Consumers in Control

User generated content, email and social media networks are changing the way consumers utilize the Web, according to a recent Ad Age article. The old advertising paradigm of broadcasting one-way messages about your brand is crumbling as consumers have begun to engage in conversations with each other. The question facing businesses and non-profit organizations is how quickly will you join those conversations?

Advertisers who want to acquire new customers and retain the ones they already have must be prepared to utilize digital channels to interact with their audiences. Authenticity is key to effective interaction in the online community, just as it is offline, and that means presenting yourself consistently across every channel customers use to connect with you. Integration in your marketing efforts is no longer a nice to have, it's a survival technique.