Major rethinking of advertising's fundamental premises

The good news is that we're on the verge of a major rethinking of advertising's fundamental premises. One of the biggest challenges facing the industry is ad credibility. Consumers don't trust ads, but they do trust their friends, and telling friends about the products they use has never been so easy. Through social nets, credibility now has a channel for mass distribution.

Businesses have to be thinking about how to incorporate the social map into the way they deal with customers and prospects. This is going to be huge, and the opportunities are immediate for those who act, lead the pack, and try new strategies based upon the new social media tools/platforms available to them.

Don't wait... start incorporating a strategy to incentivize engagement with your fans, customers, members, and prospects NOW!

Business and war have much in common

In war, it is axiomatic that the victors of the last war fight the new one with the same tactics of the old. Having won the victor is content with what won for him; but the vanquished wants to know why he lost.

Business and war have much in common. Entrenched companies keep doing what got them there. Upstarts introduce/discover new methods and vanquish the victors.

What worked before does not always continue to be effective. Best practices evolve and change. Look for and/or discover those changes... evolve or perish!

"Being defeated is only a temporary condition, giving up is what makes it permanent."

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark. In the hopeless swamps of the not quite, the not yet, and the not at all, do not let the hero in your soul perish and leave only frustration for the life you deserved, but never have been able to reach. The world you desire can be won, it exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours." --John Galt

Thinking of using Social Media tools to reach out to an audience?

If you are thinking of using Social Media tools to reach out to an audience, the first steps are to determine your goals and your audience. Who are you trying to reach? What action would you like them to take? Once you determine your outreach/communication goals, consider the various social media tools to decide which one (or more) will help you reach those goals.

Just remember most importantly that a social media presence is more about giving than receiving. You want to make information available and provide benefit to those who choose to follow, friend or become a fan. If you provide value and information your ability to influence and get people to act will grow with your visibility.

As you build your Social Media audience I have three stages with which I measure… #1 is Audience growth, #2 is Reactivity… getting them to take an action, and #3 Stickiness… keeping them coming back and engaged.