The first steps are daunting!
There are a couple of issues I would like to raise with the new generation of online social media enthusiasts. I speak as someone with L plates on when it comes to this way of spreading information and networking in construction!
Firstly, in this year I have been overseeing the development of our new website which is hopefully user friendly and easy to navigate. It would be good to get some feedback on it. However, I have been distracted on more than one occasion by the overwhelming amount of information available on the Internet. There is mountains of information about Websites, Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, tags, WordPress, Hootsuite, Klout, Mailchimp, AWeber, Magento, LinkedIn and the list goes on and on and on like a river!
I enjoy the simple life, so after reading and researching these words and a hundred others I came to see that they are not all for me. What a relief! I found that developing a strategy can be overwhelming and at times I wanted to run from this important task. Sticking with the plan of action has helped save my sanity. So, what is the moral of this story? Planning is essential for marketing. Plan and then build, just as you would a building. Good common sense.
Linked to all of this is the realisation that CMM will look for ways to introduce social marketing to the construction industry – and that seems daunting. Why? Because this industry is slow to catch on to new forms of marketing which in some quarters is perceived to be unnecessary and expensive. However, I am really excited about the prospect of helping this process forward along with others who feel exactly the same. I will say more in the future about this.
So, if all else fails, read the instructions. Stick with your plan of action and build on that.