At this advanced stage of Social Media development, most would
agree that major companies have embraced the new opportunities with
gusto and success. Few pundits would dispute the fact that companies
like Ford and Starbucks are ahead of the Web 2.0 power curve. In fact,
it could be argued that Social Media is reinventing those companies,
spurring enormous innovation, new products, and renewed market strength.
But what about the small business - the lone entrepreneur without the capital and the staying power to experiment with Social Media? What are his options and prospects? And perhaps more importantly, is there a viable opportunity for the sole entrepreneur to break out of the pack with a creative and revolutionary approach using Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or their countless stepchildren?
Like thousands of other interested moviegoers, I found myself in a rapt audience watching The Social Network recently. I was fascinated; not by the intriguing story or masterful screenplay, and not by the surprisingly diverse demographic of the audience; but rather by a subtle message with huge implications for the small entrepreneur. Mark Zuckerberg, the Harvard genius and founder of Facebook, became the youngest billionaire in history, not through business acumen but nearly by accident. Some would say dumb luck. Who knows where the truth lies? It is, after all, a Hollywood production not a documentary. But the one unmistakable theme of the movie for me, was that after two hours of watching I was left with the same question that was bothering me when I entered the theater... "How can the typical small business use Social Media for significant sales growth and predictable profits?"
Of course under the perfect set of economic conditions, with a spark of genius, hubris and available venture capital, the next Zuckerberg can invent the next Facebook. But what about the average businessman or woman, who is simply trying to use Social Media tools to sell products or services?
The Ultimate Social Media Innovation - Barring a sudden flash of brilliance, the answer for the entrepreneur is a decidedly unglamorous combination of creativity, persistence and hard work. As I have said frequently on this blog, Social Media is simple, but it isn't easy.
Creativity - Over the last year, I have tweeted thousands of articles from the best thinkers in Social Media, but with few exceptions they have been a rehash of what we already knew. Formulas exist for the successful building of a large Twitter following, but few entrepreneurs can claim notable sales success from Twitter followers. Facebook has proven effective, but only when Facebook ads are used to generate new business, and while financially reasonable this is still a luxury for many entrepreneurs. StumbleUpon can generate windfall web traffic, but only with immense effort.
In short, more creative solutions must be found before the typical entrepreneur will realize the level of success experienced by the large companies.
Creativity cannot be taught and it is in short supply. Researching the existing ideas of others is not the solution either. All of us-the entrepreneurs, their stakeholders and advisors-must spend time creating solutions that as yet do not exist.
Persistence - Even as we develop new solutions, success will only come with much trial-and-error. There is a proverbial pot-of-gold at the end of the Social Media rainbow, but it is elusive. To find it as an entrepreneur demands a lengthy period of sustained effort, requiring persistence.
Hard work - Even Mark Zuckerberg spent countless hours pounding away on his computer. It is a long-lived cliché, but there is absolutely no substitute for hard work.
Our job as professionals - As professionals, we must view every new Social Media campaign with renewed creativity, looking for new and innovative solutions. We must persist until our customer's goals are achieved. And we must never shy away from the very hard work that will always be necessary. Above all, it should be our quest to find new and productive tools to assist the entrepreneur. Our combined expertise should be focused on helping those who are least able to help themselves.
But what about the small business - the lone entrepreneur without the capital and the staying power to experiment with Social Media? What are his options and prospects? And perhaps more importantly, is there a viable opportunity for the sole entrepreneur to break out of the pack with a creative and revolutionary approach using Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon or their countless stepchildren?
Like thousands of other interested moviegoers, I found myself in a rapt audience watching The Social Network recently. I was fascinated; not by the intriguing story or masterful screenplay, and not by the surprisingly diverse demographic of the audience; but rather by a subtle message with huge implications for the small entrepreneur. Mark Zuckerberg, the Harvard genius and founder of Facebook, became the youngest billionaire in history, not through business acumen but nearly by accident. Some would say dumb luck. Who knows where the truth lies? It is, after all, a Hollywood production not a documentary. But the one unmistakable theme of the movie for me, was that after two hours of watching I was left with the same question that was bothering me when I entered the theater... "How can the typical small business use Social Media for significant sales growth and predictable profits?"
Of course under the perfect set of economic conditions, with a spark of genius, hubris and available venture capital, the next Zuckerberg can invent the next Facebook. But what about the average businessman or woman, who is simply trying to use Social Media tools to sell products or services?
The Ultimate Social Media Innovation - Barring a sudden flash of brilliance, the answer for the entrepreneur is a decidedly unglamorous combination of creativity, persistence and hard work. As I have said frequently on this blog, Social Media is simple, but it isn't easy.
Creativity - Over the last year, I have tweeted thousands of articles from the best thinkers in Social Media, but with few exceptions they have been a rehash of what we already knew. Formulas exist for the successful building of a large Twitter following, but few entrepreneurs can claim notable sales success from Twitter followers. Facebook has proven effective, but only when Facebook ads are used to generate new business, and while financially reasonable this is still a luxury for many entrepreneurs. StumbleUpon can generate windfall web traffic, but only with immense effort.
In short, more creative solutions must be found before the typical entrepreneur will realize the level of success experienced by the large companies.
Creativity cannot be taught and it is in short supply. Researching the existing ideas of others is not the solution either. All of us-the entrepreneurs, their stakeholders and advisors-must spend time creating solutions that as yet do not exist.
Persistence - Even as we develop new solutions, success will only come with much trial-and-error. There is a proverbial pot-of-gold at the end of the Social Media rainbow, but it is elusive. To find it as an entrepreneur demands a lengthy period of sustained effort, requiring persistence.
Hard work - Even Mark Zuckerberg spent countless hours pounding away on his computer. It is a long-lived cliché, but there is absolutely no substitute for hard work.
Our job as professionals - As professionals, we must view every new Social Media campaign with renewed creativity, looking for new and innovative solutions. We must persist until our customer's goals are achieved. And we must never shy away from the very hard work that will always be necessary. Above all, it should be our quest to find new and productive tools to assist the entrepreneur. Our combined expertise should be focused on helping those who are least able to help themselves.
Michael R. H. Stewart
President
Jericho Technology, Inc.
Phone: (602) 512-9991
URL: http://www.jerichotechnology.com
Email: michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_R._H._StewartPresident
Jericho Technology, Inc.
Phone: (602) 512-9991
URL: http://www.jerichotechnology.com
Email: michaelstewart@jerichotechnology.com
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