A Revolution takes Action

Contrary to popular opinion, your voice does count and yes you can make a difference. That is one of the great things about the communications revolution over the past decade or so. Many of the barriers to making a difference have been or are being removed.

This may be a long blog.  I am specifically writing for my youngest daughter who is furious that once more the public education system is limiting her choices and inhibiting her ability to get the best education she can.   But it certainly has implication for anyone who is trying to be heard. Be it a political cause, a new branding campaign, or a campaign to find a new job, the  many to many marketing approach is changing the landscape of our world.

Step Number 1 –  Have an idea. Write it down. Be passionate about it.  If you don’t know what you want to accomplish, there is very little chance of accomplishing this. Thanks Phil for the reminder. Sometimes we get so distracted by the numerous opportunities that surround us that we fail to remain focused on what we are really hoping to accomplish. By writing down a mission statement, you can keep yourself ,  your efforts, and your message from getting lost in the noise.

• This is where you come up with your domain name, your blog name, etc…
• The idea helps us define our strategy and our design.

Step  Number 2 – Begin by Taking Action… TODAY! Quite often we are not confident as to what we are doing and wait until we do before moving forward. As rapidly as the communications channels are transforming themselves, if you wait until you know everything, it will be obsolete.

• Go ahead and jump in. Start a blog, set-up your Facebook, Twitter, del.icio.us, and Digg accounts and start using them.
• Be willing to add original comments and content.  If  all you do is provide links to pre-published material, why are you necessary? There are already million of sites and posts that do that for us.

Step Number 3 – Be willing to make a mistake. We learn more by making mistakes than we do from getting right the first time. The nice thing about beginning our campaign is that if you make mistakes, you probably won’t have too many people taking notice, yet.

• Write your first blog. Request friends. Respond to some other posts.
• Ask your friends, family members, and colleagues to join your cause.
• Ask these people to recommend friends, to tweet your posts, and to provide honest feedback.
• Include your blog url, your twitter account, etc. to the signature of your e-mails.

Step Number 4 – Recruit like-minded allies. If you’re coming to be heard you need an army behind you. This is where the social networking phenomenon becomes you’re best friend.

• Start checking out and joining Facebook groups and fan pages.  Send friend requests to people who are very socially active.
• Tie your twitter, Digg, Blog, YouTube,  Flicker and Del.icio.us accounts into your Facebook profile.
• Make sure to include a ShareThis  button on your posts to make it easier for others to follow and share your information.

Step Number 5 – Give back. If you want others to help you, be willing to help them. Recognize the efforts and passions of others and make sure that you let them know how much you appreciate their efforts on your behalf.

• Comment on other people’s blogs, posts, and twits. Let them know there voice is being heard.
• Re-tweet great posts.
• Write to those who choose to follow you. 

Step Number 6 – Get out of your Comfort Zone. If you are to succeed, you need to identify and make connections with the people who can take your efforts to a larger audience.  This may mean interacting with, communicating with, and getting to know others who may seem to be out of your league. Remember that we will eventually become like the people with whom we choose to spend time. Your current associations only got you so far, you need to learn and grow.

Step Number 7 – Be consistent with your efforts. We all want to see an immediate result from our actions, but that’s not very likely.  An hour a day, done religiously, will get greater results than a Blitzkrieg that wears you out and fizzles in a few weeks.

• Posting your blog every Monday morning and Thursday morning will result in more followers than will posting multiple blogs in a single day, or just posting at random times.
• Treat your campaign like a job and dedicate a certain amount of time each day to productive activities.

Step Number 8 – Don’t forget traditional methods of sharing your information and building relationships. These tools may not be as glamorous, but they are often still the most effective.

• Join social groups and professional organizations. Meetup.com.  Facebook Events. Facebook Groups.
• Write letters to the editors of traditional media. Furnish press releases. Call or write your senators and congressmen. Attend rallies. 
• For a list of  Florida news and political contacts, check out http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=93965691360&topic=9928.

Step Number 9– Remember to say thank you.  Whether we get the results we want or not, recognizing those who made an effort, not only lets them know their energy was not in vain, but it also says an awful lot about your own character.  All people want to be appreciated and the big shift we are seeing as we move to the many to many marketing model, is that individual recognition and appreciation makes for loyal friends and lifetime customers.