I went out for my last run before the marathon this morning. And who was there to greet me? Our cat got herself stuck in the car. As she stared at me, I imagined her trying to get in the car on the morning of the race. It’s going to be an early morning, and she will probably be the only person up beside me. She may be up for the trip, but I doubt I could have her go the whole 26.2.
After I let her out and I went on my run, I pondered how social media marketing requires two very different modes of behavior. Sometimes, you have to be like a cat. Other times, you need to plan like a long distance runner.
Sometimes, to be successful we must be like a cat. They’re impulsive and react quickly. My cat knew how to get in the car, but had no idea how to get out and she was relying on the kindness of her owner to save her. She was successful in her first goal. The trick is to consistently react in an appropriate way that satisfies prospects and customers. Based on my observations of my cat, felines get it right at least half of the time.
Other times, to be successful we need to have a strategy. Both qualities are needed in social media marketing. A business needs to respond to happy and cantankerous customers. A Twitter rant can damage the reputation of a company in an instant. But to have a lasting impact, we also must have a plan of what we will say on the days when we do not need to react. What is the message you want to convey? Who is your target market? What problems do they face and how can your brand solve their pain?
When a social media manager reacts as quickly as a cat, while planning for the future like a marathon runner, The results can be unbeatable!
