Action: Getting people to change their behavior

We subscribe to the "behavioral school" of communications, by which we mean one simple thing: Your communications program succeeds only when people change their behavior.

There are millions of ways that can occur, but here are a few that companies often seek:

• Visiting a web site.
• Trying a new brand.
• Returning a questionnaire.
• Passing something on to a friend.
• Voting for your candidate.
• Organizing a neighborhood watch program.

As you can see, some changes are big, and others are tiny. But the principle stands: You haven't communicated until someone's behavior has changed.

Understanding that - and putting it into practice - will give you an edge on 90% of your competitors.