A Shift In Focus Exposes My Earlier Strategic Errors

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And, I really hate it when that happens.  Since the day I began working with Social Media, I made the decision to be somewhat of a closed networker. At the time, at least, it made sense. I preferred quality over quantity – I still do. Why would I want to connect with people I have nothing in common with? – True & not so true. Social Networking is about discovering new relationships as much as it is about nurturing existing ones. I wanted to concentrate on making local connections –  That’s still true but, this focus is shifting and I’ve done a poor job with that anyway. My B2B networking groups are closed (not open to the public and very discriminating) – This has not changed but, my new services are open and not at all discriminating.

The folly of my previous strategy is exposed …..

  1. I’m preparing to offer workshops and seminars and they will be open to anyone willing to invest.
  2. I will be representing Nimble Social CRM and anybody from anywhere in the world will be able to go to my Nimble Partner Site and sign up for the service.
  3. I am conducting webinars that are open to all.
  4. I may be offering an eBook shortly.
  5. I have several more projects in the works and every new thing that I am doing will require ….

R E A C H

The unfortunate fact in all of this is that I have not created, let alone developed, the number of connections that are necessary in order to make all of this work the way it needs to. I was short sighted and naive. I do not have nearly enough associates on LinkedIn, friends on FaceBook, or followers on Twitter. My mailing list is so small that that I should call it my mailing post-it. Visits to my websites are nowhere close to where they need to be.

Given these small numbers you would think that I would have done a fabulous jobs of really cultivating the connections that I do have. Embarrassingly, I have not. Mind you, I have made some extremely satisfying new connections via Social Media and these have developed into equally satisfying relationships. That’s about the only thing I have done right (smile).  I find myself behind the curve as I shift from Social Media to Social Business. A lot needs to happen but I have narrowed it down to five major areas …

I am entirely too fractured in terms of projects and interests – I can’t do everything and I can’t be everywhere. I need to focus my attention of a minimum number of projects and applications that lend themselves best to my core competencies. This means that despite the incredible number of opportunities that I have identified, and continue to identify, I will either need to pass on, or at the very least back burner, the majority of these. I like a lot of the social networks but, I’m going to limit my activities to the big 3.

I need to do a better job of leveraging my existing connections – My most glaring shortcoming in this area has been my negligence when it comes to working LinkedIn which should be, IMHO, where the bulk of my attention needs to be directed. I particularly need to be more active on Groups. BranchOut on FaceBook does show promise but, then again, it is on FaceBook and … I hate FaceBook. LOL. That’s partially a joke and partially a truth. Suffice to say, I do need to become more proficient with this particular network.

I can no longer be a passive connector – And, that is what I have been. The vast majority of my connections on all three networks have sought me out. I need to make a conscious effort to finding them as well. This includes becoming more of an open networker while still keeping a keen eye trained on quality of connections.

My participation in social networking activities needs to concentrate less on quantity and more on quality – I’m great at sharing links. I’m piss poor at sharing them with personal comments and retweeting what I like from others. I need to watch my networks more closely and look for these opportunities. Nimble will be highly effective in this endeavor as it provides me with the tools needed to truly focus and focus is what I truly need to do. I also need to do a much better job of leaving comments on articles that I find interesting. This would include becoming more active in group discussions and the Answers section on LinkedIn. Quora is interesting but I just don’t know if I have the time for it right now. I have committed the most cardinal of sins. I have confused activity with productivity.

I am going to need to learn SEO – Driving traffic to this site is a must. I’ve been doing this driving totally by the seat of my pants. Time to break out the books and get to learnin’.

Obviously, I have my work cut out for me. What to do in the short term? Fortunately, I do have certain resources that can assist me with that matter 🙂

Thanks for visiting!

Craig

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Craig M. Jamieson

Craig M. Jamieson

Managing Member at Adaptive Business Services
Craig M. Jamieson is a lifelong B2B salesperson, manager, owner, and a networking enthusiast. Adaptive Business Services provides solutions related to the sales professional. We are a Nimble CRM Solution Partner. Craig also conducts training and workshops primarily in social selling and communication skills. Craig is also the author of "The Small Business' Guide to Social CRM", now available on Amazon!
Craig M. Jamieson

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