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Practical Guide to Social Media

Marketing podcast with OpenForum (Click to listen, right click and Save As to download – subscribe now via iTunes

The above podcast is an interview I conducted with OPEN Mic, hosted by Monocle editor Tyler Brûlé, as part of a social media special. Guests also include Adam Ostrow of Mashable and several very interesting small businesses from around the world.

The project, sponsored by AMEX OpenForum, included a written guide to social media with contributions from Ostrow, Anita Campbell and myself. You can download the complete OPEN Book: A Practical Guide to Social Media

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21 But You Do Need To Be Smart Enough to Buy It

booksA lot of small business owners are good at what they do. But, they’ve learned that’s usually not enough to grow the business so they get outside help, quite often in areas related to marketing, so they can “focus on what they do best and let others handle the rest.”

While no one can know how to do every aspect of business, and certainly there is work that makes sense to outsource or delegate, there is nothing in your business that you can abdicate.

What I mean by this, for example, is that even though you may never fancy yourself a pay per click advertising expert, if you plan to hire someone who is, you do need to be smart enough about it to buy it. Same is true for SEO, for web design, for PR advice.

It’s risky business to hand over your marketing on faith that someone is simply going to understand your objectives, your customers, your core message better than you. Even the most experienced marketing coach or graphic designer will struggle if you can’t participate in the results of the project. (It’s also important to know how to spot really bad advice – it’s not hard to call yourself a social media or SEO expert!)

I’m going to repeat this – you don’t have to know how to do everything, you do need to know how to buy it and that means you have to invest in educating yourself.

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