In the "good ol' days" people knew the baker and the butcher. They walked down Main street and greeted their neighbours with a smile and a wave. They were a community and they knew their neighbours had their backs if they needed them.
The internet changed all that. It kept people in their homes and away from the social events that they had been accustomed to. In fact, since the advent of the internet social groups including churches, Rotary, Lion's club, even AA have seen marked declines in attendance.
The net has changed how we shop, how we speak (lol) how we interact with people, how we book airline tickets, buy groceries, raise money, diagnose health issues. It has become the single-most irreplaceable item in almost every home in the western world. Wow.
Like all new technology the net was, and still is, vilified. People say that Facebook has caused an entire generation of kids to be inept at speaking to one another face to face. I don't like think like that's like necessarily like true :)
Needless to say that people are afraid of the power of the net. Some don't understand it and some, I think, understand only too well that the "what's in it for me" attitude of the last 20 years may be coming to an end.
Yep, the internet and social media are going to save us from ourselves.
Consider this. Over the last 20-40 years North American's have created a ridiculous society of want. We want it, we buy it. Usually on credit. Credit card and other debts are strangling the majority of adults living in the western world. Why? Because rampant capitalism and consumerism plus constant bombardment of psychological ads, on TV and the internet, meant to show us we cannot live without the next, great thing have caused us to live beyond our means.
The seller doesn't care that you have to mortgage your house to get that cool, new car. The collection company cares even less that you have stretched yourself so thin that you cannot make the payments AND feed your children. As long as they're making their money, they care very little for you.
So what does this have to do with the net?
In the "good ol' days" when you were dissatisfied with a service or a product your only recourse was to tell your neighbour. They had your back. They would boycott the mechanic that over-charged you or the grocer that short-changed you. Tell the right person and you were likely to get some satisfaction in the form of an apology or replacement.
But in the "internet days" you can now tell thousands of people! The power has shifted from the seller to the buyer because now they have to give you value for your money. An entire, gigantic community of neighbours are behind you and will back you up if the company tries to mess with you.
It's starting to work already. Scammers and spammers are being "outed" everyday by individuals on the net who have no vested interest in providing such information except to save you from getting scammed too.
The shift from "what's in it for me" to "what can I do for you" has begun and anyone wanting to do business on the internet better embrace that philosophy or get left behind.
Social media is based on "what can I do for you". In the past if you wanted to learn how to attract visitors to your site you had to sign up for a course, pay $1000 and wait to be sent your ebook. Now, much to the chagrin of many an internet marketer, that information can be found all over the net, for free.
It's a bit like the Macy's, Gimble's scenario in Miracle on 34th Street. The Santa at Gimble's sends customers to Macy's to buy a product Gimble's doesn't carry. That customer is so impressed that they become a loyal Gimble's customer for life.
Ironic, don't you think? The lessons learned in the "good ol' days" are going to garner more business than any of the new-fangled marketing techniques of the last 40 years because we are social beings.
When big business forgets that we're flesh and blood, they check their humanity at the til. They lose sight of the customer and focus on the bottom line and that is where they will fail.
While we may call it by several different names, karmic capitalism, socially-conscious business, etc, the fact remains that when a company provides value to it's customers it is rewarded with brand loyalty and recommendations that are worth millions.
So, if you want to build your business and save the human race, use your social media campaign to provide value to your customers. You'll be glad you did.
To create the social media strategy that's right for your company contact Jacquie directly at [email protected]. Or check out our site www.socialmedia-canada.com.