Some people, in fact more than we would like to admit, are underestimating the scale and the power of non financial motivations. This is also true of freedom to express oneself too. I recently had a delegate offer ” why on earth would my employees want to express themselves?”

The web is not a separate world, so far in the distant, too difficult to reach and understand. It really isn’t Jupiter. It’s actually just a different one that is presenting a different set of rules, a change in the way we do things and allowing us to connect in a way we have never experienced before. It’s unprecedented.

A lot of us are having to unlearn things, lots of things. For those of you who think the web is isolating and responsible for a generation of people who don’t communicate with each other, think about this; all of us watching the Winter Olympics around the world at the moment, in our own living rooms, passive, one way, broadcast stuff, now who’s isolated?

As the new tactics of marketing really start to have their say, as the case studies begin to roll in and as the mass market gets used to using these new tools to communicate, connect, share and collaborate with customers, it will demand a significant shift in your business too.

Gone are the days when you bought a bit of advertising and then waited for the customers to roll in. We’ll laugh loudly with slight embarrassment in a few years time when nostalgically we remember the days when we used to send brochures and leaflets out in an attempt to attract people to our business.

This change is unprecedented and like a ball rolling down a hill its gaining momentum. As Clay Shirky says “Communications tools don’t get socially interesting until they get technologically boring. The invention of the tool doesn’t create change; it has to have been around long enough that most of society is using it.” Well they are getting boring and whilst we may be a little way off mass adoption, it will hit us like a barge pole from behind if we are not prepared.

It won’t necessarily mean marketing budgets will soar, in fact they are likely to plateau if not reduce. Individual customer experiences and solid relationships will become more important than you being in the local rag (mainly because it may not exist anymore.) What social media may do is reduce your marketing budget but be aware it may also increase your own personal time investment in communicating.

Over the Xmas period I’m writing an eBook considering how business is changing including the fundamental shifts we are experiencing and, also the key things we possibly need to get back to. It will cover between 50 and 100 words all supplied by my colleagues, clients, followers, connections and fans. Although, I may throw a few into the mix.

I’m hoping to provide an overview of some critical factors that will influence the future of work and business. Some of you have been kind enough already to provide some interesting topics such as; value, adaption, substance, competition, talent, time and feel.

It would be great if you could join in! I’ll reference you in the book and provide a hyperlink to your website or blog. Hopefully, I can provide some thought provoking ideas and thoughts with a bit of humility too. Can’t wait for the conversation to start once it’s published in February/March 2010.

If you want to contribute a word or two, please just make a comment on this blog, direct message me on www.twitter.com/annholman or, email me at ann@annholman.co.uk

Thanks!

My post is made easier today by this mega post by www.scottgould.me

The case studies are starting to raise their heads above the parapet and Scott considers the recent race for the number one spot in the singles chart between Rage Against The Machine and the X Factor winner. In his usual style, Scott gives us an insight into how social media is impacting on the ’spreadability’ of ideas with a well researched article.

For those doubters, case studies are starting to appear from Dell, to the new VW Golf GTI, to how the music business is going to work in the future. Scott’s post is well worth the read and is telling us something fundamental….things have shifted!

http://scottgould.me/rage-against-the-machine-the-case-study-in-spreadability-vs-reach/

Well not quite literally! In the past we have imposed ourselves on our customers through advertising, selling and ‘interruption’ marketing tactics. Are we now entering an era of invitation only? I’m not talking about ‘if your names not down, you’re not getting in’ but is the web not enabling us to communicate the true us, targeted effectively to those that are listening?

Should our marketing now be about communicating distinguishing information that exposes our grace, humility and expertise? Our customers can find us easier than we can find them nowadays. We don’t need vast amounts of info in our head when we can get the answer via a few clicks. If we have a clearly definable presence on the web, that’s highly focused, is that all we need? If we have that high profile and what we talk about is intriguing enough, interesting and based on an honest relationship, perhaps it will be inviting enough!

Businesses all over the world are reinventing their strategic models and considering new ways to deliver success. Some of the most innovative are doing it from the start. Take www.threadless.com A company started in 2000 by two young entrepreneurs. Setting up a t-shirt business could have been one of the most ‘me too’ projects ever undertaken but Jake Nicholl and Jacob DeHart have delivered a return on investment most of us would break a leg for.

The business is simple. The site sells t-shirts. People submit t-shirt designs, others vote on which one is best and the winner gets free t-shirts for the winning design. The successful t-shirts are sold for between £10 and $25. In 2006 Threadless turned over $17 million. They don’t have or need a marketing budget as their business works via word of mouth. And, all growth is driven by an online strategy.

Right from the start in 2000, they recognised that one t-shirt is very much like another t-shirt. So instead of focusing their creativity and imagination on the product, they focused their action on the relationship with the customer, fan or, what is rapidly becoming known as the ‘crowd.’ They literally built a system that could deliver that.

Not one of their products has been a flop. By using followers/customers to vote on the best designs and rate new designs, Threadless have effectively exploited technology to build an unrivalled relationship with people and turn market research on it’s head. The cost in cash terms, very little and they get a higher validity rating on their research.

Threadless has allowed its customers to create the product, to contribute to the designs, to be involved in the product selection process and to have a voice. In some ways, many of us are busting a gut trying to grow our businesses using old school models when the answer to doing something differently is right there under our nose.

This eBook written by John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing is a great introduction to social media in business. Concise yet full of practical help it’s a good place to start and it’s free. Download it here:

http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/socialmediaforbusiness.pdf

Who would have thought it 20 years ago? There were inclinations of what was about to happen 10 years ago, The Cluetrain Manifesto more than hinted at it. Now that it’s upon us why do some people still not get it? The world is a changing and we better get to grips with it as soon as possible. If you are not already, you need to be understanding social media and crowdsourcing like there is no tomorrow.

People from around the world are gathering in places to converse on subjects they are commonly interested in. They share information, collaborate on projects and trade knowledge for little or no money. They will probably never meet face to face but trust, respect and a genuine relationship is formed sincerely.

Everyone now has a vehicle to explore their latent talent. That same vehicle can provide an audience for that skill whether it be creative, specialised knowledge innovative new products or a craft. The barriers to entry are almost non existent.

And, what that brings is the ability for people to find their own voices again, often for the first time in a work environment. Without the constraint of corporate speak and culture, people are conversing with all sorts of people. Barriers are breaking down. Language is losing its spin.

The web, social media and the crowd doesn’t care what qualifications you have, whether you went to Harvard or Cambridge or Exeter. It couldn’t give a damn the colour of your skin, where you were brought up or what gender you are. The traditional pre conditions of working with certain people is evapourating except, of course, quality.

People in old school company structures are bored. Sick of being suffocated in a contradictory world of systems and procedures where the work is about money and position. People are banging on the door of their prison, sorry office and asking to be let out. To be free to contribute and do something meaningful and different.

These tools, some newer than others do not, in fact isolate us, far from it. It does the opposite by allowing us to share and colloborate on levels and in numbers never seen before and, hell, this is just the beginning. It means huge changes for every business, and I mean every business. Old, traditional models don’t need scrapping overnight but they will need to be very soon.

It has huge implications. There is a new meaning to outsourcing, competition, teams, the way you use talent, intellectual property, business models, innovation, marketing, customer service, leadership, motivation, inspiration the list goes on. We are not talking about little changes in practice here but significant, huge shoves. Burying your head in the sand won’t make it go away.

I know I’m not the only one surprised that TV advertising is still around, albeit in rapid decline. It just doesn’t ‘do it’ for us consumers anymore. We no more want to be shouted at than swim through nuclear waste! If it is to survive, and for a change I’m skeptical, it’s going to have to work a hell of a lot harder. If they don’t give us discounts, then they are going to have to develop our knowledge.

Lets look at some examples (please watch before you read on):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux9TDMDQ88Y

Well, what can you say? I’m not offended by this, but I am when it’s supposed to educate me. In fact, unusual as it is, I just am a little stuck for words, except their advertising agency needs sacking with immediate effect.

Next one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSlyK5w8AQg

This is attempting customer experience. For those of us that understand ‘customer experience’ we know that this is not what is meant. It’s traditional marketing disguised and its all about impressing yourselves BMW, but you don’t impress me, the potential customer. In fact, it sucks, they’ve just jumped on the bandwagon.

Now lets reaffirm some sanity. Go and watch the news packages on the BBC ‘Hungry to Learn’ about children in countries around the world who overcome tremendous problems to go to school. Enlightening, humbling and educational. Fabulous, it’s increased my knowledge and expanded my mind. It may have cost more than an advert, or perhaps not? But it’s impact is far greater.

It wouldn’t take much for a small IT company to shoot a video on the future impact of IT. It would cost little for a food company to do a video on the implications of globalisation in their industry. How much would it cost for a pizza takeaway business to create a video about social media? Just some thoughts….

Marketing, and advertising for that matter, now need to be excellent, compelling and mind shifting in a way that people go and tell their friends. The BBC is building and reinforcing its reputation, the others are just struggling to understand what’s happened in the field of marketing. We have the tools and technology to do this cost effectively, so there is no excuse!!

If only it was another blip, a rough spell, a dip in the economic cycle but this time its not. Things have shifted and they have shifted radically. The financial sector will go back to ‘business as usual’ there is not doubt, despite new rules and regulations. But for most of us, the sand has moved and people’s mood has changed. The tide has more than just turned.

The eclectic mix of urgency, technology, culture and transparency will continue to drive truly interesting times over the next few years. This shift was happened already, an economic crisis just gave it a good old nudge. Much is going to change but some of the most fundamental are:

Innovation – Progress is a sure thing but it won’t just come from the big corporates, most innovation in the future will come from small groups of people or individuals. Innovation will be rampant in information technology, biotechnology, nanotechnology, science and clean energy. For the business owner now is the time to ring fence your R & D budget and protect it as if your life depended on it. Research suggests that those who invest in R & D during a downturn will out perform those when things get better.

Fast and slow – The unabated swing to doing things fast ever increases. It’s hard to see where it will stop? There will be a point when we out run ourselves. Things move so fast now that many regard market research and preparing for a product launch with precision, completely outdated and that most products/services just need to be launched and then learn from that. Basically, stuff the research beforehand. Whether it’s reckless or responsive depends on your market place. There are times to slow down, take stock, understand the purpose and consider growth to ensure you don’t get mowed down in the process but also maintain an air of unabridged control. Perhaps we need to fail fast and grow slow?

Talent – Your employees will be the hub of your business not you or the business entity. Prepare for some huge changes in the way you will need to attract, lead and retain exceptional people with huge heaps of knowledge. There will be a war for talent and retention will be a large part of the small business owner’s role and output. No point in attracting bright people only to lose them because you can’t lead for toffee. Business owners will buy peoples ideas and creativity not how many hours they work. How much collective talent you have will dictate how competitive you are in the future.

Customer Experience – The relationships with customers will need to be more significant and intense. Getting customers attention is an expensive process, so keeping them makes more sense. They will expect more of an experience as your products/services become less important or different. They will seek out a meaningful relationship with you as the world around us seemingly becomes more superficial, untrustworthy and potentially faceless. Watch as we go back to deep, caring conversations with customers as we reject being told how good companies/brands are.

Technology – It’s not going away and so we can’t ignore how positive it can be. It has changed our processes, systems, marketing, efficiency, production, health and much more. Expect the pace of change to increase in excessive amounts and be prepared for it. No longer can you scoff at such inventions as Google and Twitter. Many small businesses still don’t have an electronic database and then wonder why they are struggling to keep their head above water! Social media will form the most substantial part of your marketing budget as we go more viral and word of mouth makes a huge comeback.

We will get through this immediate crisis even though the pain will be felt for years to come. Perhaps a shake out, rationalisation was overdue? Unfortunately, for some, it’s been a terrifying shock. What is more important though is how business will respond to the permanent, deal breaking changes in human behaviour, expectations and technological advances that will literally mean the difference between survival and growth. There is still going to be fall out, not because of a financial crisis across the world but because business simply failed to change.