Social media leadership is a game of balancing goals and resources. I’ve learned to “begin with the end in mind,” balancing results, cost, time, staff capabilities, and continuous innovation for optimum value.
Continuous Innovation?
A long time ago I asked a customer CTO how could I tell when I was buying enough software?
He grinned and said, “Well first of all, you’re on a Mac, so it doesn’t really matter. And we all know you’re not cheap, although sometimes excruciatingly frugal.
“Try this. If 100% of the software you buy improves your business, you’re probably not buying enough software.
“If 20% of the software you buy is a waste, then you might be buying too much.
“If 10% of the software you buy you can’t use, then you’re probably buying about the right amount.”
His explanation has been serving me for 20 years.
Staff Capabilities?
Another time at the Web Managers Roundtable, we were discussing magical social media platforms. During a lull, I asked Tony Byrne, President of CMS Watch, “Wait a minute, what about Blogger and Google Apps?”
The Drupal guys thought my question was hilarious.
Tony said, “First of all, every singleton analyst thinks Apps and Blogger is the hot setup…and it is when you’re just a few bloggers. The most important consideration is to select a platform you have the resources to maintain, which is a key value for Apps and Blogger.”
And that continues to be a very useful distinction.
Working to improve your social media strategy? Learn more about BlogLab, from the Web Managers Roundtable, coming this Tuesday, August 16.
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