Authentic and Meaningful Trumps Trendy

As an IT worker, I am astonished that so many people in my field still cannot see what the future of communications really is.

E-mail is the antiquated form of communication with the new generation of workers. It is antiquated not only for the new generation of geeky IT workers. I am talking about all of your lines of business here. Companies that understand this are going to make a MINT. However, businesses should be cautious as they approach this shift in collaboration. Many organizations are going to attempt to inject themselves into the world of Twitter or Facebook. Some may be successful, if they have a compelling cause, idea, or product that people are willing to put their personally credibility on the line for. However, many will fail. They will simply fade in this new platform of communication.

The key to survival in the new world of communication is a concept that is old. It is evergreen and simplistic. Yet, many businesses continue to miss it. Organization must cultivate authentic and meaningful relationships with their customers. How many times have we heard that to be successful, we must listen to our customers? Ironically, many organizations speak this language, but do not even understand who it is that they are seeking to serve in the first place. For organizations to be successful, they must understand their customers, what inspires and motivates them, and then seek to deliver quality to them each day. The technology doesn't matter. Giving people something to believe in, something that resonates with their goals and vision, does.

Convince people that what you have to offer will help them to achieve the mission and goals that they feel compelled to reach. Show them how their goals and mission align with the common goals of many, and then provide them the platform where they can come together to achieve those goals collaboratively. You may just change the world.