Business Marketing In The Coming Decade: Frustration Or Opportunity

In between skiing the moguls last week I was thinking a lot about what this next decade will look like for business marketers. We wrote the “Disrupted” book to give you a road map of what to expect with the profound changes taking place right now because of technology and new applications. This is all happening faster than we could have ever expected…and you have a choice to make.

That’s right. The ball is in your court, but you need to decide if you’re business is going to look at this change as an opportunity, or become bogged down with anxiety and frustration. Seth Godin had a great post on this a few days ago. He framed this in big, drastic terms because the stakes are so high. “The revolution is in full swing and an entire generation is eager to change everything because of it”.

Let’s get started in this first week of the new decade. No better time than right now to get your business and team on-board for the marketing revolution!

Where to start?

1. Embrace change- Learn, experiment and test new things. This is not a one time thing…you will need to build this into your business process and culture because this change is happening over years and is not stopping.
2. Lead by example- Some of this new stuff is hard. Just mention blogging to your staff and watch them squirm. Participating in the community and becoming a trusted source takes time and a new kind of professionalism that needs to come from the top.
3. Measure everything- Huge economic advantage will go to the businesses that understand this revolution and know how to optimize it for their purposes. You can’t optimize unless you are measuring.

Get help if you need it. Things are moving very quickly and it is hard to keep up unless you are following technology and case studies very closely.

Here’s to the next decade!

What are you thinking?

2010: The Year of Innovation or The Year of Interruption?

As the holiday season comes to a screeching halt, I can finally catch my breath…or can I? Being apart of a social media marketing business has the ability to consume your every move, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Forget about the holidays! The distributed web knows no holidays! Whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah or New Years…the Internet NEVER stops. Therefore, neither can you. I guess it is the price we have to pay to do something we really enjoy and call it our job.

2010 is going to be the year of the distributed web, but I am not sure we can handle much more innovation. Between retweets, blog entries and scheduling pings, I don’t know how many more social media outlets I can handle! So, when does innovation go so far that it becomes an interruption?

Pete Cashmore, Mashable’s king of social media marketing, questions whether the “real-time web” could do us more harm than good.

I’d say, I would have to agree.

With the upcoming transition into the New Year just days away, I think it is that time to analyze your ability to plan, organize and remain productive with all the innovations and changes to the social media world.

• Create and Build Meaningful Connections. I know how cliché it sounds, but really, you cannot be friends with everyone, especially when you are trying to, effectively, run a business. Utilize sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook to foster close-knit relationships with people, in your niche market, who are seen as valuable connections and can help your business achieve its goals.

• Make the Most of Your Social Media Efforts. Twitter. Facebook. LinkedIn. MySpace. Friendster. I think you get the point. With the overwhelming presence of social media sites, it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE for a human being to effectively be present on all of them. Stick with the Big 3: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Concentrate your efforts and maintain a solid presence within these sites. If you have these areas under control, then you can begin to dabble in other areas.

• Do What the Analytics are Telling You. At GenNext Media, we check Google Analytics multiple times a day to stay abreast on what our market wants to read, and what they don’t. Once you realize that people are more interested in reading your articles on social media marketing vs. lead generation, you can concentrate the majority of your efforts in that area. After all, your overall goal is to give your followers what they want, right?

• Strive to be an Expert in Your Industry. Your social media presence is not about selling. I repeat, your social media presence is not about selling. Before you start tweeting, making updates and replying to your followers, you must decide what type of presence you want going to have within the distributed web. Don’t use your social media efforts to increase your bottom line. Be helpful, personable and informative and you will have no problem selling your product. Social media is an online community and you have to prove your worthy before anyone will do business with you.

As 2010 hits, we will be bombarded with the new innovations and technologies of social media. Now, you have no excuse not to be prepared! Don’t get overwhelmed by all the new bells and whistles being released to the distributed web, just stick to your plan.

What is your plan for the New Year?

Wisdom From 70 Top Thinkers For 2010

Seth Godin has done it again! He released a free ebook with great advice and mentoring from 70 top thinkers. It’s about the world economy, politics, business and technology…and it’s inspiring, informative and reassuring for those of us focused on adapting to the “Disruption” that is the “new normal”.

We live in fast changing times, but the paradox is that sometimes we need to slow down to better understand what is going on and learn how to adapt. The end of one year and the begining of another is a great time to reflect and take this time.

Having the thoughts of this diverse group of people in one place is very cool. From a Christian publisher and business leader to environmentalist to tech leaders, you will glean nuggets that will charge you up and focus your energy for 2010.

Here is what got me going:

• People who are not fearful made a decision at some point to be courageous. You can too!
• Being a source of dignity and generosity are two qualities that get noticed quickly in a connected world. But do it because that is who you are.
• Ignore the noise around you and follow your passion. When you are trying to create something or get to the next level, it is easy to get distracted. Don’t.
• Technology makes it easy to have lots of connections. Don’t just build a megaphone with technology to outshout competitors. Create value for people.
• The changing global economy will force business people to adapt or die. Exponential growth will no longer come from the developed nations, and information technology will be the seeds of growth in the digital age. Companies will need to become education and information providers regardless of what your product or service is.
• In a down economy, tactics take over and vision takes a back seat at just the wrong time. This is a huge opportunity for organizations that stick to the vision.

As Seth says, have fun with this book. Download it now and have it close by as you go through the holiday season and hopefully have some quite time to reflect and plan for a great 2010.