It's what you carry in the wheelbarrow that's important, not the actual tool

“What a marvellous construction. A splendour on the landscape. The most wonderful house this town has even seen, but tell me Paddy, how did you make such a marvel?”

“Well” said Paddy, “I got a great architect to design it, a firm of quantity surveyors to get me a bill of quantities, a team of skilled builders to help me build it and highly creative artisans to help add the finishing touches”.

“Amazing” exclaimed Jim, still looking and scratching his beard in amazement. “And tell me Paddy, I see a wheelbarrow over there, did you use that when making this spectacular building?”

“I did Jim” Paddy said hesitantly wondering why Jim had asked. “We used wheelbarrows, diggers, hammers, cranes…loads of tools, why do you ask?”

“Ah, so you did use a wheelbarrow then Paddy, that’s where I went wrong when I tried to build my new house. Next time I’m getting me a wheelbarrow”.

We all fall victim of talking about the virtues of adopting technology as if it is the technology that creates winning online marketing strategies. In my thirteen years experience I have yet to see a successful online marketing campaign that has worked simply by deploying more technology wheelbarrows. Successful online marketing requires architects plans, engaging personas and communication artisans. It requires interdependencies between chosen tools and most of all, it requires skilled communication and creativity.

It is your creativity that makes your social media campaign work. It is your creativity that creates engaging content. It is you that shows leadership and inspires others. The web just gives you loads of wheelbarrows to use to get your ideas to site. So I declare it’s time to stop paying homage to the wheelbarrow and start paying time or money on getting creative and inspiring others.