New Mediums - Same Sound Business Practices...

I was recently consulting with a new client about digital marketing and the subject of "Twitter" came up. Now, like many clients this one really didn't understand Twitter and how it could benefit his firm until I said the following:

..."Ron, you may remember the days when you had a notebook filled with plastic sleeves that contained all your client [letters] testimonials. This notebook was probably sitting in your lobby... [he nodded in the affirmative]. Well, think of Twitter as an opportunity for your clients to write you an online/digital recommendation and have it not only work today but due to the nature of online media and search engines, have that testimonial archived for others to find who may be searching for a firm and/or service just like yours. Think of it...your recommendations are no longer limited to the scope of people that are waiting in your lobby...people can see them from around the world. Your testimonials are categorized and archived - and in many cases will become displayed as results when associated terms are searched on sites like Google and Yahoo."

All of a sudden we had a "light bulb" moment! He understood that he could, just like before, ask his satisfied clients for a testimonial, but instead of simply writing an e-mail, he could ask them to tweet about him. Same sound business practice, just a brand new medium. And please keep in mind that this is but one example...chances are if you think about it for just a few minutes you'll be able to come up with half-a-dozen or so traditional, sound, and effective business practices that will translate over to Twitter or Facebook, or LinkedIn. Give it a try and see what you come up with...you'll be surprised.
Best!
D-