The essential elements involved in marketing your business have, in effect, not changed. The goal of any business is still to have an increase in revenue, and the reason for advertising is still all about getting your target audience to take action. What has changed however, is how your advertisements are being delivered to the market. When the audience moves, you must move with them, Mohammed must go to the mountain.

As more households have computers and as more internet users are making it the first place they visit when looking for a service or product, then it needs to be where your business advertisement is positioned, ready to attract those buyers.

People have less time and patience to read, listen and hear your message. You have less time to get the message across, so you need to use a medium that can deliver your announcements with speed, delivers your message to your target market and causes people to take action in the most simple and easy manner.

The internet has given businesses an easy, fast and low cost option for advertising. It has also provided direct interaction between the business and its clients, by way of blogs, social networks, podcasts and online video. Consumers are moving online because they can get their information for free and can do that from the comfort of home, without needing to go to the store for a paper or magazine. Your potential clients also have greater control over what they see. They are able to simply click away, if what they are looking at is not relevant to them.

The traditional media are losing audiences to the internet, in droves. Particularly with more people concerned about declining resources, rising fuel costs and global warming. Why buy a newspaper each day, which contributes to deforestation, or drive to a large shopping center using your own car and fuel, when you can have things delivered through the post by ordering online? As the price of fuel increases, the cost of print media is also rising.

Globally conscious consumers may also not be delighted at seeing hundreds of fliers bulking up their mailboxes, and if your business is one that contributes to the paper wastage, this might not leave a very favourable imprint with the recipient.

Customers like to believe they have associated with a well-branded product or service, with a business that at minimum has the appearance of being in touch with modern media and is up to date with technology. It leaves an impression that the service or product being delivered will also more likely be up to speed with the times, and therefore supported by speedy customer service facilities.

Even when your business chooses to use print media, radio or television advertising, it is important to recognise that any interested reader, listener or viewer is more than likely still wanting a web link from you. They can then, at a safe distance, explore your product further. That is so much preferred to calling a phone number printed on a flier or announced on radio, which potentially could place the consumer in the undesired position of being hassled by a sales person.

The mountain has moved and your business must follow. The mountain will not come to Mohammed, especially if he remains stubborn about the way that it has always been. Some of the most dangerous words in business are, we have always done it that way.