As a small business owner that wears many hats, it is hard to keep on track sometimes with all the things you should be doing, let alone the things you want to do. As a digital specialist I need to keep up to date with what is happening in the digital space so my Inbox is full of emails with special offers, free reports, webinars and releases on the latest in greatest digital tools & apps available. And of course each one is the very best and must have for business so I totally understand why it is easy to get distracted with the new bright shiny social media channel or digital platform.

 I have been ‘guilty as charged’ too. I am terrible when it comes to a new digital tool of app or channel and get very easily distracted by it. My excuse is that I need to understand how they work and what they do so I can pass this onto my clients and my digital audience – which is very true however I also need to stay focused where my audience is. Your objective with digital should always be to communicate on the channels where your audience is.

 So to help me on this mission to stay focused, I’ve developed a set of rules which might also help you too. When considering a new channel or platform ask yourself some hard questions:

  • Will this help me be more productive or can it help make me money?
  • Does it add to my client experience?
  • What value does it offer or bring?
  • Will it help my clients?
  • Will I get an ROI on its investment?
  • Will this new thing help us achieve a business goals?
  • What are the costs to the business -not just initial investment but time, lost productive, distraction? (most new platforms have free trials so look at all the costs before you sign up, forget o cancel your subscription then make costly mistakes)
  • Can you realistically use this new thing – or is it an impulsive buy that doesn’t offer any real tangible value to the business?
  • Is this moving my focus from where it should be?

Every business owner has limited time so focusing your time & energy where it is most needed is vital right? You cannot spread yourself too thin and if you think you can realistically manage 5 social media channels + blog + do videos + run events + everything in between, you are dreaming!!

 Put your time and focus where your audience is and if you don’t need it now make sure you keep a file for future reference. I have done this often and even though I didn’t need it when it came to my attention, I found it useful 6-12 months down the track for me and my clients

 It is easy to get distracted by the bright and shiny when it comes to digital so don’t make these common mistakes and you will notice a big difference in not on your productivity but your results.