This week I met a good cross section of business people who were intrigued and excited about the potential of new media. At meetings like this I try to explain what this media and marketing shift is all about by referencing the usual suspects: RSS, blogs, wikis, Search engine optimization, online video and networking.
But rather than further segmenting them into sub categories (and confusing the heck out of people) I tell them to think of it as not just technology fixes to marketing opportunities, but a way of rethinking what our marketing goals are. Are we trying to amplify the message -as in the old tactics of expensive media buys - or are we trying to empathise with our customers better? Are we trying to stuff our brochures into their inboxes or are we trying to get them to find us on their terms, on their time?
I also tell them not to drink from the proverbial fire-hose, and take these techno solutions in small sips. The fire-hose is not what you want opened when you're trying to achieve specific goals. There are just too many tools out there that may not even be relevant to your marketing objective.
My take is that, in our exuberance, we might be opening the new media pressure valve a bit too far, making marketing look too complex, to "wild west," too faddish. Sometimes it's OK to pinch the fire-hose. Work with what you have. Maybe what you have is a marketing team of two-and-a-half people, a lean budget, and a CEO who first needs you to serve it out in sippy-cup. The big thirst could be filled down the line.
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