This week was full of lists … predictions … end-of-the-year specials. I love a good list, so it’s made for some fun reading, but I promise, I won’t bore you with another one! Instead, I want to share an excerpt from an email I received earlier this week:
Although the [company deleted] facebook and twitter pages are updated only a few times per week at best, the simple fact that we HAVE social media pages seems progressive to many in our field. And while the person responsible for our social media has established our online presence, what does our presence say when it is so lackadaisical? At the end of the day, I’m left wondering: what good are these tools doing for us? Does having them and using them so sporadically and inefficiently do any good at all? Or is it ultimately detrimental to our purpose?
Those words stuck with me all week. As we wind down 2009 and gear up for 2010, it’s time to figure out what’s next. Simply put: 2010 isn’t the year to simply create a Facebook page or a Twitter account and call it social media. While that’s a good start, it’s not enough. Instead, it’s time to implement integrated communication strategies — online AND offline — to achieve goals, move the needle and strengthen the bottom line. As Chris Brogan wrote,
Hard work is the badge for 2010. We’re not getting a free pass to flit around the country shooting Flip videos this coming year. It’s about the work we put into it. The SMART work, not just hard work.
Enjoy the weekend with your friends and family. Celebrate the end of the Aughts, and be thankful for the beginning of this new decade. And, when we all get back to work on Monday, it’s game on (one of my favorite West Wing phrases … couldn’t resist throwing it in on more time this year!). Until then, Happy Near Year!