One of the things we Infiltrators pride ourselves on most is our diverse internet stalking. No matter the topic or theme, if it’s cool, there’s a good chance someone from our team has read the post, watched the video, or, heck, is somehow connected to its creation. One of the benefits of such an approach is that you often find cool and interesting ways to display concepts and tell stories.

The above picture (via boingboing) is an amalgamation of satellite shots of Detroit, taken after the winter snow had melted and impromptu urban pathways had become evident. Due to slow sidewalk clearing, some Detroit citizens have created their own paths using the most convenient routes. Gladly detouring around fences, bushes, and even whole buildings, they find and use efficient routes to get from A to B. In addition to being a pretty interesting photo, it also is a great way of illustrating a key communication concept.

Although your communication infrastructure may already be in place, some customers will choose to find their own means of talking to you or to others about your product. As a colleague recently pointed out, current and potential customers are choosing to use an increasing number of communication channels. If you’d like to keep those who are already buying, or transition the ones who aren’t yet into customers, you should probably be prepared to speak in the channel of their choosing.

Now, does this mean you have to set up thousands of accounts in every new platform or product that comes along? Of course not. It just means you have to be smart about it.

Namely: find out where your customers are already interacting. Investigate those tools and, if you’re not intimately familiar with how real people use them, become so. Develop strengths aligned with the communication methods preferred by customers. As one individual pointed out in the comments of the boingboing post, the best way to know where to place a sidewalk is to plant grass one year, then create a sidewalk where the grass has become a path.

Also, no matter what tools you use, don’t put obstacles in the way of potential clients. High gates, fences, and signs only serve to annoy those who had previously had no problem navigating their usual path. Standardize your name and image across all networks and be prepared to speak with people no matter which route they take to your door. Be flexible enough to change, and use metrics to know when it’s time to do so. Don’t invest heavily in unproven communication channels, especially if you haven’t been able to run enough numbers to determine if it is an efficient use of resources. Use the same common sense you’d use to design any marketing program.

Have you had any experiences in having to make your own path to communicate your product or service? What are some steps you or your company has taken to make sure customers don’t have to do the same?