20-Year-Olds

There’s a foggy place that is inhabited only by 20-year-olds evidently. I don’t know the name of the place but at first blush it seems to have something to do with social media. I know such a place exists because I’ve seen people go there, or rather, sensed it. Here’s how it goes: a conversation involving social media reaches a point where there exists more unknown than known, a point where someone needs an out. I see a face gloss over, going to this place—this foggy place—and then the phrase is spoken: “I guess we need to hire a 20-year-old for that.” This means, guessing here, that the speaker rightfully wishes to hire the most talented and experienced people (profiling 20-year-olds) to carry out their social media campaigns. Another interpretation might be that the speaker has relinquished responsibility for their brand content because social media intimidates them. Either way, it’s good for 20-year-olds.

The foggy place gives social media employees the keys to the car. Thanks dad! There is no more assurable means to transfer power than to give over control of company communication. Can’t remember your logins? Someone will handle that for you. Need to access the blog? Gotta remember to ask help to do that—or have someone else do it. They’re not really highly paid but those social people can do a lot, whatever it is they do….

I think the foggy place is different though. I think the foggy place is made by underestimating the power of your content, your message, your brand, and your customer service. I think the foggy place is created by the act of underestimating the power of online and social media to represent you.

So this is not about 20-year-olds taking over the world or your business. I should point out that they will take over almost everything for a period at least as time goes on anyway. What this is about is this: pay attention to your message, it’s really important.

Classified Ads

The American newspaper has been vital in the building and success of our country as a world power. We have put our trust in our newspapers to connect to our world and in the course of over a century, they have become part of our society, our communities, our nation and our homes. As Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner held sway in the development of the West and Henry Grady’s Atlanta Constitution was instrumental in building the New South, America’s newspapers have had enormous influence and power. The Washington Post showed its duty to journalistic integrity when it broke the famous Watergate scandal, as the New York Times and the Cleveland Plain Dealer have served their readers with decades of award-winning excellence in journalism. While undoubtedly the largest and most successful papers will continue their service to their communities, many are feeling enormous financial strain in today’s economy.

Some contend that the overall lack of quality in journalism in today’s world and the attention span of readers have served to threaten newspapers today. Others note that operating budgets are the culprits with higher printing and distribution costs to blame. Still more point out that display advertising is drying up, eroding the bottom line of our favorite papers. While all of these factors certainly play a large role in the struggles of newspapers today, none are more important or compelling as the loss of classified advertisements.

Classified ads have long represented the way we talk to each other. Buy and sell, post a notice, reach out with a personal ad, these little ads are the way we connect and to the newspapers, were the lifeblood of the industry. In the first decade of this century classified advertising in newspapers dropped 70%, following a late-nineties decline that already saw the newspaper industry losing billions in lost classified advertising. The power of classified ads is not in their size but in their sheer volume. The power of this vast network of connection didn’t go away though, it just shifted.

We already know where the classified ads went. The most direct translation of the classified ad is now found on ebay and craigslist. Want to get more specific? Car Soup is one example of a provider who has taken over one of the classic uses of the classified ad: buying and selling cars. Facebook, MySpace and many other online services were savvy enough to see the need for personal connections for friends and families. Rookie quarterback Christian Ponder of the Minnesota Vikings had trouble finding a place to live as he began his NFL career. He turned to his Twitter followers for recommendations and found a place in a matter of days.

The shift to online is not news though. What is surprising is that there remains the tendency to look to print formats to carry our message. Against all evidence, old habits and perceptions remain. For business owners, an argument can be made that some print presence is important. A stronger argument can be made that only by embracing online and social media can we connect, influence and persuade in the world today.