The last couple of months leading up to 2009 were filled with strategy and planning for the New Year. My clients have been working hard to identify their goals for this up coming year. I have to say, it’s been an unusually difficult process. Frankly, people are scared of the economy and the uncertainty of what the future will bring.
With the chance of seeming like the eternal optimist (wich I happen to be); Change HAS come and with change, opportunity can be found in abundance. Maybe you have to switch your focus and strategy to continue to be a player in the marketplace. Maybe you have to re-define your marketing message. Whatever it is, necessity breeds creativity. These are exciting times we live in and I know the businesses with courage will not only survive an economic slow down, they will thrive. Those that stop marketing altogether because of FEAR, will just simply STOP….
I don’t pretend to be an economic expert. I can’t tell you what will happen with your business. I can tell you, some things don’t ever change. For example, the need for people to feel connected, accepted, loved, safe, healthy, and admired. Do you sell a product or service that touches on any of these? If so, you have a marketing message. My predictions for 2009 include the growth of people’s need to feel connected and accepted. When trying to find where to tell your uniqe marketing message, take a serious look at social media. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Blogs are places many of your customers spend many hours in a day at. Maybe you think that your demographic can’t be reached here. Think again.
According to istrategylabs.com, 35 – 50 year olds only make up 7% of the users on facebook. However, since last year, this age group was the fastest growing with 172% growth. 25-30 year olds came in second in growth with 98%. This age group makes up 21% of all users on facebook. My point, is people are finding communities in different ways and it’s your job to be apart of those communities.
For some of you, this is a new frontier. Is it a risk? Sure it is. Can you be promised immediate resluts? No, that’s why it’s called a risk.
Whatever 2009 brings, I am welcoming it all. As always, I am the small businesses biggest advocate and cheerleader. I pray blessings and prosperity and courage to your business.
P.S. Just as I was finishing this post up, I read more on istrategy.com and found this:
By iStrategist Jessie Newburn (Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook, JessieX Blog)
…GenXers also tend to find their value in corporate, community and cultural realms by noticing and filling gaps that others either don’t see or don’t care to be bothered with.
Now, along comes social media: The most fertile of environments for micro connections, micro content, micro publishing, micro commenting. Along comes social media: the most fertile of environments for connecting along values, interests and niche subjects. Along comes social media: finally, a place and a space for unfettered expression. A place and a space to speak up, claim a personal perspective, and avoid Boomer-dominated institutional communication channels, corporate speak and Big Media. Along comes social media: a place where it’s ok to be a bit alienated, isolated and cynical. And, oddly, even in doing so and being so, one can find community, connection, purpose and meaning.
See, GenXers, like every other American generation, are starting to move into the next phase of life. Historically, every time an American Nomad generation (today’s GenXers) move into mid-life (ages 42-62), there is always a system-wide crisis that hits … and hits hard. Very, very hard. *
My guess is that intuitively, under the radar, quietly and without needing permission from anyone or anything, GenXers have been aligning; they’ve been developing social media skills and technologies; and they’ve been identifying key people and resources in preparation of the cyclical Crisis Era that always occurs during the Nomad’s mid-life years.
http://www.istrategylabs.com/37-year-olds-in-facebook-it%E2%80%99s-a-genx-thing/
Thanks for including part of my blog article here. Are you a GenXer yourself? GenXers (the Nomad archetype) are individually and collectively primed to handle a crisis era and do the things that need to be done in a “winter” season. All the hardscrabble lessons they learned as underprotected children and alienated young adults create the perfect combination of skills and attitudes that carry society through this ever-s0-cyclical dark time.
Happy new year, to you. I’m happy to hear of your own version of optimism. And I like your blog and website look. Kudos to your designer (and you).
Congrats, Hilary, on your site going live just recently. It really is great, and so is your work! To answer your question earlier, I don’t mind at all that you included some of my writing in your blog. It brought me to your site. And hopefully, you found istrategylabs’ site, too. Happy new year!