Social Media Don't Go With the Flow So it's Friday.  For those of you who know me, you know Friday is a day of vision, strategy and thought for me.  It is when I open my mind even further to possibilities, dreams and plans. It's when I sit back and appreciate the things we've accomplished this week. It's the day I also plan what I could do better. It's the day I am resetting my course, drawing my map and preparing for the week ahead before this one has even ended.  No wonder Monday feels like Wednesday as mentally I am already 3 days behind! Ha!

Questions: What are you doing to drive your business forward? What are you doing to stand out? What are you doing to zoom faster than your competition? What are you doing to grab market share? Take advantage of a down market? What are you doing to drive tighter efficiencies? Are you measuring ROI? Are you maximizing your time, your effort and your mindshare? Why are you doing social media? Why are you tweeting? Who are you tweeting to? Why are you tweeting at them instead of with them? Why are you on Facebook for Business? How are you using LinkedIn?  Are you engaging? Or are you just more noise in the crazy river of flowin' fish?

Do you have the guts to ask yourselves these questions?

Or are you too busy going with the flow?  Are you a fish in a fast river who is barely hanging on with one fin going as fast as you can? Maybe not even knowing where you are going? However, because you're going with the thousands of others flowin' next to you, you think all is okay.

Sorry to break the news to you.  Going with the flow will not get you thru the storm.  It will not grow your business through a down economy.  It will not help you maximize your investment in social media, marketing, email marketing, offline marketing, advertising, or even offline networking.

You need to focus internally on who YOU are and what YOU are doing!  Why are you doing what you are doing? What markets are you serving? What do they need? What are they thinking about your business? What do they need that you aren't offering? And most importantly what do they need that nobody is offering? Chances are the way to stand out will be the one who goes the extra lap and designs, builds and offers the service that nobody else has the guts or time to do.  Why don't they have the guts to do it? Because they are too busy going with the flow.

A few questions to ask yourself:

1. Why do you tweet? What is it you want to accomplish? This is a simple yet complicated question.  The answer should not come easily. The answer should be based on your biz strategy and plans.

2. Who is your social media audience? Do you know them?  Who follows you on Twitter? Who is your fan page? Have you taken the time to read their blogs? Read their tweets? Why not spend a day listening and understanding your audience versus blasting noise to them.  I bet half of your competition is going with the flow and blasting noise while you can be listening and learning.  By Monday, you'll be one step ahead as you'll know what they were talking about on Friday.  You might even know what they need.  Listen and learn.

3. What is your competition doing? Are they going with the flow? Who are the competitors that are ahead a lap or two? Are they already at shore, taking a break in Hawaii because they chose to go the extra mile while you were living status quo? Listen and learn.

4. What are your partners doing? Same questions here.  Take a look at the top ones who come to mind. What is different about them? Why are they different? Why did they come to mind?

5. Do you feel that your wheels are spinning, you are working 24/7 but getting no where? Do you often wonder why the same competition that seems to be going on vacation, taking Friday's off are also the ones not going with the flow?  Maybe if you stop going with the flow you can actually cross some things off your list.  Maybe you don't need 25 social media profiles to manage daily.  You can focus on the top priorities that will drive results.

6.  Swim better, not faster! Dare to rise above. Swim for a better life that you dream, build and execute  for YOURSELF not for the flow of crazy fish all around you.  Just because they all look busy, have thousands of Twitter followers does not mean they know what they are doing.  Only you can make your business successful.  Worry about yourself and how you can best serve your audiences, today!

7. Take a Visit to the bookstore. Pick up a couple books for motivation. My top 3 recommendations are: a.) Linchpin or Purple Cow by Seth Godin b.) Engage by  Brian Solis and c.)  Crush It by Gary Veynerchuk.

8.  What will you do different come Monday? If you do something different, Monday has already started.  When you live your life and plan your business for YOU, for YOUR dreams, for YOUR customers, NOT for the millions of status quo fish swimming by, the water seems more blue.  The fish are more friendly and life is like a river filled with life, laughter and love.

My Monday is almost here and I can't wait to get started.  Saturday and Sunday are just icing on my cake.  Two days for me to plan Tues & Wed while I drive my hubby nuts! ha

What's Flowin' With You?
Where are you in the flow of life and business? Are you following status quo to stay with the flow? Or are you ready to swim better, smarter than the rest? Go get em'!

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