals? Membership goals? Email opt-in goals? Are people engaging with you on the social networks? Do your new Facebook fans ever come back after the “like”?

Do you feel like pulling your hair out? Do you know you need to get social media integrated into your business but you just don't have the time to do such?

Make the time!

I can not sugar coat this for you. I can not tell you what you want to hear. I can not tell you something that is not true just so your blood pressure will now drop. I must tell you the truth right here and now even if it hurts…

If your current methods are not working then they are not going to work 3 months, 6 months or 1 year from now.

Take the time to do the following:
1. Get in the head of your customer.
2. Get in the head of your prospects.
3. Get in the head of your partners.
4. Get in the head of key industry influencers.

You must build a plan that helps you inspire and connect with the right audiences with a goal of helping them achieve their goals. If you focus on the needs of your audience, mapping their needs to your services and products then by default you are going to achieve your goals.

If you continue to market your boring events that nobody attends, useless direct mailings, email blasts with no relevant content, webinars that offer no value and the list goes on… then you are going to continue to fail. You are going to continue to miss revenue numbers, goals, and objectives.

You are missing goals and objectives set because your current methods aren't working. Did you hear that yet? “YOUR CURRENT METHODS ARE NOT WORKING!”

Here is the first list you need to make:

1. What things can you cross off the list today?
2. What things can you cross off the list tomorrow?
3. What things can you cross off the list next week?
4. What things can you cross off the list next month?
5. Don't wait until next year to cross something big off the list. Do it NOW!

The sooner you cross some big things off the list that are not providing value to your business, clients, members, partners, stakeholders and personal life balance, the sooner you and your team can spend time doing things that will actually bring a return to your business.

If you take my advice you might be able to actually:

1. Get in the head of your customers, partners, prospects, stakeholders and industry influencers.

2. Provide value to all of the above mentioned key audiences.

3. Write content for your blog that helps inspire, connects and engages your readers and target markets.

4. Complete the launch of your social networks.

5. Determine how to best kickoff the integration of social media into the DNA of your business.

6. Develop and launch the blog you have been talking about for two years.

7.  Develop a video to load to your YouTube channel that has sat lonely for two years.

8. Actually tweet a tweet from the Twitter profile your secretary setup a year ago.

9. Create the LinkedIn company page your sales representatives have been begging you for.

10. Add the links to your website and blog that your strategic partners have requested.

11. Launch the integrated email marketing program to start to bring a return to the CRM and email services contract you purchased 18 months ago.

12.  Inspire people to “like” you on Facebook, follow you on Twitter, Pin your content on Pinterest, comment on your blog, and share your content with their friends.

13. Inspire people to visit your Facebook page after they click like. They might even come back a few times.

14. Increase the attendance at your events.

15. Increase customer satisfaction.

16. Increase the number of client testimonials who want to shout to the world how awesome your team, services and company is as it has helped them succeed in both business and life!

17. Provide value to your current subscribing, paying members and clients to inspire them to renew their contract next year.

18. Learn how to use your iPhone that is about to be set for “end of life” you purchased it so long ago.

19. Have a life outside of marketing tactics that should have been killed 5 years ago!

The opportunities for what you CAN do to drive real results is endless. However, the first thing you MUST do is figure out what you are NOT going  to do!

Are you ready? If yes, then quit wasting time reading this blog, learning how to tweet, use HootSuite, and the million other tools out there. Focus on your “what NOT to do list” and get in the head of your target audiences, period.

Have Fun!

Your Turn

If you can relate to most of what I say above, tell me…. are you ready to create your “what NOT to do list?” The first step is admitting it publicly. I can guarantee you it will be the best list you create this year! If you have already been thru this cycle and have seen good results doing such please share with the others how you found the courage to do such, what the results were and any tips you have for helping them!

Happy crossing off your list time folks!

Get a Grip on Social Media:

This is the 9th in a series titled “How to Get a Grip on Social Media.” The series will include a free newsletter, webinars, whitepapers, tips and best practices to get a handle on your business and social media.

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