Image credit: Gerd Altmann, via Pixabay.com
Most of us in the U.S. don’t gather wood for the fire so we can stay warm in the winter, carry buckets of water from the well to the house to wash, make our own clothes or hunt our own meat.
The industrial revolution produced a society in which it became common to pay others to provide these essentials so we have time to do other things. In the 20th century, we used the time we saved purchasing food, clothing and utilities to pursue careers.
This trend has only increased in the 21st century, thanks to the information revolution. We now communicate, buy, sell and even socialize via high-speed internet. The purchase of digital devices and services to expedite virtually everything in our lives has become the norm.
All the time we save purchasing services begs the question:
How are we using all this saved time?
As a business person, by now you know the following:
- Like you, your customers are using technology to save time they will use pursuing their hobbies, exploring their passions and being with loved ones.
- Their methods of choice to find you are social media and Google via smartphones.
- You need to have some kind of presence on your customers’ devices to remain relevant in an increasingly digital world.
The above three statements are obvious, but the way you respond to this knowledge is not. Take a moment to ponder this question:
How much time am I spending doing what I don’t want to do?
You started a business because you wanted to do what you’re passionate about. You are not passionate about showing up on your customer’s smartphones. You want to crawl out of your skin when you read articles about content marketing, social media for business, analytics … subjects you think you ought to know about but find you really don’t give a damn.
I get it. I’m a do-it-yourselfer in all areas where I feel I’m fairly competent. That includes mowing the lawn. Last week, for the first time ever, I hired someone to do it for me.
And you know what I did in the meantime? I wrote. Because that is my passion. Because that was what I really wanted, needed to do that hour.
I believe there is value in learning how to do new things; however, once you’ve learned the basics, there is value in using that time to get back to what you really love to do.
You can write your own blog posts. You can post your own content to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and half a dozen other social media channels. You can make your business show up on those ubiquitous handheld devices yourself.
But do you want to?
If you feel like the information age is washing over you like a tidal wave and you have to be a giant brand just to keep on your feet, that’s probably because you’re trying use your own strength – your own precious time – to stay above water.
You don’t have to.
Take a deep breath and hear this. You don’t need to spend hours and hours just trying to keep up with the increasingly complex demands of digital marketing.
I work with a growing number of digital marketing shops that empower small businesses like yours to compete in the digital landscape. Currently, they include:
This list is growing as I continue to discuss partnerships with agencies who believe, as I do, that it’s time we all start spending more time doing what we were born to do and allow others to support us as we go.
If you have the resources and desire to manage your own social media accounts you can contact me directly for help generating content. Otherwise, any of the shops above would be happy to take on all your digital marketing needs and often include me as part of the package.
Allow yourself to stop worrying about keeping up for a moment. Allow your heartrate to slow and just imagine … having more time.
How are you going to use it?