While at Planet Kid on Saturday for the beginning of what we call “birthday season”, I was talking to a parent & what they are doing in their local (large) multi-location, retail store in social media.  A typical I.T guy gets it, but doesn’t know exactly how to sell it (and I mean typical in a very loving sense…I love my IT guys – they are just not typically sales/marketing guys – but just really smart guys in the back who get overlooked a whole lot).

We laughed about how all the crotchety old marketing guys don’t “get it”, yet don’t take the time to sit and listen, watch, observe or engage on why they should “get it”.  His advice: get on Facebook and just try connecting with friends & family.  Honestly, a great start, lets just hope they don’t use this New Media stuff as a venue to take the place of the bus bench advertising.  *sigh*

So what should this VERY established, local, ranching & farming multi-location retail store do?

1. Educate themselves on what social media is and is not!
(Answer: it’s a listening device that will tell you what the public and your customers think of you instead of you trying to guess or predict what they want to hear – and it is NOT a fad…not anymore than that tele thing that came about a few years ago!).

2.  Hire someone part-time to evaluate where you are at & what you should be accomplishing in 3, 6 & 9 months…and have THEM be the person who executes, guides & manages all of it.
(Answer: hire someone INSIDE! When you hire someone on the inside, they are taking stock and ownership of YOU and your company)

3.  Be open to change! Think about it…the kind of marketing you have been doing…was it the same type of marketing that was done 30 years ago?  Do you still have cash registers from 1979 too?  Didn’t think so.  Evolve with all parts of your business – you will be rewarded.

The first steps in change are always the most difficult.  Take a deep breath & get educated.  Change is good!