Matthew’s post, “Realize the Potential of New Media“, in Blogtrepreneur.com does a fine job of indicating the importance of Social Media in a business’s marketing plan. He has also indicated how important it is to have a marketing plan which “embraces the potential” and “understands that we are doing business in a very different way”. These are very important points. At first though, I wondered if this really impacts all forms of work. Does this matter to the plumber or the electrician? Clearly it is very important for the consultant or sales person. And certainly very important to the executive coach, the realtor, and the lender.
I think the potential of the new media is really in the potential found in the consumer – it is the potential behavior of the consumer. It is the consumer whose behavior has changed and will continue to radically change. As we continue to embrace the internet and use it as a resource, our access to services will depend more and more on this resource. If you are not playing in this game then you haven’t arrived. You will not be found by the consumer. For example, as net book computers become more popular, this will facilitate the access to the internet. As more of us use iPhones and Blackberries, we will expand our access to the internet. And therefore, you must be identifying yourself on the internet and using websites, blogs, facebook, twitter, etc. You need to figure out where you fit and what works and embrace it. There are 100s of resources you can focus on. Start with the main ones and work your way through many of the others. But don’t overdue it – consider the law of diminishing returns.
And what about the older more traditional approachs to marketing – print ads, TV, radio, cold calling, etc. Matthew has indicated these will continue to have a place in our future, but not front and center. It is here where I may differ in perspective with Matthew. I believe many of these resources will continue to decline in value and in various cases could become extinct. Cold calling is quickly becoming a dinosaur. Why cold call when you can obtain warm leads generated, where else, from various websites through a cogeneration process. And newspapers are losing subscribers and advertising revenue very quickly. Be careful where you spend your advertising dollars. The local plumber may do very well advertising in the small town local paper still. There are many who still enjoy reading the pennysavers or town news.
Matthew has also observed that the human side of business is becoming more obvious again. Is it that we are tired of the faceless big corporation? And of course, the term is social media. I perceive it is value to the consumer to access the human side. I think it is about trust. Social media is just a new way to deliver what has always been important in business, – value, trust, human interaction, and what is in it for the consumer. Matthew’s brief article does a wonderful job of clarifying the importance of the new social media tools. Embrace them carefully and wisely. And consider what old tools can be left behind.
Matthew – thanks for the very interesting post and great blog.
I would also add some comments about how challenging this can be. While I am a 50 something ex-wall street executive, unlike many I was always comfortable embracing technology. As a newbie in the work world, many years ago, I was employed at the premier investment banking house – Salomon Brothers. It was at the time when the PC was first being rolled out. Our group got one of the first and it was placed at a high credenza in the back of the office. We had to take turns using it and stand by the keyboard. I always wanted to use it seeing the power and the potential. Consider me to be an early adopter. What I see as the potential challenge is for those who need to embrace what Matthew is speaking about while feeling overwhelmed and confused. The technology is a far cry from when I first started working. I found the following graphic attached to an post written by Joe Corbett. Credit for the graphic goes to jacobtyler. The graphic does a wonderful job describing what our challenge is to manage through these “mean streets”. Take a look at this graphic and if you need more read Joe’s article.
