Tools Do Not Make it Happen - Do You Have a Social Media Plan?

<p>Everybody is talking about the tools. Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Blogs, etc, etc, etc. Yet, tools do not make it happen. It happens because you have a plan and you execute the plan.</p><p>It is great to have a hammer and just start hammering all over the place, but what does that produce? The hammer is a tool, that when used to build a house, comes in very handy and helps to make it happen.</p><p>CRM Software is a great tool for your business. But the software alone will not create success. The software with a plan on how to use it, will make it happen for you.</p><p>A great sales person is an excellent resource for your business. But a sales person without a process and plan, no matter how good they are, will still fail.</p><p>Point:
<br>Social networking and social media are great tools, but what is your plan? How are you going to use them to create business? They are just tools. Please take a moment and understand that. Just like the hammer, the CRM software and the sales person, without a plan, they are worth very little.</p><p>Many of us have rushed out, (author as guilty as the rest) and started to use the tools without really understanding what and how to be effective. We had no plan. We just heard that this was a great thing, that everyone is doing it, that you have to do it, so we started doing it.</p><p>Social media and social networking need to fit into both your business plan and your sales and marketing plan.</p><p>First you need to take some time to learn:
<br><ol>
<li>
You need to understand what the tools can and can't do?
</li>
<li>
How to work them?
</li>
<li>
What some of the tricks are?
</li>
<li>
What and how others are using the tools?
</li>
<li>
How much time, effort and energy do they take?
</li>
<li>
How are people in your industry using them?
</li>
<li>
What success stories can you find?
</li>
<li>
What are some of the mistakes people have made
</li>
<li>
Etc.
</li></ol></p><p>Then, like with all planning, you should really "Plan Backwards". In other words, what is it that you want to accomplish and then determine what it is you need to do to get there.</p><p>1. What is it that you want to accomplish:</p><p><ul>
<li>
Get more visibility for our organization
</li>
<li>
Tell a story
</li>
<li>
Build a network
</li>
<li>
Educate
</li>
<li>
Inform
</li>
<li>
Sell products/services
</li>
<li>
All the above
</li>
<li>
None of the above
</li>
<li>
Some combination
</li></ul></p><p>2. Then plan - how, when, where, why and what you are going to do.</p><p>3. How are you going to measure the results of the process</p><p>A. If we want to understand results, then we have to measure.</p><p>B. Just like with any other sales and marketing tool
<br>4. Monitor and Adjust</p><p>A. How, when, where, why and what are we going to adjust</p><p>5. Resources</p><p>A. What resources do I need to make this happen.</p><p>B. Inside/outside</p><p>6. Cost</p><p>A. What will the costs in both dollars and resources be.</p><p>7. Justification</p><p>A. If it works, is it the best use of resources and money for me. It doesn't matter that everyone else is doing it.</p><p>It doesn't matter that it is the hottest thing out there today.</p><p>Social media and social networking still have to follow the business process and create profit for your organization.</p><p>Don't treat it different than you would any other tool you are looking at.</p><p>If you cannot create a profit, then like anything else you look at, move on for now.</p><p>Manny Nowak has spent over 25 years helping people create success in their lives. An ex-marine and former top-notch computer programmer, Manny has an extensive background helping other achieve extreme levels of success. Manny is the author of over a dozen books; CD%u2019s and tools that focus on your ability to achieve greater success in all areas of your life (personal and professional). So stop hesitating %u2013 YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN!<br> <a target="_new" href="http://www.MannyNowak.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.MannyNowak.com</a><br> <a href="mailto:Manny@Mannynowak.com" rel="nofollow">Manny@Mannynowak.com</a></p><p>Looking for a speaker for your event - please give us a call 856 358 4021</p>