Discuss v. Talk At

Here is a graphic that illustrates one of the key points of my previous blog post (The "Social" in Social Media)… the part about the fundamental shift in marketing from a one-way "tell" paradigm to a model that's multi-directional, interactive and conversational.

In the "olden days" when customers were a fragmented bunch, companies marketed to their target audiences through advertising, slickly-produced collateral and such.

Marketers worked diligently to come up with innovative, catchy, memorable messages that they could "tell" their customers.

That kind of telling cost lots of money, of course, because it took untold thousands of paid impressions (in the form of repetitive ad messages, direct mail campaigns, etc.) to try to break through the noise of a competitive marketplace and create/build/enhance brand awareness.

As marketers focused on doing all that telling, did customers totally believe what they were told?

Ever watch a focus group from behind the trick mirror? Or talk to a customer about whom they most trust for unbiased product information? (Hint: telling and selling have never been the final word.)

The power of the Internet and the tsunami of social media are opening new doors and opportunities as they present compelling challenges for how to effectively communicate with customers.

With community interaction at the core, welcome to the era of "Engage and Influence."