See what sticks
However, I learned that inventors, entrepreneurs, and visionaries are at the core of this event.
The speakers stressed the importance of trying new things. Of experimenting and tinkering to find solutions and discoveries. In this day and age this is more important than ever, and when it comes to the social web, this is equally important.
Social Media doesn’t fit into a box. It is an organic medium that constantly evolves.
This requires us, the handlers, to tinker and experiment with it.
There are many pieces that make up the social web and it requires a bit of discovery to find the best solutions for your clients. Now this may go against the grain and it is fair to say that clients may not want to pay you to experiment, but there really is no other way for it to work.
Social Media is not the silver bullet solution. It is but one component of the overall branding and marketing strategy. And though it may seem like a waste of time to experiment, the social web pays back those who take the time to discover its strengths. Like the inventors at Maker Faire, their value is in finding what works through trail and error. By taking the time to discover solutions, they invent and create things that couldn’t have happened without going through that process.
Throw it against the wall. Pay attention to what sticks and build off that.
That is not to say that you shouldn’t discount the importance of strategy. Social Media will eat you alive if you play with it blind. You do need to outline objectives and goals of what you want to accomplish using social media.
Just don’t forget that within that well defined and outlined strategy you leave room to tinker.
Image taken by Jon Wisby
