Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
My grandma, bless her heart, handed me a stack of photographs yesterday while I was visiting her. She was sooo excited about all these pictures she had taken over the last year. She told me that she had developed over 30 rolls of film. This got me thinking a bit. When was the last time you used a “film” camera? Or got a roll of film developed? I think for me it was about 10 years ago in high school. I don’t even know what to do with all these photos. I guess some will end up in frames and the rest will end up lost in a box somewhere.
A lot has changed in the last 10 years. Well for some of us, I don’t think Grandma will ever change :) The way we watch TV, thanks TIVO, the way we listen to music, watch movies, get our news, communicate, and so on. Some of these changes took place well over 10 years ago but it has only become part of our lifestyle and routine in the last 10 years. One of the changes that is taking place as we speak is how we interact with eachother. Web 2.0, Social Networking, Social Media, Social Marketing, Social Optimization are all buzzwords that are popping up all over the place. Again, they have been around a while but it has only been recently that they have gained wide accpetance and crossed generation barriers.
The social web has changed how we interact with eachother. It allows us to reach many people, friends, family, colleagues, strangers, customers with a click of a button. It is extremely easy to find new friends as well. A simple google search and I am only milliseconds away from joining a new conversation with thousands of new friends. This is a powerful movement that is taking place and one that is changing the way we communicate and interact with eachother.
Businesses are recognizing this change and are finding new ways to interact with customers and potential customers. A business can now quickly find their enthusiastic devotees as well as their unhappy customers. Businesses are using these social methods to listen and connect with the consumers. As a result the people have a voice and companies are making decisions based off of real people and real feedback. Businesses that have accepted this change in behavior and understand why it is important are rising to the top and consumers are quickly and easily finding them. The companies that are not changing and moving with the people are being pushed down and will eventually be lost.
Though the economy is not in anyone’s corner at the moment, the economy itself will not be the reason these companies are lost. The companies that will be lost will be the ones that lost track of their customers. The online social movement is a way for companies to plug-in and interact with their customers. Be a part of their daily routines and lives. Social marketing is all about the people and making your business all about the people.
It’s a new style of business and one that is popular with your customers. Businesses have said it for years “our focus is on the customer”. Now it’s time to put those words into action. Embrace this new style and put it into action–Your customers have.
Tags: Business, customers, social marketing
Posted in Small business, listening, social media | 1 Comment »