Blue Helm

I read a lot of blogs. I pay attention to a lot of websites. I watch how other companies do things and I like to see what is and isn’t working for them. It’s my business to know what’s going on in the social media world. As I look at other people’s work I find it important and sometimes difficult to stay clear of the conventional thinking trap when coming up with social media ideas.

Here are a few statements that can lead to being captured by the conventional thinking trap:

• “I’ve been doing this for years and it works just fine.”
• “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.”
• “But that’s not how other companies do it.”
• “That potential employee is innovative and intelligent, but they just don’t have the experience/résumé.”
• “It seems a little risky.”

What’s wrong with these statements? If it isn’t broken why would you want to fix it? Experience is a good thing. Other companies do it that way because it works. There are a lot of costs associated with risky endeavors. This is all true, but consistently falling into conventional thought can stifle innovation, growth and improvement. The conventional thinking trap stops you from being the first to do something awesome, it stops you from creating something viral, it stops you from being a leader and slowly steers you into mediocrity.

How do you avoid the conventional trap? Here are a few ideas:

1. Try it – If you have an idea for your website, your Facebook page or Twitter, just try it. One of my favorite quotes by Wayne Gretzky explains this principle: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Stop wondering “what if” and do it.
2. Establish an innovative culture – Make it a practice to come up with fresh ideas. Take half an hour each week to brainstorm on how to improve your marketing. If you manage a bigger organization then get ideas from your employees. You could even create a contest and give a small bonus every week to the person that has the best idea. If you encourage innovation your company will thrive.
3. Be different – This is a simple but powerful principle. If you conform to what everyone else is doing then someone will most likely do it better than you. If you can differentiate yourself from the norm, you become the standard. How can you be the leader if all you do is follow?

These are just a few ideas I had that help me to avoid the conventional trap. What are some of the thing you do?

Why is change so hard? What is it about doing something new or different that makes people or organizations uncomfortable?

Is it fear? What if the change doesn’t work? What if people don’t like the change? What if?!

Is it pride? If I change than I’m admitting I was wrong? Does this mean I’m giving up on what I originally believed in? What about my pride?!

Is it laziness? If I change then won’t I have to work harder? Why won’t things just fall into my lap?!

I don’t know what it is about changing that’s so difficult. Every situation is different, and there is always an excuse not to change. It boils down to why you started thinking of changing in the first place…You aren’t getting the results you want.

You aren’t making any sales. You aren’t getting enough followers on Twitter. Your Facebook page is stagnant. Nobody’s visiting your web page. You’re unhappy with your job. You’re sick of the people you work with. It seems like you’re always annoyed with your family. Whatever it is, you’re contemplating change because your expectations aren’t being met.

I have potentially bad news: Your results will never improve unless something changes. Maybe your expectations need to change. If you’re a terrible basketball player, then you should stop expecting to get into the NBA. In most cases though, I don’t think your expectations need to change. There is always something you can change to improve your results. You just have to have to be willing to do it.

Have you ever heard of National History Day? It turns out there is a pretty cool organization that encourages children to take more interest in “the discovery of the historic, cultural and social experiences of the past.” Classrooms across the nation participate in a contest that encourages students to submit a presentation on a topic of historical significance. Think of it as a science fair for history.

My 12-year-old sister participated in this year’s National History Day contest. Her project won first place in her region! Unfortunately, she was sick the weekend of the state competition and wasn’t able to go. Otherwise she probably would have won at the state level (there’s no bias in that statement at all). The topic of her project is “Getting Information to the People: From Gutenberg to Twitter”, a topic that is extremely relevant and very interesting. The best part is that there is an interview at the end with a very attractive young man (that would be me for any who are confused). So without further ado, here is her final project. Enjoy:

Cozy up to social media more often.

Using social media all of the time can get a little tedious. When you’re using Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, blog, or other forms of social media, it’s easy to get bogged down. You get wrapped up in making sure you post to your blog, that you tweet or that you check your Facebook News Feed. These online activities are all important (particularly for your business), but you need to make sure you’re having fun with it!

Take a few minutes today to rekindle your love for one of your social networks. Get on your blog and write about something different and exciting. Go on YouTube and watch some videos that make you laugh (click here and here to see a few of my favorites). Get on Twitter and try to connect with someone in your industry. Don’t just follow them, connect with them. Log onto Facebook and really get in touch with an old friend. Actually message them and start a genuine conversation. If you’re only seeing their updates from time to time, then you haven’t really re-connected with them.

Have fun, do something meaningful, renew your love!

What do you do to keep your social love affair going?

Sometimes it’s easy to fall behind and ignore your blog. Do any of the following statements sound familiar?

My week is too busy… My clients come first… I need a break… I don’t have time… Tweeting is so much faster… I don’t know what to write about… Isn’t LOST on right now?

Blogging on a consistent basis isn’t easy. There are many good excuses and even more bad excuses to avoid updating your blog. Regardless, the excuses do not out-way the importance of keeping a blog for your business. If you need convincing of why you need a blog for your business, click here, or go pick up David Meerman Scott’s book, The New Rules of Marketing and PR.

I have a confession. The last few months have been super busy with clients and I have slacked off in posting to my company’s blog. In fact I’ve only posted once since a week before Christmas. I know…I’m a horrible person. I need to repent.

Repentance is not an easy process. I have fallen into bad habits and need to break them. So what do I need to do? Here is the blogger’s repentance process according to Chad:

1. Admit there’s a problem: If you refuse to admit there’s a problem, then you won’t repent. Stop ignoring that nagging feeling in the back of your head and admit you need to post to your blog! Stop making excuses and get to work.
2. Re-commit yourself: Why did you first start blogging? What got you excited in the first place? Was it a book you read? Did you see another company have success with their blog? Did you have a young employee who got you all excited about starting a blog for your business? Whatever it was, revisit what got you excited.
3. Set a goal: If you don’t set a goal, then nothing is going to happen. If you set a goal then you have something to work towards.
4. Tell someone: Tell someone at your company your blogging goal and ask them to keep you accountable. Sometimes we humans need a little extra motivation. If we know someone else is going to keep us accountable for our actions then we tend to perform a little better.
5. Set apart blogging time: Blogging takes time. Sometimes writing a blog post seems like an insurmountable task because it’s going to take you a few hours to research, write, edit, and post an entry. You may not have a large block of time to blog, but you probably have 30 minutes a day to do something. You can get a lot done in 30 minutes if you put your mind to it. Set apart that time at some point in your day and develop a habit.
6. Don’t sin again: The most important part of repenting is not falling into your bad habits again. Your readers and customers need consistency, they need to know what to expect. When you are inconsistent, your reader or customer will be inconstant.

So I will repent of my heinous blogging sin and commit to posting at least once a week! Keep me accountable!