The Oprah and Wikileaks phenomenons

Oprah and Wikileaks have dominated the media for the last week.

So I think it is worth thinking about the power of the internet and how we can use it in business. Oprah became a global phenomenon before the power of this media was fully developed but the internet is now one of the most powerful ways her voice is being heard well beyond her 10 million viewers.

Equally, Wikileaks has sent the world into a frenzy about what should be published, what should not be published and what we should or should not say!

Perhaps Kevin Rudd’s comments would have been more palatable had they been couched in more professional terms and related to issues and outcomes rather than personal attributes. The internet has quickly and pervasively affected our perception of him forever.

My point is that the internet can change perceptions very quickly and is a real time marketing tool that can be used to great advantage and/or equally to great disadvantage to our reputation and business.

It also requires a real commitment to keep the conversation and connection with customers current and of course, needs to be used differently by different businesses.

I am sure merchant bankers have a different view of how they can best use the internet compared with a consumer product business which have a myriad of customers. However, each of these businesses can use the internet effectively by having a website that introduces the business in a professional and appealing way, and by adopting a more proactive approach to social media.

Like all marketing and communication tools in business, we have to assess the cost benefits of using the internet to promote our business, and this is the challenging part.

We need to weave through all the opportunities and invest in what can work best for our type of business, and determine how much we should invest in both time and money.

Actually, the internet has not replaced old media but is really an additional and potentially very powerful tool.

Who would have considered that it would become essential to be able to be Googled? After all, the word did not even exist a few years ago. But isn’t this the way we all search for businesses, products and people now? And don’t we become just a little suspicious if we can’t find what we are looking for through Google?

I wonder what we will be doing on the internet by the end of 2010?

As entrepreneurs we need to be fully informed of the opportunities the internet offers us, either for communication, online sales or simply a way to be found.

One way or the other, it seems to me that we need to be fully aware of the opportunities and commit the resources required to get the maximum returns from the fabulous phenomenon – the internet.

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all!

Marcia Griffin’s latest book, High Heeled Success (pictured left), is a frank account of building a business from a solitary sales person to a multi-million dollar business with 4,700 sales consultants around Australia and New Zealand. Contact Marcia to purchase. Marcia’s latest venture is skin care company griffin+row, an amazing range of naturally effective skincare that Target immediately ranged in 154 stores.