(image from shutterstock)
Sometimes I wonder what the world is going to look like in a few years. Are we going to write letters to each other anymore? Is cursive writing that I learned in elementary school going to completely die out? Sometimes we get so absorbed with the rapid pace of technology that we forget about the most important aspect of any relationship…offline interaction. Remember that scene in Wall-E where everyone is cruising around in their little chairs? Is that going to happen? I hope not.
I’m traveling to DC in a few hours to meet with John Bell who runs digital strategy over at Ogilvy. I’m also going to meet with Scott Johnson who runs Rock Creek Strategy; a strategic marketing consultancy. Yes, I will be going visit a few good friends of mine as well.
I’ve never met John or Scott in person. I’ve had somewhat of an online relationship with John over the past few months and I’ve never had any interaction with Scott at all. After I booked my flight to DC I went through my network of connections on Linkedin and Twitter and reached out to a few folks that were located in DC; as a result I have in person meetings set up. It’s amazing to really think about how valuable and powerful social media platforms are. I’m traveling across the country to a place I have never visited before to meet with 2 people that I have never met before.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. “He who has the most connections when he dies, does not win.” The size of your network is absolutely meaningless; it’s the quality of your network that matters. I love chatting on the phone or meeting people in person that I’m connected to online; it makes the relationship stronger. Granted online relationships do make offline relationships a bit more personable; you still need to take those relationships offline.
It’s great to see that social media drives more traffic to your site or helps you make money for your business. What you really need to realize is that everyone you are connected with online is an actual person that exists offline; collecting a database of names and connections won’t do you much good. Real business opportunities and relationships are formed when conversations and interactions are brought to a more personal level. I’m approach this not from a sales angle or from a marketing angle, but from a PERSON angle.
Be human, go offline, and build your relationships…don’t worry, twitter and facebook will be there when you get back.
Comments