The Times They Are A-Changin’

By Tricia Hrycan, Marketing Coordinator for 24hrAssistant

Technology. Rapidly changing, never a stand still moment.  Anyone has the ability to change the way people communicate these days. For example, Lady Gaga just released Polaroid Sunglasses that take pictures and have a built-in USB stick to transfer to your mobile phone.  Just like Gaga’s sunglasses, every consumer’s possible wants are just an app away.  This is why it only makes sense for companies to have the majority of information and options on their websites and with mobile access.

With Twitter and Facebook replacing our face-to-face communication, marketing presentations and door to door sales have taken a back seat. I think this is a great transition from what was expected in marketing positions 5 years ago.  Although some people believe face-to-face communication is better and more personal, I think when it comes to marketing, it becomes more convenient for everyone involved as well as it doesn’t make the customer feel uncomfortable.

2010 marked a big year in technology and how people continue to communicate.  The Apple iPad was launched, Android becomes an iPhone competitor and Groupon changes the way people save money.  These are all great new tools for marketing and communicating because they continue to add to a different, yet effective, way of selling and interacting.

The Kindle and e-Books have changed the way people read, although I still prefer reading an actual paper copy book.  Despite that, I can still appreciate the convenience the Kindle offers and convenience and speed is everything to the modern consumer.

Technology has increased the flow of how we live our lives which is why anything that can provide a faster and better experience for us is A-ok in our books.  Erik Qualman, author of “Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way we live and do Business,” talks about the preference of instant messaging instead of email because it seems more personal.  Allison Bahm of Response Mine Agency reveals in Qualman’s book that her sales have not decreased with the lack of face-to-face interaction with potential clients.

“I’ve started relationships and signed contracts exclusively within social networks.  It is revolutionary for sales; it’s much easier than telephone calls and emails,” Bahm mentions.

So as worried as people are about losing communication skills with the rapid changes of technology, this shows that we are networking and interacting more than ever, just in a different way.