Can They Hear You?

By the end of Web 1.0, the Internet was a shouting match – a marketing battleground that tested the strength of junk mail folders across the world. Brands blasted messaging to unsolicited, and frequently purchased, lists of people; regardless of whether that person matched the company’s target audience. Page links trapped you in a web of “if you like this, you’ll love that” advertising. Spamming and jargon muted real communication, and eventually people stopped listening.

Now here we stand, experiencing first-hand the youth of web 2.0 – a virtual world where Social programs promote user-generate content. Now that everyone has a voice, audiences are particular about the messages that drive them to action. Begging the question, can your target market hear you?

There was a time in this world when only spoken or written forms of communication drove commerce, but no more. Now people respond to videos, pictures, animations and 140 characters. The challenges lie in deciding whom you want listening, and what content or conversations will spark action.