Marketing Profs

Note: This article is an amended excerpt from the book Now Is Gone.

Regardless of technological change, the future of social media will be dictated by the community's rapid adoption of new media forms.

Change occurs dynamically in online communities as new applications develop. Though behavior has changed, relationships must be maintained. That means marketers must be flexible moving forward.

At any one time there seem to be hot social media networks and technologies. Whether it's Facebook or Mahalo or another social network du jour, marketers will be faced with the consistent challenge of finding new ways to use media forms to engage the community.

Like water, the marketer must move with the community and learn the newest technology's impact on communications. And, like water, this type of activity follows the path of least resistance.

It's important to note that as "webolution" continues marketers should avoid getting bedazzled by hot media forms. We've seen them come and go. Excite, Prodigy, AOL, Friendster, MySpace (fading, but still relevant) and increasingly Yahoo are brands of the past.

These passing technologies demonstrate that professionally we cannot get too focused on specific technologies. Why? Because they will evolve, change, and in some cases disappear.

Thinking Liquid in a Dynamic Environment

Marketers are better served by liquid fluidity in their thought processes and approaches. That way they can adapt to sudden changes and new, hot technologies as social media continues its march forward. As this natural process continues to unfold over time and communities evolve, their information needs and consumption of media will evolve, too.¹

With increasingly diverse and changing marketing environments, successful marketers will focus on social media principles rather than tactics. Basic social media principles can serve as guidance no matter the environment.