The Groundswell

I love studying topics on marketing and brand development. In my usual web research, I ran past something that I thought was pretty interesting. I’ve seen this book at Barnes & Nobles and I’ve heard some buzz about it over the blogosphere, but it wasn’t until now that I realized that I gotta get this book and add it to my library. The book is called “Groundswell”. What I recently ran pass was an article about the book.

The article – written by the actual authors of the book, Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff – discusses the idea behind Groundswell. From the short research that I did about the book, I discovered that Groundswell is about how Web 2.0 is having a major impact on businesses and organizations. The power controllers of the marketing and publicity of businesses today is shifting from the hands of powerful newspapers and corporate heads to the computer screens of bloggers, social media mavericks, and everyday web surfers. However intimidating this may be to most companies, the authors of Groundswell present an amazing opportunity for businesses and organizations to partner with the growing power of Web 2.0 to build stronger brands, relationships, and networks.

Since the introduction of Web 2.0, more and more people are seizing the many opportunities that are now being offered through blogging, social media, online video, viral marketing, etc. Here’s the great realization: Never has there been a time when a college student – like me – can sit in his dormroom, connect with the world instantly, say almost anything his heart desires, and draw an audience of millions in the process. Today, students, bloggers, entrepreneurs, freelancers, marketers and the like have already begun to use the concept of the Groundswell to do just that. Businesses are starting to see that partnering with and satisfying those who have a voice in the web is helping them build momentum in their business in ways they could have never done alone.

But that’s not what’s really rocking my world right now. Think about this…

Can you imagine what sort of impact churches, church leaders, and organizations could make if they found unique ways to leverage Web 2.0 with a clear understanding of the Groundswell? What kind of people could they impact that may never take a foot into their church or organization physically? What kind of buzz could they create within the web that would make a difference or get people talking or thinking?

How can you leverage the Groundswell for your church, organization, or business?

Check out the article and the book.