The Pursuit of Why – Julian Summerhayes

You have surely watched Simon Sinek’s Ted talk?

The point that most resonated with me was his exposition of the Golden Circle.

I saw immediately how this related to my work.

As I see it, unless a business can address the ‘Why’, well ahead of anything else (“Are we hardwired to adopt social media?”) then any attempt to use the multiplicity of platforms will fail. And I don’t mean fail in the sense of spewing forth content (which can, of course, be bought it). No, I mean it won’t resonate with the business identity.

Right now there is endless talk about the hyper-use of social media platforms – the number of users is usually the major hook – but nothing really answers the question:

“How does social media fit with our values and core message?”

The guru culture would have you believe that you are dead if you are not in the fray, but the smart money is on those organisations who understand their sine qua non before they ever paddle in the social media waters.

My point is this. Before you spend any more time asking how you can make more money out of social media, see if you can answer the ‘Why’ question.

PS. Social media needs someone or ideally a few people to resource it. It won’t happen by magic or by the well-intentioned folk being put upon to carry through your aspirations. Look at your budget for 2013. How much money have you set aside – including staff costs? If it’s no more than a smidgen then don’t be surprised if you don’t make any dent in any Universe.

Working with me

I am available for speaking, consulting and coaching on all things social media, excellence and brand you. Please feel free to email me at [email protected] or contact me on +44(0) 7588 815384. You can follow me on Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn,  Tumblr.

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