THE INTERNET AND THE ARRIVAL OF THE CITIZEN MARKETER
by John Graham
All the signs point in every possible direction. Even at huge eBay, the quintessential Internet portal, revenues are slowing.
At the same time, bricks-and-clicks retailers seem to be doing far better and overall Internet sales this past holiday period were impressive.
Newspaper circulation continues a downward slide, while electronic news sources delivered to computer and cell phones grows. Without question, print media has struggled to get its arms around the Internet. It isn't an easy task, to say the least. Yet, there are signs that many are getting it right. Readers of the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The LA Times, Boston Globe and others are migrating to electronic editions and advertising is following.
The picture is further complicated by the way the Internet turns our mental constructs upside down. It has forever changed the way knowledge has been disseminated since the dawn of history (perhaps starting with the shamans, who maintained control by holding on to the knowledge purse, dispersing 'education' to select groups.
There was a time not so long ago when high school students were 'guided' into 'college prep,' 'business,' and the like. Some parts of the world don't deem females worthy of education.
The Internet has put an end to anti-egalitarian nonsense, creating what authors Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba call 'citizen marketers.'
Here are a couple of examples of what's happening. Does anyone make a purchase today without first doing a Google search to gather information? That simple act has changed our mindset about anyone who tries to 'sell' us anything, whether it's an idea, an insurance policy, or a coffee maker. We have moved from trust to doubt, never to return.
The second example has to do with what we might call 'the unavoidable transparency.' Recently, a regional newspaper reported that the chief of police of a mid-size city appeared before the city council and called 'some of the city police officers union's accusations against him 'trash' and asserted that any perception of low morale among officers is fiction.' All this followed the chief receiving a no-confidence vote from the union.
Such adversarial encounters are nothing new, except there's a new source of information available: The blog. The city's police officers' union president expresses his view with clarity and passion on a blog.
Blogs, by their nature, are biased. Their value rests in providing alternative data. They make the point that no one, including those in authority, holds the keys to the information kingdom.
Just ask Dell and the many others who have changed their policies because of blog power. Both accolades and criticisms influence the way we 'buy' both things and ideas.
This brings us to the critical point about the Internet: It's all about pull, not push. Those who use the Internet most effectively, use pull. For example, if you're selling a camera, you'll not only provide graphics and substantial detail about the equipment, but you'll have a blog where buyers can tell about their experience and rate the camera. You will also include reviews by experts and prices from other retailers. The goal is to give the would-be buyer a basis for making a satisfactory decision to purchase this particular camera.
What we slowly (perhaps even reluctantly) are coming to realize is that the power has been taken forever out of our hands, whether we're educators, politicians, salespeople or parents. Most assuredly, we can trick and be tricked, but we will be found out. Nothing can be hidden. The power now belongs to the citizen, the average person.
By creating the 'citizen marketer,' the Internet qualifies as the most significant change agent of all time.