Approaching Digital Risk Like A Pro Cyclist

Last week I went to San Francisco for a conference, and I left a few days early to enjoy some California weather, food, and wine.  I spent my first day in Los Gatos and, as luck would have it, I had time to watch the Cat’s Hill Classic.  This is an exciting cycling criterium that repeatedly takes racers up a 23% grade climb in its mile-long neighborhood loop. Tough road. Tough climb. Tougher cyclists.

Photo of the race by Garrett Lau

So what’s my point?

The interesting aspect of this race isn’t the brutal climb, but the descent that follows that climb.  Riders can reach speeds of over 50 mph (not a typo).  And the real kicker is the 90 degree turn at the end.  The part that intrigued me the most was watching how different riders approached that turn.  The more amateur riders took it a little slower and a little wider.  When the pros hit that corner, they were flying and pratically horizontal.  Having done a little cycling in my day, I couldn’t imagine taking a corner at such an angle and speed.

But that’s what it takes to win

What approach do you have in your web strategies?  Are you going to play it safe, or are you going to push the limits of your tools and go for communications gold?  I have sometimes faced doubt, uncertainty, and fear when I presented my solutions.  That’s one of the things I like about web tactics, especially with social media - it is full of tough climbs, hair-raising descents, intimidating turns… and winners and losers.

It takes guts to do it right.  Don’t let fear keep you or your organization from embracing social media or being more aggressive in its application.  The only thing that can happen is failure… another thing I like about web strategies. It’s how you learn.

Have you experienced success or failure following a risky social media campaign? Please share!

The Cat's Hill Classic also had a race for younger riders. This little guy is going to grow up to be a great webmaster. Photo Credit: Mom (Happy Mother's Day!)