I often wonder about how and if those small business with under 10 employees can make an entrance into Social Media that has any ROI. It’s been my experience that Social Media takes a huge amount of time and that if you want a ROI over a long period of time you will want to bring a Social Media Manager full time into your small business.

I can hear the Wow! emanating from the offices of small business everywhere. Hire a full time employee with benefits etc to do Social Media? That is exactly what I’m suggesting and if you don’t you may find yourself so far behind in marketing and customer relations to the big companies that your only hope for growth is to merge with someone else.

Times are different then just a few years ago and, the need to be quick on your feet to innovate will only continue to grow. Hiring a Person to be the Swiss-Army-Knife of your social and content marketing efforts makes more sense then ever.

Managing for both growth and engagement on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ alone could take someone hours everyday to be successful. Add in frequently updated information on your website and interacting with customer needs and questions and your Social Media Manager has just worked a full week at least. Oh sure you can hire agency’s to do much of the work but do you really want someone who is not working in your office, someone who is not interacting with your other employees, someone who is not participating in meetings with the rest of the staff, of course not.

I think the best way at least in the beginning would be for Agencies to place a body in your business to do the job.The agency than can monitor that person using their expertise and also can make suggestions and keep the employee up to speed with what’s going on and what’s new.

Check out the Infographic below for some interesting numbers about how business views and interacts with Social Media.

My

Growing up I was never told not to make a mistake, no the guidance I received was quite different. My parents and teachers would tell me “pay attention.” The difference is profound and leads to my taking risks instead of wrapping myself in duct tape so as not to touch anything for fear of breaking it.

Can you remember if you were cautioned not to make mistakes or where instead encouraged to see beyond artificial boundaries of thought. When it comes to Innovation being afraid of making mistakes can be a project or idea killer, it can mean never allowing yourself or your team the latitude to find the next big thing.

Curiosity didn’t kill the cat, no it was fear of making a mistake that did in the poor risk adverse feline… Be curious and check out Fast Company’s 30 Second MBA series

Those of you who know a little bit about me know that I am a huge proponent of simplicity. I like it for many reasons that are apparent and many that are not so apparent. The infographic below conveys information that is easy to grasp and easy to remember, what more could you want?

There are a couple of ways to approach any project, the first is to plan the heck out of it using lists, mind maps and focus groups and at the end cut cut cut until it fits into category of simple and useful. The 2nd way is to simply create it with no bells ans whistles in the first place, decide if it does the job and then send it out into the world. Both strategies can be difficult but I believe the simple path is easier to learn and offers more value in the end to both the creator and to the user.

People use the #Hashtag on Twitter to express themselves and inform their followers of what’s happening in their area of interest. Business exploits Hashtags such as #Innovation to help corral interesting articles, video and events that might spark their followers imagination, who knows a #Hashtag might even lead to Innovation. Now wouldn’t that be a great story to tell when you give a keynote.

Innovators and those interested in Innovation in all its permutations will find some fertile ground for sparking thinking and conversation just by stopping by the #innovation #hashtag page on Twitter, but before you go check out our infographic painted by the monthly #Innovation numbers.. Tell us what you think..

infographiccreated with visual.ly

Over 58,000 uses of the #Hashtag @Innovation in just the past month, Wow! Over 2500 uses on it’s busiest day, that is some serious thinking going on in the world of Innovation. More Resources:

There are some phrases that jar and compel at the same time, Disruptive Innovation is just such a phrase. When mentioning Disruptive Innovation I often notice a quizzical look on people faces, a few will ask what exactly Disruptive Innovation is but most will nod in acknowledgment of its cachet. Buzz surrounds the phrase, and I will not be surprised when people start inserting the initials into conversations: “Have you heard what company A is doing with DI lately?” Truly amazing…

Ad Agencies, Social Media Powerhouses, App Developers, and even New Wave Chef’s will create over the top nonsensical slogans to convince you of their prowess.

• Game Changing DI
• Taking DI To A New Level
• Innovation Fueled With DI
• Not Just Innovation – Disruptive Innovation
• DI Mindset for Your Success

Most of the talk about Disruptive Innovation uses the phrase to mean “game changing” invention. Apple’s iPad fits into this definition along with their iPhone. The problem is most small business will never create a game changing device or roll out an idea so radical that a new market is born and their profits expanded into the stratosphere.

The other definition of DI is creating an innovative way to produce and sell a  product cheaper then anyone else. Capture the bottom end of the market with a dramatically cheaper widget and you’ll disrupt the market keeping your competitor awake  for many nights. This version of DI is perhaps the original version and not nearly as sexy for agencies to promote but for small business it may be the most important definition.

Recently I came across a new company that has nailed Disruptive Innovation. The video is humorous and at first seems like a skit from Saturday Night Live but it’s not, it’s a real company. watch the video and visit the website. Dollar Shaver Club

Additional Resources:

Both of these are a must for anyone in business. I think many will find the first one does a wonderful job of crystallizing an understanding of Disruptive Innovation and the second video naturally extends the understanding.

1. Clay Christensen, Harvard Business School professor and the world’s most influential management guru according to the Thinkers50, lays out his landmark theory. Disruptive Innovation Explained.

2. An interview with Scott Anthony, President, Innosight. Disruptive innovation occurs when an innovator brings something to market that is simple, convenient, accessible, and affordable.

“How Xerox and other big corporations are harnessing the force of disruptive innovation.”
It used to be the rebels (disruptors) toiled by themselves in their parents garages or so mythology would have us believe but, now larger giants like GE are embracing Disruptive Innovation and liking it.
“disruptive innovations are typically introduced by start-ups, the rebel forces in the business universe”
“We define disruptive technologies as those that offer “good enough” solutions to new groups of consumers, and often at radically lower prices.”
You’ll have to sign up to read this whole article but it and the resources offered at Tech Review are worth the minute it takes..
Via www.technologyreview.com

“It’s becoming a familiar story, university experiences are increasingly being characterized by: impractical learning, out-of-touch faculty, exorbitant tuition, time-wasting requirements and diminishing probabilities of employment.”

In the 1960′s Experimental Education was the rage, the buzz word on most if not all campuses. Unfortunately the zest did not take hold on a large enough scale to become accepted as a vital tool of Innovation. The hulking mass of the status quo won the battle then.
Are the times different enough now for a true embrace of the Experimental? I’m skeptical but open to the possibility. This article opens up a good line for more discussion.

“Disruption is coming, there is no doubt of it! Will it be soon? Will it be virtual? We have little idea at this time as to how it will eventually turn out. What is also clear, however, is that the technology revolution taking place means that when disruption does come, it will be more than mere operational rearrangements; it will be profound and revitalizing.”
Via www.forbes.com

“Perhaps the biggest benefit of deep and rapid change is that everything needs to be reexamined. When survival is at stake, all the “crazy” ideas that were dismissed earlier resurface for serious discussion.”
Rapid change has created many examples of Innovation that everyone can learn from. This article focus on some of what has gone on in India over the last 20 years and how it has engaged both people and companies in the drive to success.
Via blogs.hbr.org

What happens when your business is based on fear? Fear that everyone is out to destroy your business. The answer of course is no innovation will occur.
This post lays out a short outline of Steve Blank’s analysis of how Hollywood has based the foundation of their business on fear and not innovation. It’s a quick read and will amaze you at just how short sighted Hollywood really is.
“A ton of folks have been sending over Steve Blank’s absolutely awesome detailed analysis of why Hollywood can’t innovate… and the result is SOPA. It touches on many points we’ve raised separately, but puts it all together in such a…”
Via www.techdirt.com

“Organizations invest billions annually on a success curriculum known as “leadership development,” which ends up leaving so much on the table.”

As we tumble headlong into a new year that is already rapidly evaporating I think it a great moment to stop and look around at just what’s going on both inside ourselves and outside in the frantic workplace.Polly LaBarre writes about how the integration of mindfulness into the workplace may be the only answer needed for success and satisfaction.

Mindfulness can create a wave of Innovation that cascades throughout our lives if we just stay in each moment.Read the rest of the story: Via blogs.hbr.org