This week I celebrated my birthday.  My husband told me we could go to dinner anywhere I wanted. Well, since I choose to celebrate my birthday for a week, I figured I could wrangle at least two dinners. So, on my actual birthdate I chose a nice, cozy spot where we could just talk and enjoy each others company.  For my second dinner I chose my favorite buffet.

As I was filling my plate I discovered one of my favorite vegetables being offered. It was cut into tiny little pieces, and for some strange reason they had decided to offer a pair of tongs to dish it out with.  As I was dishing, only able to pick up about 3 tiny pieces at once, I felt a presence behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I discovered a very tall man, who appeared to be made of solid muscle. He looked like the type who could crush a can on his forehead. I smiled and asked if I was in his way. He replied that he was planning to have the same vegetable I was working diligently to dish out, but he was happy to wait.  I finished dishing my serving and stepped aside to let him get his portion.  And then it happened…

The grill cook was busy washing the floor and somehow lost his hold on the hose.  Apparently the sprayer was locked on and as it fell to the ground it completely hosed down the man who was standing where I had been just moments before. In that moment my mind locked onto one thought…

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

As I thought about this life lesson, I realized that it applies to everything we do. It also applies to every part of our business.

In business, it’s not so much about being in the right place at the right time, although that does play a part. It’s about seeing the opportunity when it arrives and not holding on to ideas whose time has passed.

Say you were looking to start a business today. Do you think opening a new video rental store would be a great idea? Probably not, considering the availability of online rentals and even free video sites. Well, what about a book store? The small book stores in my area are struggling to compete with sites like Amazon.com.

The same principle applies in marketing your business. I see businesses coming online who are bound and determined to use the same marketing methods that worked 10 years ago, many of which haven’t worked in at least 7 or 8 years. Why do they do this?

Part of it is a lack of training and experience. Part is because they are listening to mentors who haven’t actually marketed on the internet, except their own training course, in 10 years. Some of the reason lies in the fear of the new and unknown. Social Media falls into this category for many people.

Many people who decide to try this “social media thing” go sign up for a facebook account and get a twitter account, and immediately start “friending” and “following” everyone they can. Then one of their new friends says, “Hey, you gotta try this game. It’s absolutely the best!” So they start with that game, and it’s fun, so they start playing a couple more games. Next, the spam messages from all the people they’ve “friended” and “followed” start coming in, saying “buy my stuff”. Soon, the new marketer is spending hours everyday playing games and sorting through spam. At this point, they likely decide that “social marketing” doesn’t work and is just too time consuming.

Does this really mean that social media doesn’t work or that the timing is wrong. No. Absolutely not. Social media is working for countless people and experts predict it will be “THE” marketing method for at least the next decade.

Do you want to get on that train, but don’t know how? Do you realize that your business needs social marketing, but have no clue how to control the spam or manage your time?

SocialBeeOnline can help. We have packages ranging from getting on board with 2 or 3 social networks and teaching you how to manage them quickly and without heartache, to full management of your online marketing effort, both in social media and other marketing methods. We can design a custom package tailored to your precise needs.

And, if you just want to get some quick tips on how to use social media more effectively, feel free to drop by our FaceBook Fan Page (you’ll find the link in the right sidebar, under the “Let’s Get Social” header) and ask about whatever is on your mind. We truly want to help you be more successful in your online marketing efforts.

Until next time, watch for opportunity everywhere, and let go of outdated methods.

Live with passion and purpose,

Vanessa

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