Nel Gennaio del 1848 è stato scoperto l'oro nell'American River in California. Gli Stati Uniti, per quanto "giovani" all'epoca, sarebbero cambiati per sempre, e il mondo sarebbe cambiato con loro.
Attenzione alle scorciatoie
Se tenete d'occhio post oppure tweet, probabilmente troverete molte informazioni a proposito dellle scorciatoie. Come ottenere più follower rapidamente? Come costruire un account Twitter in minuti? Come far sì che la pagina Facebook abbia successo immediatamente? In superficie, questo genere di informazioni sembra utile. Forse persino di valore. Ma lasciatemi dire qualcosa a proposito delle scorciatoie che prendevano i cercatori d'oro.
I cercatori che venivano da stati come il Missouri sentivano parlare di scorciatoie che li avrebbero portati tra le montagne direttamente in California. Quello che molti cercatori scoprivano, comunque, era che le scorciatoie che prendevano non erano propriamente scorciatoie. Molti di quei percorsi li portavano direttamente nel deserto. Altre scorciatoie portavano a nord invece che a sud. Siccome i viaggi erano programmati su una timeline molto grezza, questo genere di calcoli sbagliati causavano molti problemi.
Prendere scorciatoie con il piano di social media marketing è altrettanto pericoloso. Se cercate di saltare parte del duro lavoro previsto per arrivare rapidamente alla parte migliore o più divertente, rischiate di tornare indietro invece di andare avanti. Per esempio, se iniziate a scrivere un blog ma non avete un piano, rischiate di rimanere bloccati. Il vostro blog potrebbe finire in una lunga lista di blog abbandonati, che non fa che sembrare la vostra azienda poco preparata e poco dedicata.
Fate un po' di ricerca prima di cominciare
Molti cercatori dovevano prendere rapide decisioni sul posto in cui stabilirsi. Dovevano riservarsi un'area prima degli altri, organizzare un rifugio e poi mettersi al lavoro. Dato che la maggior parte degli uomini andati in California non erano mai stati cercatori prima, questo non era un compito facile. Basandoci su quanti hanno avuto effettivamente successo, sembra che non sia stata fatta molta ricerca prima che gli uomini si mettessero in viaggio. Immaginavano, probabilmente, che avrebbero scelto un posto, sarebbero saltati nel fiume, cercato oro, e diventati ricchi. Il truco, ovviamente, era che se non sceglievi un buon posto non trovavi oro per niente, e avresti perso soldi invece di diventare ricco.
Le persone fanno lo stesso tipo di errore quando cominciano i loro sforzi nel social media marketing. Quanto è difficile scrivere un tweet, dopotutto? Basta saltare nella mischia, cominciare a scrivere, e le persone risponderanno. Giusto?
Non proprio.
Se cominci a twittare prima di fare ricerca su cosa farai, potresti scoprire che, come i cercatori, ti stai installando nel posto sbagliato. Forse i tuoi clienti usano Facebook di più, oppure non usano i social media. Quanto tempo ed effort spenderai prima di capire che devi cambiare tattica?
Pensa fuori dal coro
Marjorie Clayman | @margieclayman
Lessons in Social Media Marketing from the 1849 Gold Rush
In January of 1848, gold was discovered on the American River in California. The United States, young though it was at the time, would be changed forever, and the world would change with it. When historians talk about this tumultuous time in American history, they tend to focus on the “49ers” who traveled often perilous routes to reach the California gold mines. But there are other lessons that can be pulled from this time in history, lessons that you can use today as you approach social media marketing.
Beware of shortcuts
If you scan blog posts or tweets, you are likely to find a lot of information about short-cuts. How can you get more blog subscribers really fast? How can you build your Twitter following in minutes? How can you make sure your Facebook page is successful immediately? On the surface, this kind of information seems like it would be helpful. Maybe even valuable. But let me tell you something about the shortcuts the gold miners tried to take.
Miners traveling from states like Missouri out to California heard about a lot of shortcuts that would take them through the mountains and right into California. What many miners found out, however, was that the shortcuts they took were not really shortcuts. Many of those paths led them into huge deserts. Other shortcuts took them north instead of south. Since journeys were planned based on a certain rough timeline, these kinds of miscalculations caused serious problems.
Taking shortcuts with your social media marketing plan is likewise perilous. If you try to skip some of the hard work on your plate so you can get to the good stuff or the fun stuff, you could end up setting yourself back rather than helping yourself out. For example, if you start writing a blog but don’t really have a plan for it, you could end up stalling. Your blog could end up in the long line of abandoned blog sites, which only serves to make your company look unprepared and undedicated.
Research before you start
A lot of gold miners had to make a quick decision about where they were going to set up their camps. They had to reserve an area before others took it from them, set up a shelter, and then get to work. Since most men that went to California had never been miners before, this was no easy task. Based on how few were ultimately successful, it seems like there was not a lot of research done before the men headed off on their journeys. They figured, most likely, that they would grab a spot, jump into the river, pan for gold, and get rich. The trick, of course, was that if you did not pick a good spot you wouldn’t find any gold at all, and you actually could lose money rather than become wealthy.
People make the same sorts of mistakes when they begin their social media marketing efforts. How hard is it to write a tweet, after all? You can jump in, start writing stuff, and people will respond. Right?
Not exactly.
If you start tweeting before researching what you are going to do, you might find that like those gold miners, you are setting up camp in the wrong place. Maybe your customers use Facebook more, or maybe they aren’t even using social media much. How much time and effort will you spend before you realize you need to change your tactics?
Think outside the box
Do you know who some of the most successful people were during the Gold Rush? Not necessarily the miners. Samuel Brannan had opened a store near Sutter’s Mill (where the rush started) back in 1847. When he heard that gold had been discovered, he went to see for himself. When he confirmed there was gold, he found a bit, put it in a vial, and went off to San Francisco, shouting that there was gold to be discovered. He opened his second store right where the miners were going to be settling, and he made a fortune selling supplies. He didn’t have to dig for gold like everyone else, and his means for making a living was far less risky.
What can you do that is unique and innovative as you approach social media marketing? While everyone pans for social media gold, what can you invest in that will be steady and consistent? It might not sound as fun, but you could end up being the big winner in the end.
When it comes to social media marketing, it’s easy to plow ahead like the gold miners did – without a plan, without research, and without a mind for innovative thinking. But that is no guarantee for success. While everyone else rushes ahead, keep a cool head and proceed with intelligence. It might seem counter-intuitive, but it really will pay off.
Marjorie Clayman | @margieclayman
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