A few years back, I knew a guy who always had a great idea up his sleeve.

He’d share these ideas with anyone that was in his company, and tell of his grand plans for when his ideas made him rich. They would invariably involve Salma Hayek, a yacht and six months at sea…

Everyone smiled and asked him not to forget us when he was rich and famous. After all, we were the sounding boards for his ideas and we’d say which ones sounded good, and which ones wouldn’t get him Salma.

Jump forward a few years, and needless to say he’s not dating Salma Hayek for six months of the year. Nor does he have his yacht, or his millions in the bank. The last I heard, he was a baker in a small village just outside of London in the U.K.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that. He’s making an honest living, and keeping a roof over his head. But knowing his mind and ambition, I can’t help but feel he’d be a little disappointed that his grand plans never came to fruition.

And there’s one simple reason.

While he talked a great talk about ideas and plans, he never followed through on them.

Never.

Instead, his great ideas remained just that – ideas. Pipe dreams that could have been great had he taken just one of them and attempted to do it. But he didn’t. Instead, he chose to live anonymously, if you like, and remain “that guy with the ideas.”

Again, there’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.

But ask yourself one question, if you’re currently thinking great ideas – what will you do next?

• If it’s for a business, there are a ton of resources available for you, both online and offline. Google is your friend online, and your local Chamber of Commerce (or equivalent) is your friend offline.

• If it’s for a product, and you want to test run it first, why not try something like Etsy to start with (or the equivalent for your product’s niche)? Again, Google is your friend – use it to find sites to sell your product with little investment.

• If you’re looking for feedback to see if your idea is needed, set up your version of customer satisfaction listening posts and see what people are saying. If there are a lot of complaints and not a lot of resolutions, that’s an immediate in.

• If you want to write a book, there are a host of self-publishing platforms available, like Blurb and Lulu. Better still, write an ebook and sell it through your own blog or website.

The main point is, there are a ton of folks with great ideas. But many never make it past the idea stage.

So, the question remains.

What will you do next?

Image: k-ideas

The Difference Between Ideas and Doing originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

Why do I need to be on social media? Because you need to.

Why do I need to blog? Because you need to.

Why do I need to make videos as a promotional tool? Because you need to.

The funny thing is, because you need to is often mistaken for because I have no idea what the right strategy is for you.

Might want to keep that in mind the next time someone tells you because you need to.

Because You Need To originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

Ideas are the platforms for greatness.

Ideas are the moments in time that will find the cure for cancer.

Ideas are the ingredients that become a recipe to feed the world.

Ideas are the words that join a melody and make a grown man cry.

Ideas are the architects that build shelters for the abused.

Ideas are the intent that lead to mission accomplished.

Ideas are gold. Don’t let yours be wasted.

Ideas Are Gold originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

Without it, we’d be left in a boring world where only the few would have a say in what we watch, say or do. Companies would be filled with drones, businesses would be drab affairs, and artists would be virtually non-existent.

We wouldn’t have videos like the one below, either, and that would be a shame.

Taking a fantastical look at the cityscape of Toronto, the video shows the immense scope a person has when their creativity is let loose.

Sexy might not always sell when it comes to business – but that doesn’t mean we can’t mix it up once in a while. Agree?

(For a cool interactive experience, check out the Batelco Infinity Facebook Page. And hat-tip to Randy Matheson for making me aware of the video.)

This post contains a video. If you can’t see it properly in your feed, you can watch it directly here.

The Power of Ideas originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.

I have a problem with the term “thought leader”.

According to Dictionary.com, “leader” is described this way:

- noun
a person or thing that leads.
a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.

We all know what a thought is, so no real need to go to a dictionary for that. So, put the two of them together to get thought leader, and we’re basically saying someone that leads an army just by their thoughts alone.

Since we’re not living in The Matrix yet, this is where my problem with the term thought leader comes in, and offering someone that title.

We don’t lead people’s thoughts.

People aren’t so dumb that they need someone to lead the way to have a thought. People don’t need to be taken by the hand and led to a big Thought River where they’re then instructed to drink from it by the almighty Leader.

No. People have their own thoughts every single day. Some make it into an action stage. Some don’t.

But they’re not led to that place, or that revelation. They’re not waiting in a holding pattern until the next megastar blogger or speaker or author or celebrity comes along and leads the way.

To lead is to direct. How do you direct any thoughts but your own? Besides, thoughts are intangible until put into action. If there is any reaction from someone else’s thoughts, then it’s after the intangible has become tangible.

A reaction to an action. So it’s more thought reaction than thought leadership.

I read two great posts today about “thought leadership”. Both spoke about some of the people and thoughts that are meant to have us nod sagely and proclaim them as thought leaders.

Geoff and Doug both make bang-on points about why this type of thinking is bogus, and why thought leadership is a conflict in terms just waiting to happen.

You don’t need to be led. No-one does. At least, not when it comes to thoughts. You might need to be led in a new job until you’re familiar with the set-up, or how to please your new partner in bed until you know what makes them tick.

But thought leadership? Something doesn’t sit right with that term.

If anything, it should be thought breedership. There’s a ton of folks offering their thoughts on a variety of topics, and they (rightly so) inspire you to action.

But they don’t lead you to action.

Maybe we should be talking thought breedership instead. I guess the problem is, because everyone can breed thoughts in others, it might just upset those that want to be known as thought leaders.

And we couldn’t have that now, could we?

image: AsGood

The Problem with Thought Leadership originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog - The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.