Yes! You've just earned a lot of my respect! :-)

Especially with: "Simple: Because everyone in their target market of midsized companies has a speaker phone; few of them have video projection facilities that work."

Great, very needed post.

Totally agreed. Marketers almost seem to be marketing more to other marketers than to the general public. Although blogs, podcasts, social networking are all great if you are appealing to the alpha customers, there are a lot of people out there who don't know what a blog is. Social networking can help you understand your customers, but knowing the threshold customers have for such tools is the first step that seems to get overlooked.

Jonathan,

Thank you. I, too, have written about how we spend way to much time praising tools (but never about the respect issue, as I have never personally been shown a lack of respect in my profession).

Tools are just tools. They don't in and of themselves do anything. And none of my clients now or when I worked in the corporate world cared about or wanted to know anything about what tools I used. All they care and cared about are and were the results.

Frankly, for my current clients, traditional tools continue to meet their marketing needs and goals better than social media tools. In my own business, social media tools outperform traditional tools.

All that says is that business owners and executives need lots more education and far less hype about the uses and potential ROI regarding social media tools. Therefore, when I write about social media, I try to take a balanced approach and share pros and cons, or I focus on ROI, or I focus on how a company may use one of the tools. Others do a great job with explaining social media without the hype, as well, and I applaud them.

Praise and gushing over any tool are ineffective influencers and persuaders.

Interesting post, Jonathan. It makes me think.

Shouldn't we be embracing new technologies and trends if our target markets are? If we conduct the due diligence to identify which channels these segments prefer, then doesn't that build the case to stay current with it?

As for audio conferences, one of my associations provides them monthly. The caveat is that members who wish to participate must go to one local location to listen together (as a member benefit)or pay to participate individually. It works if you're an auditory learner.

If they were to adopt Webinar technology, then members could participate from anywhere in the world in real time, or download presentations at their convenience. Each member could participate from his/her own computer and benefit from visual AND auditory learning - likely at a more reasonable cost than using long distance conference calling. This could take them from the ice age into the 21st century.

We just need to look at things holistically to see what's advantageous and what's not for each purpose.

Elaine: You're right about embracing new technologies and trends if our target markets are. Yes, we should, IF our target markets are.

Yet, which are target markets of our clients? Target markets of my clients are using email. Word. Some of them Excel. And YouTube. OK, some of them even read and comment on blogs.

As for the webinars. Lovely, ha? You don't need to go anywhere. Just sit between 4 walls, with your screen and no personal contact. Yes, if you have that specific need.

Yet again, I know a company that sells seminars (a lot of them for like 20 years now?). They sell them best when they are:

- in spring
- at the lovely mediteranian coast
- involving many many people (the more crowd the better)

Yet, all of this "can change" rapidly. 21st century is here. There are "new kids on the block". So we should be prepared.

Note: I belive there are comming some even more rapid technological changes in next years that will make us think and chat even more. :-)

Probably the number one thing professional marketers need to remember is that they are abnormal. While we are all wrapped up in social media and new technology, most normal people are not.

One year ago today, where were Twitter and Facebook? Now, everyone must do it? Please. This time next year, marketers will be talking about "must do's" that we don't even know exist yet. Twitter and Facebook will be old hat.

Worthy comments all.

To distill my point to one sentence: If our recommendations aren't selective, we're not making helpful recommendations.

This is a great piece that reminds all marketers to work from the known to the new. It's our obligation to be effictive and fresh. It's our mission to have impact to the customer.

Being myopically focused in an insular world does not help clients or their customers. Our job is to help clients reach their audience, and Elaine is 100% spot on. Depending on where, when, how and what media that audience consumes, will and should determine the tools & tactics we use and/or the recommendations we make. Our clients hire us to help grow their businesses and that requires ROI. The flavor of the week may be entirely irrelevant for the audience - and for the client. Stand in your client's shoes and you will earn their respect.

nAJdgu U cool ))