Does the ease of using the internet mean that we can stop the harder face-to-face stuff?

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Categories: Business Attitude, Marketing Small Business, Online Networking, Selling You & Your Business, Social Media

As you may have realised, the UK is in the middle of an election.  I know, I know! You don’t need reminding, but I did want to put this situation in to context.

We had a knock on the door the other day and it was my neighbour canvassing for our local Conservative MP.  We had a quick chat and we shared a few of our thoughts on the Live Leaders Debate programme.

And then she said something really interesting.

“You would have thought with all this internet technology, I wouldn’t have to do all this door knocking.  It would be so much easier to do this canvassing through an online form.”

Now this lady was in her 60’s so not your typical web-tech geek (unlike me!!) so suggesting that the canvassing she was doing was easier online was a surprise to me.

Yes, it may be easier to send out emails asking people to go to a website where they could register their support.  And yes, it is probably a great way of adding to marketing campaign of a MP (or any other product or service).  But to suggest the face-to-face door knocking is replaced would be a poor change in marketing strategy.

Using email and website can be easier.  And it can certainly be cheaper than printing, postage and spending time getting out and about.  Helping small business owners use web-tech tools effectively in their business is something I do all the time.

But many small business owners go online as a replacement rather than an addition to a marketing strategy.  They replace the face-to-face networking with Facebook and Twitter.  They stop picking up the phone and send more emails instead.

The ease of the internet does indeed increase your opportunities and help raise your brand awareness.  But before you take the easy way, just make sure it is the most effective way.  Because, much as I love the web, nothing beats a bit of face-to-face when winning votes – and business!

Other articles you may be interested in:

  1. Small Business Owners: Beware the hype of internet marketing!
  2. Is it Time to Ditch Traditional Marketing?
  3. Social Networking: How do you request friends on facebook?

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3 Responses to “Does the ease of using the internet mean that we can stop the harder face-to-face stuff?”

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  1. Jackie Cameron
    April 30, 2010 at 11:03 am

    So true! I make many contacts through social media but as soon as I can I try to get some face to face time ( using Skype if we are not based near enough) or at the very least a telephone conversation. There is nothing like spending time hearing the voice of the other person to get to know them….

    It is not now – and will never be ( I hope) one or the other!

    [Reply]

    Karen Skidmore Reply:
    April 30th, 2010 at 2:54 pm

    Thanks for stopping Jackie and appreciate your thoughts. “Putting a face/voice to your avatar” is something we all need to keep doing

    [Reply]

  2. Denise Allen
    May 8, 2010 at 9:09 pm

    Hi Karen
    I love the use of social media – Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn – and have a presence on all of them, but for my business NOTHING beats getting “out there” and meeting people face to face. I attend a lot of wedding fairs, food markets, specialist fayres etc and whilst it is exhausting baking the cakes and cookies needed to do so, it is essential in my view – because people buy from people…but not just in the monetary sense. A few weeks ago Cupcake and Cookie Central attended the Emsworth St.George’s Day food festival. We sold a lot of cupcakes its true, but a lot of the time was spent talking to people who chose not to buy that day. Its about forging relationships, getting known for your “expertise” and offering advice. There was one lady who asked me why her cupcakes always overflowed the cake cases when she baked – I gave her a tip and it was almost like a lightbulb coming on over her head! She was really grateful (didn’t buy anything from me) and I felt FAB. I’d helped somebody, we’d “engaged” over my product. We forged a relationship that would most likely NOT have happened over the web… and it was an investment. One day, when she wants a large order of cupcakes but cannot make them herself, she may just remember me and my “free advice” and ask me to make them for her. Love your blog and thanks. Dx

    [Reply]

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