Most of us will have heard the Old Testament story of David and Goliath. Goliath a huge man, nearly nine feet tall, trained in military warfare, armed to the hilt and as hard as nails faced a fearless young shepherd boy named David. What are the odds of David coming out of such a confrontation alive?
How do we feature?
The whole Israelite army quivered with fear as the giant taunted them every hour. However, young David armed only with a sling and five small stones taken from a nearby brook confidently faced this fearsome hulk. The outcome would make headline news today because David killed the giant and cut off his head. Of course, the king and the Israelite army were relieved at the outcome while the Philistines fled. Great! What has this got to do with social media marketing you might ask?
Well, the story actually has some important principles to teach us about marketing.
1. Social Media Marketing for your business is a daunting process to embark upon. It does appear at times like we are facing a giant of a hill to climb and conquer.
2. We may feel taunted every time some new social media tool is released and my they do seem to come thick and fast.
3. Do we understand all there is to know about Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn? Why Blog and how many businesses within the built environment still do not have a website?
4. We haven’t been trained in the use of social media and we view things with suspicion when we lack the confidence to try new things.
5. Oh! I forgot, there is a really good part of the story that I missed out on. Saul, the Israelite king gave David his armour to wear when facing the Philistine giant. But, David felt uncomfortable in this outfit and decided it would be better to face the opposition in his normal shepherd’s gear. Much more comfortable!
Helpful Answers to the Problems
1. Don’t try to do everything that Social Media offers you. It will be just too much. It takes time to learn and we want to be earning a living by doing what is right for our business. You know the answer to the question. “How do you eat an elephant.” The answer – “One bite at a time!”
Don’t procrastinate over difficult and complex projects. They are achieved little by little, that is progress.
“We all want progress, but if you’re on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” – C S Lewis
2. Look at social media and then make a decision about what is right for YOUR business. I tend to focus on a tripod of tools including websites, blogs and micro-blogging. That is right for my business. Too much involvement and you could start to use up a lot of unnecessary time.
3. We only need to understand the basics. There are some excellent people who are able to help with all of these tools and how they work. You will need to know what it is you want for them to help you implement them.
4. Most new things will create a challenge to our confidence levels. However, Social Media is here to stay and if you take on board that you can approach it in ‘bite-size’ chunks it will make it a lot easier to face.
5. You enjoy designing building or working out structural calculations. Your strength is erecting scaffolding or dealing with health and safety issues not social media or marketing. Well, I will be able to help you because I have selected my smooth pebbles from the brook, removed the unsuitable ‘armour’ and gone out to face the giant with confidence.
I would make myself available for a chat if you need help with your marketing. You may want me to help you review your current marketing plans or talk about your website. Don’t procrastinate! Call me 01202 882 225
