Interesting phenomenon happened surrounding this post. I had a couple of people that I like and respect very much say “Why do marketers need to be told these things multiple times?”

We read tons. We absorb a ton of information. I think part of the trouble is that we stop there. As if the information from the page will seep into our brain and automatically make something happen. We cannot learn – and we certainly can’t take action – by osmosis.

All of the tips and pointers and great points in the world aren’t worth a fig if someone doesn’t pick up the hammer and start swinging.

So why aren’t we hearing it?

It takes a brave soul to self-diagnose, and realize when you’re part of the problem. It’s hard to admit sometimes that you aren’t the person or the business that’s living up to the ideal. Reading along, you might be nodding to yourself about how things *should* be done, but it’s a different story to be honest about the parts where you’re falling short.

I can attest. I was a development director in non profits for years. I was a corporate marketing director. I’ve launched failed fundraising campaigns, direct mail that flopped, email newsletters that sucked, and community initiatives for things like volunteer recruitment that failed miserably. It’s ok. It’s how we learn.

But imagining that everything you’re doing is working perfectly is narrow minded at best and dangerous for your business at worst. That kind of myopia is what sinks ships while they blissfully sail along, unaware of the holes in the hull. So be analytical enough to assess where you need to improve. Then focus the information you gather on things that can specifically improve that thing or things. Start there.

Are you listening, or actually processing?

Look. There are plenty of resources out there talking about marketing, PR, social media, and the like. There’s no shortage of information for the people who want to find it. If you’re serious about including social media in your efforts, there is a ton of valuable information at the touch of the keyboard.

The missing link is in taking that broad-based knowledge and jamming it through your own filter. You don’t have to digest it all, you just need to pay attention to the points that are relevant to you. If you’re going to build a blog, gather information about blogging. Then run that against your business goals, and use your brainpower to figure out where the connections are.

You have a responsibility as a marketing or PR or communications or customer service professional to distill this pile of information and continue using common sense and business acumen to apply it. There’s no amount of blogs or white papers or delicious links and case studies that will do this for you. How someone else is doing it isn’t necessarily how you should be. No one promised that you wouldn’t have to do any work.

The Tipping Point

I appreciate very much the need for practical information, and I understand that there’s a lot of theory and idealistic pontificating out there about social media. And I’m personally committed to continuing to provide the how to, and as much knowledge as I can gather about what’s working. But here’s the trick.

This is all still evolving, as is your business. Every day. And no matter how practical some *other* person’s information is, you’re going to have to adapt it. You have to own it enough to build the bridge from the information you gather to the information you need. No one is going to do it for you. That means trying, building, experimenting, and learning. Small things, big things, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t have to be revolutionary all the time. But you do have to start.

(And for all of you marketers out there frustrated that you have to say the same things over and over, I have news for you, too. That’s our job. To educate and guide. Live with it. It’s not a given that the entire world has to “get it” right away, and that’s your job as the professional with the experience. Sometimes, the right message will only sink in when it’s put precisely in the right context.)

We have to continue talking and teaching and applying and breaking things and learning and going back and doing it again. The best thing we can do is share with each other what we learn, because it makes everyone better. But there is no such thing as automatic. There’s work to be done, whether it be learning or applying. Are you up for it?

Photo credit: lollyknit

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