A young boy enters a barbershop and the barber whispers to his customer, “This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.”
The barber puts £5 note in one hand and a £1 coin in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, “Which do you want, son?” The boy takes the £1 coin and leaves. “What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That kid never learns!”
Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream shop. “Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the £1 instead of the fiver?” The boy licked his cone and replied, “Because the day I take the fiver, the game is over!”
If we use social media to shout our advertising message it is the same as accepting the £5 note. We may see a short gain but we loose the prospect of ever tasting the ice cream in the future. Creating the right online social media strategy is a hot topic for many orginisations right now. Follow the young kids plan by playing the long game, refrain from taking the obvious route.
