From Get Down with the People:
Today I participated in a meeting with a group of senior marketers from one of the largest global companies in the world. At one point the exec who convened the team asked me point blank, “Steve, what’s the most important thing we need to do as marketers in this new world?” My answer? “Get down with the people.”
The time for analysis is over. Cluetrain is no longer a concept. It’s reality. Consumers are forming their own “mecosystems.” They’re fusing matter from all corners of the consumer-generated and traditional media universes into a solar system that revolves solely around them. With this shift, the best way to persuade is now to engage with them one-on-one as individuals, not as demographics, targets or markets.
Steve goes a step further and explains that engagement is also about “creating ways for individuals to meet and engage with each other in a house that you built.”
I have a friend that I consult with and he’s concerned about getting comments on his blog because of the time and energy it will take to maintain them. It’s a legitimate concern too. But with a little creativity, I can see how a blog could be framed in such a way that would encourage engagement within the blog’s community.
Maybe it’s in the comments area copy. A technological solution is to use a comments subscription option like I have on my blog. That way readers can follow the conversation and jump in whenever they feel like it. Cocomment does the same thing.
Hmmm. I think I’ll go ask Steve…