That is the thinking of many business owners, small or large, but it seems that along with the times changing so are the minds of business executives.  An article over at Mashable.com called, Execs and Social Media: Why they Love It, Why They Fear It, examines a recent survey that shows that even though many executives still have concerns about its usefulness, the majority are embracing this new marketing medium.

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Out of 438 management, marketing and human resources executives polled, 81% saw social media as being useful for both brand-building and enhancing customer or client relationships. Just under 70% see it as a valuable recruitment tool, 64% think social media is useful for customer service, and a lower sampling at 46% saw it as improving employee morale.

Asked how they actually used social media in the workplace, respondents listed brand-building as their top goal (82%), followed by networking (60%), and a long tail of other reasons including customer service, sharing project information, monitoring their competitors, prospecting for sales, research, and other.

Yet many executives still appear to have concerns about using social media in the workplace. Of those in the survey who reported not using social media, over one half listed the reason as not knowing enough about it.

Read the entire article at Mashable.com

While change is a scary monster to some, it is unavoidable and must be faced or you may risk falling behind; and playing catch up isn’t a fun game to play in the business world. 

Ok, let’s do it, let’s change!  Right?  But the key to making the right change lies within the minds of one group of people: Your Customers!

-What do they want?  Why do they want it?
-What do they need?  Why do they need it?
-How do they perceive your company?
-What do they think of your products and services?
-What do they think of your competition?
-How do they distinguish between you and your competition?

All of these things and more need to be considered when making the right changes in your company.  In business, the need for change is controlled by the customer.  In fact, it is demanded by the customer because they will take their business and money elsewhere if their needs can’t be met.

So, how do we tell our customers that we’ve heard their voices? Through advertising!  You must promote your business in a way that highlights the best and brightest aspects of your company in order to keep customers coming back and bring new customers in.

There are many ways to advertise and multiple mediums through which to do so.  You must research to figure out which form of advertising is best for your company; that will reach your customers, highlight your qualities and express your unique selling advantage in an efficient and effective way.

Click Here, Magazines Turn to New Strategies for Revenue, to read about advertising companies making changes in order to fit an always changing market.

While their methods might not be what works for businesses on a smaller scale the driving question behind it stays relevant; what is it our customers respond and react to, in forms of advertising, in today’s market?

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Lab Watches Web Surfers to See Which Ads Work

Like other television companies, Disney Media Networks — which includes ABC, ESPN, ABC Family and Disney XD — has long conducted intense consumer research about its programming. But now, as the Web and DVRs uproot the way people consume television, and thus rip apart the industry’s business model, the unit is adding advertiser research as a fresh focus of intense inquiry.

Disney will unveil some of the lab’s early findings, including some surprises about new forms of online ads, on Tuesday in a presentation to about 200 advertisers in New York.

It is relatively easy for Internet companies and their advertisers to measure precisely how often Web site visitors click on advertisements, and which kinds of ads draw the most clicks. But what about those who do not click, the many millions of others whose eyes merely flit across the screen? Disney and other companies say they believe that not nearly enough is known about them — what kinds of ads in which configurations are likeliest to draw them, and hold them?

Read the entire article @ NYTimes.com