Too often the minute someone utters the term, “social media” you hear whispers in the background muttering, “yeah, but what’s the ROI”?
We understand times are tough; businesses are struggling to get out of the red, and positions are still being eliminated. That doesn’t mean we should ignore the shift in how we’re communicating with one another in today’s new world. The relationships being formed right in front of our faces tell a different story. Social media is about old connections, new connections, and strong connections.
Case in point, take a look at Ben’s (@SpychResearch) post: Why a piece of my heart is in Detroit. In just a short period of time, special bonds were beginning to form. As we piece together all the connections, a common starting point is online networking. This is where so many relationships incubate only to be taken offline, in person, allowing for even stronger connectivity. We hear more and more of these stories each day.
If you’ve ever gone to a conference away from your hometown, you’ve undoubtedly witnessed what seems like lifelong friendships only to find out it’s the first face to face encounter. Finding likeminds has never been easier. Establishing trust comes from the strength of our networks, and the dear I say it, authenticity the Internet exposes. In the blink of an eye, we’re slowly becoming intrinsically connected.
As you look at your network today and the people you spend the most amount of time with, how many are longtime friends and how many are newly formed? There’s going to come a point in the not too distant future where the lines are going to become really blurred, if it hasn’t already happened. We’ll forget about where we first met and how we initially got introduced. None of that will matter
I was recently reviewing Amanda Vega’s website http://www.amandavega.com/ and found this description that captures some of my current thoughts.
Simply put, we are all ambassadors of integrated marketing. There’s no “interactive versus traditional.” The Web isn’t going to eradicate newspapers, and TV didn’t make the radio obsolete. A brand isn’t created through advertising alone, and high ROI for advertising doesn’t exist without really great customer relations.
In a nutshell, technology will continue to advance but relationship building principles remain the same. We’ve always done business with people we know, like, and trust. We didn’t just learn about helping our neighbor, ask those that lived through the Great Depression. Talking about other people’s success more than your own dates back to early man, not Twitter. Worrying about ROI has always been important, yet for some reason there’s now a special emphasis. For just a brief moment, forget about all that social networking can’t do and think about all that it has helped create.
I’m happy to call Ben my friend. The bond we formed during FutureMidwest doesn’t care about ROI.
Photo credit: http://www.hamovhotov.com/picturegallery/?level=picture&id=785
Amen Dave! I’d be lying if I didn’t say that my very first goal when I came on to twitter was to use it to promote my business. But that sort of fell into the ‘icing on the cake’ role as I made some amazing friendships and had a ton of fun with the social aspect. There’s a ton of ROI to be had for businesses, no doubt, but it’s the connections made, bonds formed, and fun shared that’s the real gravy.
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Hey buddy!
Thanks for the shoutout!
You got it brother! It’s funny because people often see me as a digitally-based person, but they don’t realize that everything I try to do online is in hopes to take it offline. I try to meet new people and really take the time to get to know them on my travels. I like to network before and during events, but the real value…ROI, if if you will, is solidifying those online connections into real-life relationships, or gravy as Ryan put it. If people have to put a number on it, they can. Without all of the relationships I have made through SM and other digital communications, I wouldn’t have a business. I can honestly say that. If the tools went away today, I could still run my business and grow it, but if the relationships went away, there is nothing left!
SM and online communications may be a new digital handshake for us to utilize, but for me, it’s only so I can give them a hug when I meet them IRL!
Keep rockin’ it man!
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Great post, Dave. The key is your last point – people do business with those they know, like, and trust. They also build friendship among the same values. Your point about the lines of length of friendship blurring was interesting to me. When I look around my inner circle, you are absolutely right. Two of my newest, but closest friends, are ones that I met somehow in social media. And neither of them did I meet by chatting about our business. And both of them have actually been clients. So that pretty much shows you. Some of my favorite stories in social are the ones where I’ve connected with someone only online for a while, then ran into them offline and realized we were really already involved in some sort of friendship/knowing of each other on a seemingly deeper level than say a first meeting at a networking event, or the first client meeting.
Great Stuff!
Amanda
.-= Amanda Vega´s last blog ..Banks Assessing Risk Formula – Keep Security Also in Mind =-.
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Thanks Amanda,
You obviously added some inspiration to this post.
Appreciate you sharing and adding such thoughtful comments.
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Ben – Looking forward to connecting in person again before too long. At least there is the digital platforms and phones in the meantime. Talk soon.
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Ryan- You had me at gravy. Thanks for the comments.
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Anyone who can write a professional blog like this and use a photo of two kittens hugging without it seeming too cheesy is a true blogger with great talent. Interesting perspective and I agree. I refer to people I know, trust, and those people who are likable. After all, it’s my reputation on the line, too.
.-= Brenda Meller´s last blog ..Powerful Women — quick… who comes to mind? =-.
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Brenda – I don’t know about being a true blogger but I appreciate the kind words. Thanks for reading.
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Well said! For me return on investment isn’t just monetary. Friendships, partnerships, referrals, increased awareness; the list goes on and on. You have to look at social media for all that it offers, and it offers more than we realize.
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I am already making the prediction that the invisible wall between the URL and the IRL is dissolving to point where you will never feel like you have ever left the Internet when you go out to hang with friends or even meet new people. The amount of information shared is so telling that I know personally that I have a good grasp a lot of folks before I really start to talk to them.
Now I just have to make others believe this is okay. LOL
.-= Hubert Sawyers III´s last blog ..FUNKY FRIDAY: We Are The Tay (The Future of Urban Pop) =-.
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