Initiate Your Support
If you claim to support something or someone…then do it! (Not yelling at you, just reinforcing my point)
Here’s the issue: With the onward advancement of the Internet (it’s still growing!), the huge growth in the number of social networks available and the shift in general marketing characteristics, more and more of the general public is able to join with or voice with a wider variety of groups, associations, blogs, non-profits, churches, schools or charities. Is there anything wrong with this? Of course not! Networking your company or charity or church is a great way to get the word out on what exactly it is that you are trying to accomplish, what message you want to release. The challenge is not in getting your message out or getting your company recognized or even attracting people to join with you. The challenge lies in getting people to willingly and authentically support you. Due to the fact that so many people and companies are accessible to the public, it is quite simple to join up with and interact with and show support for those people and companies. However, showing support is completely different from initiating support. In other words, it is very easy for me to join a network, give them my email, my picture and some general information, but what happens then? They have my show of support…they have my picture for crying out loud! But do they have my full-on initiated support? Am I willing to act when called upon? Would I stand up for that blog or company or person in a public forum? Would I buy their product? Would I sell their product?
The next step is to initiate your support. If you love something or someone…buy that something, sell that something or tell that someone (again, not yelling)! Do not let your support be reduced to a picture and a name in a list of millions. If you genuinely support someone, let them know that you are for them and then get behind them full force. If you love a product, tell the world about it so that others can come to enjoy it too. If you love a blog, subscribe to it and let your friends know that you love it. If you attend a great church, let others in the community know that you attend a great church. Don’t let your show of support go to waste…Initiate it into a moving, powerful and acting force.
