Recession-Proof 5: Effective Communication with Your Customers!


	Today, Most Americans Go to the Internet For Information — First!

Illustration: A consumer surfs the 'net looking for sales on items she needs for her home. [5] How the Internet Has Become a
Major Influence in Our Lives Today!

If you have school-age children, you already know how Internet technology has revolutionized our daily lives. If you don't have kids in school, and if you've been so busy working lately that you just haven't had time to explore the rapidly growing potential of the 'Net, you need to realize that the "world of tomorrow" has come upon us ... today! Understanding this clearly is vital for business.

For Most Americans, the Internet Has Become
Their Primary Resource for Problem Solving:

A nationwide survey conducted in December 2007 by the Pew Internet & American Life Project (working jointly with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Graduate School of Library and Information Science) surveyed 2,796 adult Americans, asking how they use information sources to help them address common problems.

Problems discussed in the survey questions included: Dealing with a serious illness or health concern; making a decision about school enrollment, financing school, or upgrading work skills; dealing with a tax matter; changing a job or starting a business; and getting information about major programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.

Among the survey's major findings:

• Generally, today more people turn to the Internet (at home, work, libraries or other places) than any other source of information and support, including experts and family members.

• E-government is not an option, it's a necessity. The vast majority of Americans want and expect information about government programs to be available on the Internet.

• 65% of adults who went to a library for problem-solving help [this group included the majority of survey respondents classified as "low-access" i.e., who did not have broadband internet access at home or work, or who had no internet access at all] said that access to computers, particularly the internet, was the key reason they go to the library for help. And 62% of adults who went to the library for help actually did use the computers at the library.

• Individual preferences for dealing with government varied, depending on issues they faced. The survey showed that most people would prefer to use the Internet for information queries, but want to use the phone or face-to-face visits to address more personal matters.

The table below provides a brief summary of the resources Americans use today for finding answers to their questions. Can your business grow by adapting to these changes?

Search Strategies/Resources Used by Americans for Problem Solving: Survey respondents typically contacted 2 or 3 sources for help. For that reason, Survey responses totalled more than 100%.
Search Strategy Used, or Resource Contacted, Ranked by Percentage:
58%	used the Internet
53%	*asked professional advisors, i.e.,* doctors, lawyers, or financial experts**
45%	asked friends or family members
36%	used newspapers, magazines, or books
34%	contacted a government office or agency
16%	used television and/or radio
13%	went to a public library
11%	used another source not mentioned already
Data Source: "Information Searches that Solve Problems", December 2007 (Pew Internet & American Life Project / University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)

For Most Americans, the Internet is Rapidly Becoming Our Primary News Source

As broadband usage grows, the Internet is becoming more and more a part of our daily lives. Here are statistics from a study four years ago showing how important the Internet has become for many Americans who now use the 'Net as their primary news source:

Survey: Online News Hits a New High Water Mark in Popularity "For most home broadband users, the Internet is now their primary news source." (Since many people use multiple news sources, responses total more than 100%)
71%	go Online for News, on an average day
59%	get News from Local TV
51%	get News from National TV or Radio
40%	get News from Local Newspapers
Press Release: "Online news hits a new high water mark.", March 2006 Pew Internet & American Life Project (from a December 2005 survey)

With Any New Technology, Our "Amazement" Soon Redefines Our "Comfort Zone"

Stop and think about new technologies you've experienced in your lifetime. Depending on your age or a number of other factors, you might think about microwave ovens; programmable VCRs; anti-lock brakes; GPS systems; cable TV's video-on-demand; computers; the Internet; or something else. The list seems endless, and we encounter new technologies almost every day, each designed to enhance or improve our lives in some way.

For most people, the first time we encounter some "new" technology, our first reaction is amazement: "Wow, I didn't know you could do that." Soon, the amazement becomes curiosity: "How does that work?" And once we learn a little about how it works, it's not "new" anymore. Gradually, as we learn how to use that "new" technology, it becomes just another comfortable thread in the fabric of our lives, because we now know that a particular bit of technology will be readily available for our convenience, whenever we need the benefit of whatever it does.

If you're over 30 right now, regardless of what you may believe your level of computer literacy and Internet proficiency to be, you probably know less than many 10-year-old children, who learned in school today how to use some "new" technology that was just created last week.

Don't worry, though. The kids will be glad to explain it all when they get home from school.

Is Your Business Ready for the New Technologies in "Social Networking"?

You may recall having read on page 2 of this article how "new technology reshapes society by revolutionizing the way people receive information and communicate with each other".

Regardless of the "bells and whistles" each new technology brings, the essential factor in each new phase of mankind's technological advancement is how each new technology improves our ability to communicate with each other ... more quickly, more effectively, more personally.

To survive and grow, your business must learn to adapt to these changes!

The next page discusses social networking as it relates to marketing. If you get nothing else from this article, you need to understand the importance of this factor with crystal clarity!

Please continue ...
Next page: Unprecedented Capability for Social Networking AND Marketing >>>

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