Every business wants to grow profitably. The chase to profitability and growth is always centric to methods, or how.
Businesses try different strategies and tactics. Many methods have been tried including slick marketing messages vying to get potential customers attention. Some "tricks of the trade" have been used to reach the masses through traditional media channels and word of mouth marketing.
The web brought in new channels of distribution, marketing and messaging. Initially it became a chase for eyeballs and impressions. Marketers operated on the theories of conversion or what has become known as "clickthroughs". The premise was aimed at capturing people's attention and tricking them into a transaction with incentives, promises for discounts or time limiting special offers. Then the web became conversational and the rules of the game changed.
Have You Changed Your Rules?
When a game rules changes every old method has to change. The thinking which created the old rules has to change if your team intends on "playing in a new game and on the new field".
Rules dictate how we think and subsequently how we act or react. I once drove on the autobahn where there is no speed limit. I had purposely rented an expensive sports car and couldn't wait to "get on the road". When I started out my mind initially thought about the old paradigms of driving fast. The mental messages included "watch out for patrol cars, keep your eye on the speedometer" etc etc.
It took a while for me to release those old mental paradigms and realize I was driving on a road with new rules, no rules for speeding. The recommended speed of the German autobahn is 130 km/h (81 mph), but there is no speed limit. The paradox of the autobahn is that you can actually cause accidents if you drive to slow. The socially accepted rule was drive as fast as you want but don't drive to slow
Is The Social Web Like the Autobahn?
In many ways yes. For businesses, marketers and individuals the first mental shift is recognizing that the old rules of the game will not enable you to play the new game. Here is a top ten list of how the game and subsequent unspoken rules have changed:
- Marketing and PR spin is considered anti-social
- Being wrong is accepted as long as you admit it
- Your revenue comes from "Free"
- If you don't understand the dynamics don't engage until you do
- Doing the wrong things can cost you more than you ever anticipated.
- Doing things right enables you to earn more than you can predict
- Empowering people (your customers, employees, suppliers and market) to win is how you win
- The mindset of the game players is win win
- The playing field has no boundaries
- The game time is web time which is never ending cycles of now
One last very important and critical rule. People don't like playing your game.
Get it? What say you?