The Internet, social media and mobile technology continue to alter the way people communicate, the way information is disseminated and, yes, the way businesses operate. The good news is that these tools offer users unprecedented accessibility, control and return on even minor investment. To understand this, one need only consider processes of the old paradigm. For example, a business has a special sale or service, and the want to communicate that to a market of consumers meant reviewing the advertising budget, contracting with a newspaper or media outlet and determining how much space or air time could be afforded. The costs could be high and offer little, if any, metrics for measuring effectiveness. Also, in the old paradigm, a business could pay excessive fees for a listing in a directory which may be published only once or twice a year, but should anything happen with that business, involving the change of a phone number, address or email; that information cannot be updated until a new directory is published. Again, in the modern world, the tools of today offer the means to more effectively, more conveniently and more affordably get the word out to the masses... and in real time.
This isn't to say the tools of old no longer work... they just don't work by themselves. The fact is, more and more people are relying on Internet technology to collect information and connect with individuals as well as industry. If you are not taking advantage of these resources; if you are unaware or unwilling to respond to the changes that are continuing to take place; your business bottom line will certainly reflect it.
In these trying economic times, when so many businesses, especially small business, are struggling to survive, the question remains... WHAT ARE YOU DOING DIFFERENT? How has your business adjusted to the changes which are taking place in the world. If you find that the tools of old are not serving you as effectively as before, do not wait for results that will not come. Try something new.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist IQ to know that doing the same ol' thing, over and over, while expecting different results... is insane... and the fundamental formula for failure.
