Pssst….  Here is a secret (I am not sure why it is still a secret)… Businesses must bow at the feet of the consumer- EVERY  stinkin’ one of us. Consumers are now kings and business must focus on direct interaction with their customers (YOU) or they will die like dinosaurs.

There are two truths that cannot be argued as the foundation for our consumer conversation:

• We ALL have a voice and people listen.
• People listen more effectively when our message is in writing.

How many people are friends with you on Facebook?   I have over 175.  Of those I interact with maybe… 50 on a regular basis.  Of those there are subsets specific to each area of my life-  local friends,  business people, industry people, friends abroad, etc…  Without having to pick up the phone and call a single person or talk to anyone face to face;  In about 30 seconds, I could let all those people know (at the same time) about an experience I had and they would listen to me and possibly tell others.  It is that simple.  You can reach at least the 50 – 250 people you have on your Facebook page today and start a conversation.

If you also have a My Space page and a Linked In account you could then tie them together using Twitter.  When you tweet something- it goes to all your message boards. The message is written for all to see and easily understand.  What does that mean???  Simple mass communication at a MICRO level.  Twitter- aka- micro-blogging site.

We need to understand why having a written message is important.  Ever see how a call from an attorney can get someone worked up-  but if they get a LETTER from the attorney …. see what happens.  Written words carry a finality that the spoken word has a hard time  challenging.  My Facebook message is difficult to misconstrue because it was IN WRITING. Putting my message into written words keeps the focus on the message I wanted and prevents the intent from being diluted as it trickles through communication channels.

Bow Down to Me! I Am the King! I Have a Voice!

I understand that there is something strange about how this works... Mass communication… and Micro-blogging…  does not compute….  how can something be large and small?…. err….

Breakdown in 3 parts:

1. simple, written  messages (Micro)
2. built for interaction (Community)
3. on a easy to distribute, global level  (Macro)

Whut?!?!

What this really means is that you now have a voice.  Companies and people have always known reputation and word of mouth are important, but now consumers have a platform in which to discuss their relationships with business and people in an open forum that allows others to spread their message- virally.  Not to mention- immediately.

If I love the local pizza place (AND I DO-  It’s called EJ’s. ) I blog about what a great time I had there with my wife and kids on Twitter.  My ‘micro-blog’ posts to Facebook where  three other people I have accepted as  ”friends” see what I say and happen to live near by.  Boom-  they want to check out EJs.  Because they trust me.  I have a micro-community.

Understand that companies ‘get’ what I just did.  They are trying to understand how to get their messages out at this level.  An insightful IndiaTimes.com article discusses the evolution of Social Networks and Micro-Blogging through research that was recently published. “Gartner also predicts that by 2014, social networking services will replace e-mail as the primary vehicle for interpersonal communications.” This means that businesses must adapt to how they communicate with one another and with consumers.  Companies are going to have to interact at a micro-level and do so in written text.

Smart company marketing departments know we can fast forward through commercials thanks to DVR.  We can subscribe to Internet based or satellite radio without commercials.  We can choose to use sites on the web that do not use ads or have pop-ups.  Companies cannot interrupt our lives as easily with their messages.   The rules have changed.  Messages have to have a meaning and be personal.  Marketing is at a micro-level.  It is time for consumers to use these new rules to our advantage.

If you enjoyed this article, I have discussed Twitter/Social Media before.  In my previous posts on Twitter- The first post discussed my initial interest in Web 2.0.   I dove deeper into social interaction and being engaged as the core to building an online community in my next post.

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There I am standing in the lobby of our church.  The place is massive.  There are three services with at least a thousand people at each one.  I have been jittery all during the service.  My mind was racing.  I had heard what the pastor had said for only about the first 10 minutes and then realized the possibilities of what could be.  I was nervous..  visibly excited.  My wife was visibly frustrated with me.  I was waiting for our pastor to come out.  We were late getting to her sister’s house and did need to go-  but I HAD to talk.  I had to see if there was any interest in my idea….

I had no way of being able to tell my wife about what Web 2.0 was up to this point.  She is technical to a point. She works in development.  She has a passion for Facebook and reading news sites.  She emails and chats-  pretty normal stuff.  I tired to explain to her what Twitter was and how Facebook was important on a different level and what a blog could do if you knew how to use it.  I was not able to help tie it all together for her.  I was not even sure I could explain it to myself, but I did know it was important to business technology moving forward.  Sitting at my church was the first time I understood the impact that Web 2.0 could have outside of my world.

Engage...

Our church has always been a little progressive.  There is a good use of music and video media and web technology to help with the lessons and provide some interaction.  The church did not have an official Facebook page, Twitter feed, blog or other such interactive web tools for their community.

The church was going to do a GetFITT series.  Good stuff.  The pastor told everyone that for the next 12 weeks, the church was doing a series on getting fit in spirit, finances and physical health.  He mentioned that the church would be using video to show the struggles of a few of the staff as they worked out and dieted.  Suddenly it clicked.  If the church could use social media to blog about their experiences and others could make comments and follow one another as they struggled and fought to get fit-  there may be a good chance of more success stories.

The pastor came out of the doors and I shook his hand.  I told him about Twitter and Facebook.  I quickly tried to get my point out-  I was finding it hard.  He just smiled and said-  ”You’re the guy to help.  Let’s do it.”  I met with their team and was able to express how important the idea of social networking online could be for their program.  I tried to explain my thoughts in relation to a marketing or brand campaign and realized that my vision was not about branding.

It was then that I realized that Web 2.0 could be many things.  The marketing system I had known it to be was just a small part.  I now understood that it is entirely about the concept of what you want your community to do online rather than shouting out a unified message across multiple platforms.  Web 2.0 was also about community. Interaction.  Discussion. Sharing. I learned about the “social” part of social networking.  I wanted the church to engage their people and allow their people to engage one another.

Econsultancy.com discusses the topic of engagement.  ”By becoming closer to your people (your market) you can engender trust and support, leading to – hopefully – brand evangelism….  forget about thinking of the web as a one-way direct response channel, when it is so much more than that. It may be the biggest shopping mall in the world, but it is also the biggest watercooler / playground / bar / debating forum.

On a side note- the church has over 400 Facebook fans and over 200 Twitter followers now.  The accounts have been online a week.  More to come on tying all of it together….