Look Before You Leap: A Chinese Lesson in Social Media

At a recent Web 2.0 summit Robin Li, the CEO of Baidu - China's largest search engine - said that five years ago when Google decided to set up its China operation, he was asked what he would do if he was Eric Schmidt [Google's CEO]. He said at the time he would spend about 6 months in China [first], "but Eric didn’t do that, and now has given me a gift,” by taking Google out of China.What Robin Li said is very applicable to the social media realm, especially when businesses take the "just do it" approach and are present on social media just for the sake of it. We've heard countless 'experts' and marketers say "just do it: be online or you'll miss out". Sorry to burst your bubble folks but social media is not going anywhere for a while, so there's no rush! What businesses have to realise is that yes, it's a tool and we must consider it, but it shouldn't be a rush tactic. There's no point getting involved just because other businesses are using social media. You don't want to be "just another one", because at the end of the day your online presence will not have significance, nor achieve that lasting legacy.Robin Li's thinking is very calculated and a very typical Chinese sort of thinking, the type of thinking that can be dated back to the time of Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher. He had this to say about patience: "He who is prudent and lies in wait for an enemy who is not, will be victorious"So what can businesses learn from this? Look before you leap. It sounds simple but is so often overlooked - social media is a tool that you may not be familiar with, especially in an organisation that is quite traditional in the things they do. So the best way to combat this is to take the time to learn these tools internally and personally, because once you've built a solid understanding internally, the ways you implement social media as part of your marketing toolkit will be far more original and reflect your business better.Don't rush into social media. Every day there's new breakthrough in this space, and it's hard to keep up with it all. The best way is to step back, learn, and then apply what is relevant. Just remember, like any business move in a company before expanding or looking for investment, those who rush may reap the rewards or fail miserably, those who plan well and wait will be unique and prove far more valuable for their users or customers.[Image credit: EChinaCities]