Never has this phrase meant so much than this month – my baby turned 1!  It always seemed so cliché when people would say to me, “it goes by so fast.”  But, wow, is it true! 

There’s only one instance where I think time flies faster than watching your baby grow, and that’s technology.  I hold my own when it comes to figuring things out, but I’m not an “early adopter” when it comes to technology.  My husband lovingly calls me the “techno wizard.”  I’m the one that didn’t think we needed a DVR at first, but now, it’s one of those “necessary conveniences.”

In my professional world, online marketing is a tough thing to keep up with.  Luckily at Griffin, my colleagues @heatherhungate and @julieflorida are our online marketing gurus and help keep the rest of us “techno wizards” up to speed.  There are so many new tools and “apps” that pop up each day, it can be overwhelming.  But, the key thing to remember is not to have a GMOOT (Get me one of those) strategy (heard Geoff Ramsey of eMarketer use this at a Houston Interactive Marketing Association luncheon last year). 

Before you spend time, energy and money trying to integrate the latest and greatest interactive marketing tool, you need to make sure it makes sense with your marketing strategy.  Is that tool the best way to reach your target audience?  For example, a mobile marketing campaign is not the best strategy for reaching senior citizens. 

Sure, many times these tools are inexpensive (often free) to use, but it’s the “sweat equity” that you have to put into them that can be costly. 

It’s certainly a good idea to have a presence with the basic, most popular social networking sites (facebook, LinkedIn, etc.).  But, if you’re an early adopter and pick your marketing tools based on how “cool” or “gee whiz” it is, you probably don’t have the most effective marketing strategy. 

Personally and professionally, the best way to keep your sanity is to have a plan or means of prioritizing.  Remember your goals and always evaluate if what you’re doing is getting you closer to attaining them.

Stacy Sarault