In Praise of Sushi
As anyone who subscribes to my Twitter feed already knows, I love sushi. My tweets routinely center on trips to my favorite sushi restaurant and my infatuation with raw fish. What you may not know is that this unabashed love of sushi is a recent development - I tried it for the first time just a few months ago. Here's to trying new things.
Trying Something New
Eating sushi had never appealed to me. In fact, the thought of consuming raw fish struck me as disgusting. Thankfully my co-workers are quite fond of sushi and encouraged me to accompany them to their favorite restaurant one afternoon. I ordered myself a plate of Chinese food (the restaurant serves other dishes in addition to sushi), but tried a few pieces of sushi to satisfy my curiosity and appease my co-workers.
I ate three small pieces of raw fish that day. It wasn't bad and I was impressed with myself for trying something new. Although I was happy to have this new experience, I expected that this would be my last time eating sushi - then something strange happened. I couldn't stop thinking about raw fish.
Trying Something New…Again
I returned to the restaurant a week later and decided to give sushi another try, but this time I wouldn't order a plate of food to accompany a few sample pieces of sushi. This time, I planned to go all out and eat only raw fish for lunch.
I ordered the lunch special – any three rolls for $10.99. My plate of spicy tuna, spicy yellowtail, and eel came and I began my first real sushi lunch. I was hooked.
Trying Something New…Web Edition
When it comes to the Web, trying new things is critical to success. I am routinely approached by clients and asked how they can use sites like Twitter or Facebook or Linkedin to help meet their online goals. They want to know how they can begin blogging or using video to drive traffic to their sites. They come to me, and the team at Envision, looking to try something new in order to help their business grow.
A big part of what we do at Envision is working to identify what solutions make the most sense for each client since not every approach is appropriate for every project. One thing that is universal in all cases and for all clients, however, is that the first step is being willing to experiment.
Try It…You Just May Like It
I didn't know I would love sushi until I tried it. Similarly, clients won't know if a blog works for their business or if they will take to the format until they give it a shot. I've had a number of clients who were somewhat reluctant to start blogging, oftentimes fearing that they didn't have enough time to commit to creating new content, who eventually discovered that they loved the medium once they had begun using it. I've also had clients who decided to try something new and found that it wasn't right for them. Not every story ends in success, but every success begins by taking a leap.
A client of Envision's, a retirement community, recently came to us and asked about using Twitter to promote their business. I had no idea what a retirement community could possibly have to say on Twitter, but I applauded them for being willing to give it a shot and we are now working with that client to find ways to use Twitter, in addition to other traffic generation solutions, to meet the goals of their web site.
Another client example would be an accounting firm who recently starting using Facebook. Accounting is not what I think of when I think of Facebook, but the placement made sense. The firm works hard to reach out to and attract new, young talent - so being where that young talent already is, on Facebook, is a logical step.
The Process of Trying Something New
If being willing to try something new is the first step, what are the remaining steps in the process? I'm glad you asked. Here is our process:
- Be willing to try something new
- Try something new
- Measure the results of the new thing you have tried
- Revisit and repeat
While this is somewhat of an oversimplification, the general premise is pretty basic, isn't it? Of course, working with a team that can help you identify exactly which avenues make the most sense for your business and can assist you in implementing those solutions will go a long way to doing things right the first time. Still, with our without the aid of experts, the first step is in your hands. It begins when you say, “Hey, why don’t we give this a shot.”