There's no doubt that the last few years have seen significant change within the online marketing domain. The growing change from the traditional outbound-focused marketer to the new social savvy email marketer is one which more and more of us are facing. These transitions are often prompted by the discovery that the conversation is happening, regardless of our participation.

As with any change, transitioning into the groundswell can bring with it a great deal of anxiety, for both you and your customer. Along with that anxiety comes the opportunity to really be the hero who smoothly guides the process.

In this first of two blog posts about how to get through these transition points, I'll focus on how to be a hero for your organization by helping to plan and prepare for changes. Part of being that hero is understanding how we respond to change and anxiety, and planning effectively for it. Most people - and organizations - respond to change in four basic ways:

1) Disengagement - a withdrawal from the change, leading to a loss of interest or initiative.

2) Disconnection - a loss of identity due to change, leading to a loss of security and a sense of being exposed.

3) Disenchantment - a loss of comfort due to change, leading to a sense of anger or disappointment.

4) Disorientation - a loss of direction due to change, leading to a general feeling of loss or confusion.

The best way to prepare for these reactions is to plan for how you will respond to them. These plans not only help smoothly guide your organization, but reduce the anxiety level brought on by the change.

• As a marketer, the best way to engage a company that has lost interest in the social market is to demonstrate the results of entry and a thorough understanding of what that means for you.


• A good way to regain your sense of identity is to understand what you are trying to do out in the world. Don’t reinvent yourself to adjust to the tool, use the tool to help further your identity.


• One solid way to increase comfort is to demonstrate that you have a plan and goals. Many companies are so concerned that failure will be unrecoverable, and that fear leads to failure.


• Finally, if your organization truly feels lost under the pressures to change, the best thing you can do is slow down and listen. The whole concept of the new groundswell of social media marketing is that your customers tell you what they want. If you truly need direction, there is no better place to find it than in the voice of your customers.

My next blog post will discuss how you can help your customers through these transitions, and get the most out of your now focused organization.

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About the Author

David Bennett is a product manager at Lyris. He is responsible for identifying customer needs and providing direction to help meet those needs. His team is responsible for the core platform on which Lyris HQ is built.

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