Things are still changing.

It’s funny how it seems that the internet has been around for so long, yet the impact of communication channels moving online is still playing out in various industries.  As the cost of distribution of information plummets, traditional paradigms are forced to shift.  Newspapers are going out of business.  Independent music distribution is flourishing like never before.  Opportunity to place your product or service in front of people is cheap and easy.

The more choices you have, the more bad choices you have.

Once in high school I noticed a screen saver on the monitor of an English teacher that read “The possibilities are infinite, choose wisely.”  Like the smart-ass that I am, I asked her, “If the possibilities are truly infinite, how can you possibly choose wisely?”  There’s some truth to this:  The catch about the barriers to communication falling is that with the increase of good information available (you define good), there’s also a plethora of bad information.  Whatever shall we do?

There is more information available to you than you can possibly digest.

As consumers, we have no choice but to be selectively ignorant.  In this environment, we often rely on others to filter information for us.  Since we can’t possibly sort through all the possibilities ourselves yet still desire to make an informed decision (whatever that actually means), we rely on recommendations from sources we trust to tell us to whom we should give our time, attention and money.

The best way to get new business has always been referral.

In one sense, the power of recommendation  has been true for a long, long time.  However, never have the effects of recommendation been felt on the scale that they have been or will be felt as barriers to communication fall away due to new tools becoming available.

The more the power of recommendation grows, the more it is essential that you harness it for your business.  This is the single reason why you can’t afford to ignore online software that we presently label “social media.”

Gary gave a talk at the Orange County Direct Marketing Association that follows in the same vein as last week’s post, Vision and The Hierarchy of Success. Gary discusses brand development, vision, voice and tactics.  He also briefly touches on how vision and voice must come before tactics in the context of social media.  Below is a short audio excerpt from his talk, enjoy!

Gary Sikes – OC DMA Oct 2009

Seth Godin recently wrote and article titled “The Hierarchy of Success” in which he outlines the following hierarchy for success: (Brackets added)

I couldn’t agree more that we spend so much time on the bottom of the list (because they’re the tangibles) and neglect the higher items on the list.  However, there’s something very key that is missing here: vision.

Vision comes from an understanding of who you are and what you bring to your work.  Out of vision comes the attitude and approach you bring to what you do.  It’s vision that refines and provides a litmus test for your goals.  If your goals don’t match match who you are, you need new goals.

An understanding of your vision sets you up for success and cascades down the hierarchy.  This is why vision is so important to us in our work with our clients.