ARTICLE: You thought the competition was getting tough in 2010, well you have not seen anything yet!
2011 is going to be one of the most competitive for businesses, and if you are not ready to fight then you may lose out on some huge opportunities. 2010 was full of innovation and technology, a technology that helped people begin interacting on multiple platforms. You had all the traditional ways to communicate with the added bonus of social networking. 2010 was the year of mobile marketing and the push for faster phones made it so easy to reach potential customers via, mobile sites, apps, and mobile texting. 2011 will be a shift in technology and integration like nothing we are use to. We already are seeing it now with the ability to mobile skype, update social networks using apps, sending video that was just captured, checking into different locations so other people can see where you are… need I go on? I am sure you get the picture of what today looks like.
Using these technologies to generate business has been an added bonus to companies business development efforts across the world. Here is the difference in 2011; no longer will this be added bonuses for companies, but a MUST to survive! If you are not adapting to the new ways of communication by using all these technologies, then you are going to be over taken by your competition. The reason why this is a must is because your customers are spending the majority of their time on these new forms of communication. You may not be, but your customers are using social networks, on their phones downloading apps, finding new products by searching google, using text message more than ever, and this is becoming our society. This is no longer just a buzz or a fad, its “Reality.”
For those companies who have already started reaching out via social networks and mobile marketing, then start pushing even harder and invest a little more. Now, for those of you who have not started, then your company needs to catch up fast! I would start by hiring people who know what they are doing. You cannot afford to take Cindy from HR and have her create a Facebook page, because you have no time for trial and error. Just remember what I have said, “this is the new REALITY” and there is no way it will ever go back to traditional communication.
I want to wish all businesses the best of luck in 2011.
