Return on Intention

There seems to be a lot of confusion between can’t and don’t when it comes to strategy or execution. There is a tendency to shoot the messenger, as it were, when something goes wrong. If you launch an initiative and it doesn’t product the results you want, it’s pretty important to know why.

There’s a pretty big buzz over the internet and social media (and has been for years). Some people started blogs and were successful. Others started blogs and we’re not. Does that mean blogs don’t work? If you start a hamburger joint and it fails, does that mean that hamburger stands don’t work? No. McDonalds is all the proof you need to say otherwise. 

So many companies who jumped on the bandwagon of getting a “website” or “trying social media” without first considering how it fits into their business feel like they got burned. Most often the channel is blamed. “The internet doesn’t work for my business.” Maybe. Or maybe your strategy was off. Maybe the implementation was off. Most often, in my experience, its because the initiative was called off too soon, or all the factors we’re not considered. Sometimes it was dues to bad or incomplete advise from a “professional” (Read: I know this guy who can build websites / knows facebook and can do it for you cheap on the weekends).

The real work of any initiative starts at the launch. The idea that the work is over at the launch is what causes most executions to fail. Be prepared for the after launch in planning, manpower and budgeting. 

If it can work for a toilet manufacturer, I’m sure it can work for your industry.