The Journey, Not the Destination - Social Media Flexibility
Several years ago while living in San Francisco I packed up my wife, my 3 yr old son, and my dog into a large motor home and we traveled around the country for 14 months. We only knew one thing when we left, that at some point our destination was the east coast where we planned on living. We didn't know exactly how long before we'd arrive, we didn't know exactly which city or even which state for that matter. Nine times out of ten we would literally wake up in the morning and only then decide where we were going next.
Along the way, the very best experiences we had on the trip were complete accidents. A family who invited us into their home for dinner and took us on a tour of their buffalo ranch when the wind got so strong in Wyoming that I had to pull off the highway. The miniature horse farm in far northern California. Dune buggying in the massive Oregon sand dunes that we didn't even know existed. The campground in Washington state that was empty save for us camping within feet of the most beautiful flyfishing stream you've ever seen. And at every single stop were people interested in talking, in listening, in simply inviting you into their personal space. They weren't in any hurry to get anywhere in particular, like us they were out to experience something along the way, whatever that may be.
In a way social media is very much like this. Don't get me wrong, in business you always have a destination, but trying to draw a linear line that jumps straight from point A to point B like an airplane flight simply doesn't work. You have to accept the fact that in between those two points is a entire world of experiences that you have to go through first. Listening, talking, discovering. And each of those experiences may alter where you thought your destination was. Like me you may find that you plan on going to Connecticut but you select St. Louis instead due to experiences along the way.
You don't have it all figured out in social media, and I'll let you in on a little secret, no one does. Accept that now and you'll be much more able to make those divergent decisions when faced with them. Doggedly sticking to your original objective when all signs say you should change is either very stubborn or very stupid. The problem with taking the airplane is that you skip straight over all of those wonderful bits in the middle. When you land you may find that what you thought was waiting for you isn't there. Take the motorhome on the other hand, and long before you've arrived at your original destination you can discover where you may need to change your plans and adjust accordingly.
I want to make sure I'm very clear on one point, planning and strategy is critical to any business endeavor. The question isn't whether you make a plan, it's whether that plan allows for flexibility and adjustment. It's making sure that your eyes and ears are wide open. It's making sure that when you sell a social media program to your boss that you set expectations properly. It's making sure that the importance of relationship building is first and foremost priority. We're all business people here. We all know the end game is making money. No one here, and especially not me, is saying "just dive in, some really cool serendipitous things will happen along the way and make you money somehow". I'm assuming you're smarter than that. I'm assuming you know I'm smarter than that.
Social media is driven by relationship formation. If you want to make one relationship, then getting on that plane to fly to where that one person is will successfully allow that to happen. If you want to make thousands of relationships, if you want to build trust, if you want to discover along the way that there may be an even better destination out there... then the journey becomes just as important, if not more so. Those conversations with all those people in those campgrounds that you thought were meaningless at the time can richly reward you later on. You never know when that family is going to invite you into their home for dinner, be ready for it (and bring dessert while you're at it, it's the proper thing to do). There is a huge difference between Direct Marketing and Relationship Marketing, and it's the difference between taking the plane or the motorhome.
p.s. - On a side note. You would not believe what exists in this amazing country right out most of your backyards. I'd always assumed things like "purple mountain majesties", "great plains", etc. were exaggerated words to add impact. Not so. They are out there. Go find them.
Matt Ridings - @techguerilla
6 Comments
Thanks for sharing!
Saw many of the US natural sites, Yellowstone Park, Mt. Rainier, Pikes Peak, you name it. Even camped alongside a herd of fenced buffalo. Parents saw to it that we got an education from it all, too. Went to every historical site & museum my dad could find on a map in every single state, especially in D.C.
These experiences shaped me so very much growing up. Made me a thinker. Made me studious. Made me conscious of life beyond making a dollar. And I'm forever grateful.
My parents both have always worked & no one can hold a candle to my dad when it comes to ingenious, ethical ways to make money. We had several family-operated businesses, and I learned from two masters about the art of the dollar.
Now, I'm a business pro. And if you've seen me on Twitter, you know that I love the inroads social media is making in business and in our culture. But you'll also note that I take time every day to focus on the joys of simple life & family. I purposefully work at making my professional endeavors fit a part in my life, but I don't want it to displace the things I value most, God, family, friends, service to others.
Hear that? That's applause for you. Glad you wrote this post & shared. You're the bomb. But you already know that.
Best to you & your family,
@EllisTweet
Joe - I started working at 15 yrs old in HighSchool, a farm prior to that, and throughout college. The notion of the "european backpacking" trip as a young man was far outside of my budget. In some ways I think we are terrified of slowing down to that degree in mid-life because we know we will no longer be able to ignore "what is important" once we do. No one can separate themselves from the madness of work for too long before the questions of "why am I doing this again?" come pouring in.
Mike - Thanks for the thoughts. And yes, it was an experience I obviously haven't forgotten :)
EllisTweet - Very kind words. There is no doubt that sometimes our capabilities (low cost flight travel, etc.) for efficiencies rob us of the most formative experiences. It's a catch-22 though, and like most things requires a balance. You can still take that international flight to Belize instead of a road trip to Arizona, the question is whether you sat in a isolated resort the whole time or experienced the true culture of where you were. People. That's what it's all about. Whether real world or the digial social media world.
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