Change is often feared, yet change is inevitable and all around us. New Media such as social networks, blogs, and other user generated content is big change to many marketing folks. It is often more comfortable to continue a marketing strategy because of its familiarity. After all, to make a change, you must justify it to management and that could put your position in jeopardy and that is sometime the most uncomfortable change of all.

I’d like to share a passage today from ‘The Way of the Ronin, Riding the Waves of Change’ by Dr. Beverley Potter.

“The most dangerous thing we can do is rigidly resist change. The coming change is inevitable and the only option is to be open and flexible. But how can we when we’ve become specialized human parts in the organizational machine, without flexibility, without a breadth of movement, without options for alternative ways of providing for our needs?”

There are alternative methods to marketing. New media is one of them and there is a new success story every day. All it takes is the confidence to take a look and see if these new tools can work for your brand.

This new media change is inevitable. Statistics are released constantly that show the dent in traditional marketing advertising. The consumer base has been empowered as an individual. They do not respond the same to mass market principals as they once did and are not likely to revert back in the future.

There are some disciplines that can help you overcome the disruptions of change:

Train - Invest some of your time to learn the features of new media. If you would like references or guides to resources that can help you, please contact us.

Develop - Add the resources to your team that can aid you in the transition. Look inside, they may already be there. Encourage and empower these individuals to innovate your marketing for the future.

Participate - Connect your resources with outside resources that can be a sounding board for your ideas. You can achieve this by joining groups, working with consultants, or simply making new network connections. (Social networks are a great place to start)

Plan - Set goals. Develop financial metrics to measure performance. Research customer behavior, competitor strategies, and industry tendencies.

Breathe - Keep your energy up. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, learn from them, and change directions. New media can be fun if you let it be more of an adventure and less of a chore.

Remember the old definition. Insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. Ride the waves of change and achieve your marketing and sales goals by embracing new media. We think you will be glad you did.