The Key to Working Smarter, Not Harder

A popular phrase, “work smarter, not harder,” serves today’s workforce as a reminder that strategy should inevitably precede tactical execution—especially in this face-paced digital age. Rather than adopting the latest tech-trend or social network for your company, first ask yourself some key questions to determine what the outcome of your efforts will be, as opposed to focusing on the output, itself.

By asking yourself these three key questions, you can ensure that your company’s outbound efforts are results-driven and serve your team as time well-spent.

1. Does my company’s target market engage with this network?

While broadening your company’s reach through additional networks may sound positive, if your target market does not engage with those particular networks—not only will your outbound efforts go unnoticed, but you may even find that you spend twice as long producing the content, itself.  Rather than spending extra time tailoring and adapting your content for an unwarranted audience, focus your efforts on the platforms that have already proven to work.

 2. Will this network provide specific contact information of potential new business leads?

If your company’s goal is to curate new business opportunities through alternative platforms, ensure the network offers functionalities that allow you to obtain specific contact information. Sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter allow you to send a direct message or in some cases, even obtain the email address of an individual. This type of functionality can increase the chances of your message being seen and better yet, replied to.

 3. Will the analytics and insights provided by this network support our company goals?

Nowadays, most platforms offer their own set of analytics and insights.  Therefore, before choosing to join a network, evaluate whether or not its analytics will be meaningful in supporting your company goals. For example, if your goal is to curate two-way conversations with x-number of CEO’s and the network analytics instead track your following on a week-to-week basis, perhaps a different platform exists that can help your company better track its goals.

So before your company jumps on the bandwagon of the next trend, ask yourself these outcome-based questions and begin ‘working smarter, not harder,’ today.