“Social
media is essential when building brand awareness!” This message has been emphasized endlessly by
marketing experts, business leaders, celebrities, and even President
Obama. Although a relative latecomer to this
phenomenon, I now have been convinced of its value. But only to a degree.
In
the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, I helped launch several companies and then
opened my own, Finesse Cuisine. In those
days, outreach and brand-building still happened primarily through old-fashioned,
face-to-face networking, prospect meetings, and endless phone calls. When the power
of social media became evident, I was concerned because my sales staff and many
of my consulting clients came to rely on their laptops and smartphones as their
sole means of communication. I instructed that live interaction between people should
never be replaced by technology and I still believe this whole
heartedly. A client or colleague never develops a trusting relationship only
through tweets or status updates. These
connections are a good start, but they must be supported by the building of a
real world bond. Over time, I have
learned to embrace social media with many fewer reservations but only when
complemented by those tried-and-true methods of live and personal
communication.
If
you have thoughts on how we use social media to enhance sales relationships,
please share in the Comments. Or, even
better, call us!
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