Why Do The “Little Things” Matter?

Why have a blog? Why bother with social media? Why devote time to the “little things”?

Of course, as an established web design and video production company with more than a decade of field experience, it goes almost without saying that we spend most of the workday striving for artistic and logistic excellence in digital media.

Often, we are so caught up in moving full-steam-ahead on our latest video or web development project that it seems pointless…even nonsensical…to stop and take the time to address blog content, wish our twitter followers well on any given holiday, or script our next video blog. But it’s so important to take a step back and make time for these things. Why, you ask? Because, to be a leader in your industry, you must first inspire people to follow you.

Our company is an excellent case study. As a smaller, privately-owned company doing big things for larger clients, the clock and the calendar are always our greatest enemies. You might argue that such trivial matters as blog content, social media, product creation and syndication should be second to servicing your clients…and that’s certainly true. To perform well as a company of any kind, you must meet your primary commitments and supply the services that you’ve promised to supply. But in an effort to be the best of the best, we actively seek and dedicate the necessary time to address “the little things”, as well.

One of the ways that a company is able to grow and build momentum is by helping other, younger, more inexperienced companies find their footing. The word ‘competition’ may spring to your mind; it’s a natural thought reaction, but it’s important not to let it consume you. At the end of the day, a company prospers by progressively bettering itself, not by nervously watching others. By offering insight and felicitations to your professional peers, you are growing your professional network, strengthening your company reputation, and impressing any bystanders who may be watching. This is exactly why outreach, that is, this collection of so-called “little things”, is so important!

Wouldn’t you love to hear it said of your own company, “They must be slammed, but they somehow find the time to do it all! I don’t know how, but they do!” …words like these, in casual conversation, are usually either preceded by or followed by a referral.

So, how do you find time for these sorts of things?

Step one is dedication; that is, dedicated meetings, dedicated time slots…even a full day dedicated to outreach strategies, be it once a month or even once a week. When you set aside the time to address this sort of content, you can streamline the process for all the members of your team, making itthat much easier to balance client relations and company outreach during the rest of the week. Step two, arguably the hardest, is commitment. It’s one thing to make a plan in a quiet, isolated boardroom, but quite another to follow that plan during the remainder of the week, when your other job responsibilities start bearing down on you. Stick to your plan, and try to make outreach equally as important to your company as client service. To continue building onwards and upwards, you have to be capable of doing both!

Again, to be a leader, you have to inspire people to follow you. So be human, be relatable, innovate, and inspire. There are many ways to do these things, but one of the easiest and most-often overlooked is simply to make time for the “little things” that really benefit others. To quote Julie Bauke of Leadercast.com,

“The more you give, the more you get, even when you give with no expectation of reciprocity.”