When you do what I do, you ultimately end up networking with a lot of people. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting marketing “greats” as well as people new to the industry when I attend conferences and other events. Most of the newer people I run into are intrigued and extremely excited about the whole concept of social media and what it can do for them. Often though, they aren’t sure where to start.

I know for many upstarts, kicking off a social media campaign (or even the process of planning it) can be likened to taking a leap off of a cliff. The question tied to that is “Are you a lemming, or a skilled base jumper?”

Essentially, are you doing it based on careful planning and an intelligent decision (Actually I’m not sure jumping off a cliff is the most intelligent decision, parachute or not) or are you just following the crowd?

There are so many that chase their competition around on Facebook and Twitter and start blogging without any plan of action or approach. It’s humorous and painful at the same time to visual a swarm of businesses clamoring and hollering in a mass right toward the edge and just falling off into a continuous splash in the water below.

It’s like “weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, social meeeediiiaaaAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!” Flail as much as you want, you can’t change direction when you’re falling, or in the middle of a train wreck or that matter.

According to Forrester Research, “Starting with social tactics spells disaster”. Why?  Because social media hands the control over to the consumer or buyer.  Marketers don’t maintain that control.  Launching a social media campaign “just because” with a focus on tools rather than an understanding of the audience and market with a complete lack of strategy leads to inefficiency and in many cases embarrassment over wasted marketing funds.

The concept of the base jumper emphasizes having a plan and strategy. While a base jumper may very well be throwing himself into the open air to plummet quite a distance, they still take careful measures to plan the descent as much as possible and they often know the layout of the cliff face as well as the terrain where they’ll be landing. In order to do that they have goals, tactics and tools that are combined to form a specific strategy tailored to each cliff.
If you want to take this approach, then you need a clear understanding of what social media is and what it is not.

Social media is a grouping of technology and platforms that enable:
- Sharing
- Influence
- Relationships
- Listening opportunities
- Conversation
- Engagement
- Outreach

Social media is certainly not:
- A form of direct marketing
- A replacement method for other marketing
- Controllable (no more than a bull in a china shop, Nestle is proof of that assumption)
- A strategy
- Wholly measurable
- A medium for publishing offline advertising.

Looking through those lists there are a number of items that are somewhat vague. That’s what makes social media so damn scary and uncertain for many new folk getting into this (and so exciting for others).

While it might FEEL like you’re jumping off a cliff, it doesn’t have to be that way for any business. When you’re a little kid, you start jumping off chairs and other furniture before moving on to big rocks and then the swing set… then to tree’s and the house which ultimately leads to a parental heart attack. Point being, you can start small. There’s nothing in the rule books (what rule book, right?) that says “you must climb to the top of Everest and base jump or else you’re a sissy and you just can’t hack the Gibson.”

With proper planning, tools, research and education then you can equip yourself and your business for targeted efforts in social media that pay off, even if you have to start small. Remember it’s about growing, and that always starts with a seed.

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