How To Stay Ahead Of Your Competitors

We should be in social media – just not right now.

We should start a company blog – just not right now.

We should be making our website more user-friendly – just not right now.

We should be doing a lot of things – just not right now.

Not right now – it’s the phrase that companies and executives/decision makers use when they know they’re behind in the game but they’re not sure how to get into it.

It’s the excuse that takes the heat off the boardroom meetings when asked about the new platforms that are emerging (or have emerged) and is it something our company should be looking at.

It’s the fallback of folks that could make it happen right now if they wanted to, but it seems like a lot of work.

Besides, there’s too much that can go wrong to make the risk (or perceived risk) worthwhile.

True. There is a lot that can go wrong.

There is a lot of work involved.

There is stuff that will be completely out of your hands.

But look at it another way. When you first started your business, was there a chance things could go wrong? Did it involve a lot of work, and long hours, to make it happen? Were there things you couldn’t control, no matter how much you planned ahead?

Of course there were, yet you’re still here.  Because you put the effort in and took the risks. Because you knew that not everything will always goes to plan; you just need to make sure you’re ready with a back-up.

So if you’re caught in the not right now dilemma – either yourself, or with someone that makes the decisions for you – take the chance and think differently (or try and show the not right now’s how to think differently).

• You don’t need to jump in and participate in social media right away – but you can listen.  Twitter Search,  Facebook Groups,  Google Alerts and other  free and  simple platforms can help you see if you should be in social media, and where, and when.
• If you can use email you can blog. Platforms like Posterous and  Tumblr allow you to write a blog post simply by emailing in your thoughts – their tech guys will do the rest. Five minutes of your time today can turn you into a thought leader for tomorrow.
• You can change your website now and relatively painlessly and have the most user-friendly platform for both you and your customers. Better still, you’ll be in control and not tied to some web guy’s timescale.

Not right now is easy – anyone can say it, and make a pretty good case for it as well. That’s why it’s used so often.

But while you’re saying not right now today, your competitors are jumping in right now and owning tomorrow. So when does not right now become not now, not ever, because you’ve simply been left behind?

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About the Author: Danny Brown is the social sensei at Bonsai Interactive, a small and mighty team of technology, media and marketing nerds rocking the social web. His blog is featured in the AdAge Power 150 list as well as Canada’s Top 50 Marketing Blogs, and won the Hive Award for Best Social Media Blog at the 2010 South by South West festival. You can find Danny on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.