My husband is finally cigarette-free after decades of smoking up to a pack a day. He heard that it takes 21 days to break a habit and replace it with better behavior. So, he decided if he could just make it through those first 21 days, he could change his life for the better.

I’ll be honest. The first week was really hard – on everyone. But, in the end, he stuck to his plan and it worked. I could not be prouder of his achievement.

I realized Mike’s approach works when applied to deciding to integrate social media into our world. I’ve met a number of people, in marketing and other industries, who know that they need to have a presence or improve their interactions in social media. Some have dipped their toes in the pool, others swim in the shallows, but most have not made the leap into the deep end. Their common excuses seem to be lack of time and being unfamiliar with the online world.

It is a Catch-22. To become familiar you need to invest time. But who wants to feel lost or inept in the unfamiliar world of social media? As a result, they stay away. But to remain relevant professionally and connected personally – this is no longer an option.

 To break the cycle and get us moving in the right direction, I issue to our readers a 21-Day Social Media Challenge. If Mike can quit smoking in 21 days – you can certainly delve into the exciting and fulfilling world of social media.

Each week, you will set a new goal. And I can almost guarantee, each week you will see an improvement and want to move quickly to the next week’s goals.

Week One:

This week, set obtainable goals that give you a taste of success. But remember, the purpose is to stretch outside your comfort zone.

  1. Dust off your unused or rarely used Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter passwords and commit to participation. More advanced users – broaden your horizons and join a new online community or begin actively following a blog that interests you.
  2. Spend 10 minutes each day reading comments or blog posts. My guess is you use that much time chatting in the break room, so shift your chatting time to the site of your choice.
  3. Post one update and comment on the site each day. Simple suggestions include giving an update on an interesting work project like your 21-Day Challenge, sharing a news link or writing your opinion on other’s posts.
  4. Respond back ASAP when someone comments on your post. It’s good manners and a great way to begin dialogue – which is the entire point of the form.

 Week Two:

After seven days, you should be faster with basic tasks, so you are ready to expand your skill set. It’s time to be daring and explore new tools. This may add an additional five minutes per day to your assignments.

  1. Listen to one or two podcasts – I recommend Julie Arnold’s I’m On Facebook and Twitter…Now What. Implement one technique you learn in the podcast.
  2. Sign up for RSS news feeds on subjects that provide updates on social media techniques. Mashable is a great resource!
  3. Join an online group or two and participate on the discussion board. Your city paper is also a great place to share comments – try the Houston Chronicle or Galveston County Daily News. After each article you can share your thoughts.
  4. Continue the posting habits you began Week One.

Week Three:

You’re in the home stretch. This week, your goals need to be maintaining your good communication habits and building a plan for the future.

For business professionals, now is the time to enlist a social media expert to help outline strategies that meet your organization’s social media goals.

If your pursuit is personal, continue setting challenging goals to expand your skill set. Explore new online communities, start a blog or create a discussion group.

Through your participation in the 21-Day Social Media Challenge, you will begin to understand that communicating in the virtual world is an integrated element of our society. Just consider the numbers:

  • In the U.S., Facebook has 70.278 million unique visitors and MySpace has 70.255 million unique visitors.

And for those of you who think this world is only for the young, look at these numbers:

  • More than 260,000 small and medium businesses in North America have been engaging in social media activities in order to grow their business.
  • Of the nation’s Fortune 100 companies, 54 percent have a presence on Twitter, 32 percent have a corporate blog and 29 percent have a Facebook fan page.

I hope for each of you the 21-Day Social Media Challenge is a success. Remember to give yourself permission to click without fear and to share what you learn on Griffin’s Facebook page. I look forward to hearing about your achievements.

Carrie Taylor

Account Manager