New media blurs the lines between delivering messages to the marketplace (marketing), influencing the influencers (PR), and transacting business (sales), because online audiences now have:
- access to more real-time information than at any other time in history
- control over the messages that they receive
- access to trusted influencers through their online connections
The role of the prospect in the business cycle has changed.
The rapid adoption of new/social media technologies has initiated a shift in how prospects interact with their vendors. In the past, prospects stumbled upon corporate advertisements, trade-show booths, and articles that their PR departments pitched to journalists. Today, those same prospects play a much more active role. They initiate the sales process through fingertip-access to real-time databases and networks of trusted sources who love to help their friends.
Most companies still aren’t ready for this new prospect. Is yours? Ask yourself the following question:
“When prospects are searching for solutions that my company offers, have we done enough to earn a referral from either their friends (online networks) or Google (search)?”
