Having been a very early entrant into the world of Social Media, I have seen incredible change in the world…both good and bad. Things we grew up with, came to expect, and were considered the norm are fading or are gone. The world has changed…
During many of my speeches I speak to this “Revolution” taking place in our world. Sometimes it seems like it is easier to tell about it, give some eye-popping stats, and shock the audience into the reality of the current times. But sometimes, it is just sad to see many things that have “always been there” gone. Today is one of those days.
While it wasn’t a magazine I read or really knew much about, it was a stalwart in the industry, one of the “Seven Sisters” of Women magazines…Ladies Home Journal. I asked around to a bunch of people and every one, men and women, knew about the magazine. It had reach. It had credibility. It had a long run. Now it is dead and gone as of this coming month!
After 131 years…it is ceasing to be a subscription magazine…only printed occasionally and sold in some of the traditional newsstands. From a heyday of 6.8 million subscribers it is now ceasing to exist. There was a good article on this in AdAge you can check out called, “Ladies’ Home Journal Ends Monthly Publication, Lays Off All Staff.” It gives a great description of the rise and fall of an incredible icon in the world of traditional media.
Business leaders…think of this in regard to your own business and how you are trying to communicate your message to your prospects, customers, and interested audiences. Any similarities? I hope you find some…such as the eyeballs are redirected today, time is more critical, priorities have changed, everyone is connected and wants information…NOW. Sending something that happened a week ago, a month ago, is no longer tolerated…think of your company newsletter and brochures and advertising.
Who do you know that spreads “word-of-mouth” about “old news/information” today…no one! Do you go to a party and say, hey guys/gals, let me tell you something great that happened last month. Suddenly the bad bean dip looks pretty good to them and they disperse. This is what happens when you send old information/news/updates. NO ONE TALKS ABOUT IT. And if no one is talking about it, you aren’t being talked about and your “Word-of-Mouth Index” is at zero.
I share this story so you can compare your own leadership of information to that of stalwarts falling. It is happening everywhere and in every industry. The exceptions are becoming extinct. There is a much better way today to create Word-of-Mouth and get your audiences talking about you on an active level…it just isn’t in the format of the Ladies Home Journal any longer.
