Saw an e-mail from a family member today. It started: “… sorry I’m not an e-mail person… ” Made me wonder what sort of person he was? If you need to get in touch with someone specific, what would be the best way for you to do so? Cell number? home number? work e-mail? Chances are it’ll very much depend on the person and the time of day. Only a few decades ago if you wanted to talk to someone you called them on the phone, if they were not in the building, or wrote them a letter, if they were not in the country. Of course they may not have been available in which case you just … waited and tried later. Now we have choices! If you want to contact someone you can do so almost immediately almost all the time. You can now talk to and see people half the world away, essentially for free.
If you’re trying to reach your customers or clients, how do you do so? The internet has added to the traditional print and broadcast media, direct marketing and good old word of mouth, a plethora of new communication methods. First, the web page, then e-mail, now suddenly, text messages, social networking sites, forums, viral marketing, twitter… More than ever you need to know who your trying to reach, and when, to pick the most effective method.
Remarkable Hubris 