Whoever you supported in the recent presidential election, one lesson everyone can learn from the whole thing is that technology is changing the way organizations interact with their customers.
Witness the heavy use of Web 2.0 technology by the Barack Obama campaign and that campaign’s appeal to young voters. The Obama campaign made use of technologies and communities that many of us hadn’t heard of just a few years ago, such as Twitter and Facebook. The campaign used these to reach and motivate young voters because that’s where those voters could be found.
Indeed, these voters sought to influence each other through posts on Facebook and blogs, sharing information in a way that hadn’t happened in the past. Did you see Netscape founder and Ning executive Marc Andreessen made a presidential endorsement in his own personal blog?
The New York Times reports that this election has represented a sea change for politics as we know it. Top marketing blogger Seth Godin notes how each candidate built or failed to build a tribe of supporters.
What are the lessons here for IT solution providers? Can you close more deals by setting up a Twitter account? Hardly. But it does make sense to pay attention to how your customers prefer to communicate. If your customers are on Facebook, set up a presence there. And if they are not, find out where they spend their time, online or offline.
Listen to them, as Channel Insider Vice President Lawrence Walsh advises, and incorporate their needs into what you offer them.
And get ready for the changes that will be brought about by the big change that’s about to happen in Washington. As Channel Insider’s Pedro Pereira points out, many new projects will be under way, and they’ll all require technology. Are you ready?