Let’s say you own, or even work for, a business of some sort.  The type of business really doesn’t matter.

On any given day, the telephone rings.

What do you do?  You answer it.

Why? Because on the other end of the line could be that important message from an existing customer, a call from a new prospect, a large sale just waiting to happen, or even that new star employee that would make an excellent addition to the team.

Now, let’s apply that same thinking to the social media realm.

In this example, social media (as a general term) is that telephone ringing.

There are those who choose to just let it ring and ring, using excuses such as ‘oh, we just don’t have time to deal with it’ or ‘we don’t know what to do’.  And yet, the phone continues to ring.

How you answer the call and respond (tactics and execution) will vary, depending on the situation of course.  But when you look at it this way, how much longer can you afford to just stand there and watch the telephone ring away before you take the first step, pick it up, and say hello.