Everything Changes: Is Your Business Keeping Up?
There are only a few sure things in life – death and taxes are two of them. The other thing is change.
Everything changes: The economy, markets, business needs, technology … Is your business keeping up with these changes?
If not, you will be left behind. Reinventing your business and making your business model dynamic rather than stagnant is the only way you will be able to remain competitive and be successful.
Keeping up with Technology these days is no easy task. For those of us non-techie types, it is sometimes very difficult to ride the waves of new technologies that are popping up every day.
The World is going Mobile and I have a feeling that it won’t be long before we will all be able to do almost everything from the comfort of our cell phones.
What about Facebook? Facebook is Taking over the World. I don’t know about you, but this concerns me. There is not a day that goes by when I don’t hear about someone’s Facebook account being hacked (mine included), suspicious links are posted on our walls, and spamming runs rampant.
BUT because our competitors are on Facebook, after all, everyone is, we need to be there too. As Facebook continues to offer more and more functionality, the lines between OUR brands and the Facebook brand will start to merge together.
Think about the Ma and Pa businesses that have been around for 20+ years reaping the rewards of word-of-mouth advertising alone (which is still THE best form of advertising even in today’s world of the Internet).
But because the business world of today dictates that for a company to be seen as legit it needs to have a web presence, many of these smaller local businesses are feeling compelled to create a website. Keeping up with technology and business trends…
Now to my favorite subject – video. There is no question that video is changing the way the world communicates and the way businesses relay their messages.
Even the search engines love video. Are You Using the Power of Video to Promote Your Brand? If not, you really should consider using it in some form as part of your marketing strategy.
Below is a video about using video. Which stands out more – the written word or the video?
Why Should Small Business Owners Use Video To Promote Their Brand?
As a Visual Digital Marketing Specialist for New Horizons 123, Julie works to grow small businesses, increasing their online visibility by leveraging the latest in internet and video technologies. She specializes in creative camera-less animated video production, custom images, content writing, and SlideShare presentations. Julie also manages content, blog management, email marketing, marketing automation, and social media for her clients.
Great article – I have to tell you as I was reading the opening to your post my mind threw in “Facebook” in your list of changes. Whew! They do keep us on our toes, huh? Anyway, enjoyed your video, and it’s obvious you’ve got a strong handle on using video to market your business.. Thanks for the information!
Hi Marquita, Yes – they sure do! I used to try to keep up with the changes, now I just “go with the flow” and see where that takes me LOL. I am glad you enjoyed the video – I really do love making them. When I get really stressed out, I shut down everything and make a video. I think I will start shutting things down now….. 🙂
Hi,
The World is changing, there are a lot of changes daily. A business must be updated daily in order to keep up with the people (clients). I also like to use videos for my clients, it’s easier to teach others things through videos and/or to transmit messages.
Thanks for sharing!
George
@George: For visual learners, video is most definitely a great way to learn. It is easy because you can literally stop the video while you are trying to do the same thing the video is telling you to do – makes learning much easier. As I am sure you know, screen casts are a great tool for instruction. Thanks for stopping by.
@Debbie: Agreed – it is most definitely the wave of the future – many studies have been done that indicate this as well. For those who are camera shy like myself, there are so many alternatives available via animation and screen casts. Thanks for your comments!
Hi Julie,
I agree about certain things such as technology can help change the way we and our customers interact, buy etc. I would add that even with these developments the fundamentals do not change and if they are not right then it doesn’t matter about the est.
Hi Susan,
I was literally having a conversation just today with someone about how even in this high tech world we live in, the best advertising is still word-of-mouth and it is still all about who you know. So, I am in total agreement with you that the fundamentals do not change. 🙂
Good article Julie. You are using videos the way they should be used. Short to the point and professinally done.
Far too many websites post 10-20 minute videos that only a small minority of visitors will bother to watch.
On top of it many videos are home made and, frankly terrible. By posting such videos companies brand themselves as amateurs so the videos actually work against them.
Videos should be professionally done in order to have the impact required. So unless people are prepared to invest in that it’s better they use photos, or even text only.
Hi Catarina, thanks for the compliment. I have heard that keeping vids under 2 minutes is a good rule of thumb. If a video is being used for training and/or is expected, it can be longer.
Everyone and I mean absolutely everyone is on facebook. And I see billboards from various businesses and services that proudly display social media icons on them. I agree that even with the risks, we must be connected through social media. And video is just one more strategy in a marketing campaign. As you know, I’m a little shy, but many people have told me I should start video blogging. I know it’s effective, but I just don’t like the camera. 🙂
Hi Dennis, yes FB is THE place to be. Although did you hear that 5 million folks in the US deleted their FB profiles the other day? It didn’t make much of a dent in the 500+ million FB users but it is interesting just the same. I don’t mind the camera but it doesn’t like me LOL. You create beautiful designs which BELONG in video – you don’t have to use your face – although I think you have a nice YOUNG face 🙂
Thanks for this post Julie. It has come at a very appropriate time for me as I have just started promoting a video email and video conferencing platform called iWowWe.
I believe that, now that the technology is sufficiently advanced, the use of video as a marketing tool will explode at a tremendous rate. In fact the surge has already begun.
I love the it’s info
Very useful and helpful for me
greetings for all successful
Hi Julie, Great post as always. I make no secret that I love using video to connect with people. It truly is ‘word of mouth’ rather than ‘words on paper’ and second only to personal contact marketing is video marketing. Taking the time to ‘show up’ in your business is very powerful I think and nothing builds rapport quicker than being able to look someone in the eyes while they speak to you… But I agree, sometimes trying to keep abreast of technology can be quite daunting 🙂
Thanks for flying the flag as you always do 🙂
HI Mandy, and you are amazing with your videos. You really connect with your audience and are so at home in front of a video camera. I prefer to use animations LOL Thanks for stopping by! Coming to visit you now!
Hi Evan. You forgot about death and taxes 🙂 We have to always be open to that change, including change in what we do, how we market, and even what our offerings are. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving your footprint.
Hi Julie…I also agree that death and taxes are the things we can’t avoid, so as change…On the other hand, I am also using video as communication to friends and relatives on the other side of the world…Anyway, thanks for the post you have shared to us!!
@Kathy: if you figure out how to avoid death and taxes – please do let me know 🙂
@James: Yup – change is inevitable – we need to make sure we go “with it”, right?