Evolution Happens
My wife and I recently said "goodbye" to Durango for our annual winter sojourn to Phoenix. We'll miss the mountains, of course, but the warm desert sun will be our recompense and before you know it, we'll be back. In the meantime, we have to familiarize ourselves with the big city. For instance, I wanted to locate a convenient used bookstore, and I had no idea where the nearest was located. I powered up the internet and found what I needed.
So, I plan to buy a few raunchy paperbacks (yes, I'm sure "raunchy" is a genre) from my friendly neighborhood bookie…er, bookstore. The interesting thing is that I've only recently become interested in buying physical books. I've been reading books on my Kindle almost exclusively for several years. What turned my lonely eyes (Simon and Garfunkel fan alert) to real books is the rapidly rising cost of purchasing e-books. Downloadable books have begun to grab huge chunks of the marketplace, and, for now, the increasing prices reflect the growing popularity.
What's interesting to me is the dynamic of ever-changing market models. One bookseller, Borders, ignored e-books for too long and the changing environment did 'em in. Is your organization likewise ignoring the evolving business environment? Have you taken into account the growing popularity of social media, mobile devices and internet sales? Here are a few statistics for you to ponder:
- 79.9% of Colorado's population use the internet
- 46.7% use FaceBook
- 50% of all local searches are performed on mobile devices
- By 2014, mobile internet usage should overtake desktop internet usage
- 78% of internet users conduct product research online
- 40% of smart phone users compare prices on products while in store
If your organization is not using the internet (including its ever-growing array of communication channels like Facebook, You Tube, and mobile devices) to communicate your mission, then you are ignoring a large percentage of clients who want to hear about your organization and how it can meet their needs. They're just waiting for you to come into their world and shake hands with them.
Guest blogger Dennis Mathis is a long-time resident of the Four Corners who nurtures an interest in writing, marketing, technology, reading and business. About a year ago, he retired from a public relations job and is now formally self-managed. It is a harder job than he imagined it would be. He and his wife, Nancy, live in a log cabin near Lemon Lake decorated with birdhouses, and when the water is calm, they kayak along Lemon's graceful shoreline.
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