I just looked at the website of a business I spoke to a few years back regarding what they could be doing to raise their profile and desirability in the marketplace using a combination of owned, earned and social media.
This business in question approached me for help and guidance. I gave a fair bit of it away gratis just to learn more about the company in question and to build a degree of trust before we commenced any formal business arrangement.
There was a lot of umming and aaaahing on their part so eventually I walked away, even though the owner of said business was attentive and interested. That’s cool, it happens. No biggie.
Terrific opportunity
I felt at the time the business had a terrific opportunity to really make an impact in its space, to be able to strategically use social media and content marketing to not only differentiate its brand from its competitors, but also over time become recognised as a go-to expert, thus potentially leading to some media exposure. This is not the case with a lot of businesses, but I genuinely felt it was in this instance.
What I’m disappointed about, having just looked at this company’s website again, is that its owner has done virtually nothing to advance his brand (online), save for some sporadic ‘piece-meal’ effort on Twitter.
Net of contacts
I’m disappointed, ‘cos I liked this guy and thought at the time he had a lot to offer, that he could have – with some effort – created original content that was useful and helpful and inspiring for his existing and prospective customers, plus utilised social media to widen his net of contacts and build relationships with potential clients, advocates and key influencers.
Remember, this was a few years ago so he definitely could have left a mark for his business before any of his competitors had decided to jump into the social/content arena.
So that is what’s really disappointing.
It’s not that I didn’t get to work with him but more because he had this great opportunity and, through whatever reason – lack of motivation perhaps? – he let it slip. He’s not the only one, of course; I see it all the time.
If you’re reading this and you’ve thought about using social media and online publishing platforms to build visibility, influence and trust in the marketplace and potential new leads for your business, don’t put it off. Please. There are plenty of savvy folk out there who can help you; alternatively there is no shortage of books, courses, and blog posts to inspire and guide you if you want to go down the DIY path.
Give it some thought, yeah?