Twitter Replaces Offline Networking

(disclaimer: this rant stems off a post by Mike Sanson at ConverStations)

I hope I never find a blog post written towards a social media site replacing face-to-face networking. It is extremely important for all business owners to realize social media marketing is not meant to replace your traditional strategies… just transform them.

I have told people now and again… If you ever come to me and say you stopped all traditional marketing and started a Facebook page… I will smack you in the face with my mind. I am not really that physical of a person and pretty tame.

Sites like Twitter are meant to strengthen your network and add a second touch point to the people geographically close to your business. They were never meant to replace face-to-face networking, ever. Go ahead and test it out.

Invite a Twitter friend to coffee or lunch. You will find that the working relationship has progressed a little farther because of the use of social media. You will learn a lot about a person online before you ever meet them.

It just adds to the fun!

Related articles by Zemanta

• What’s Your Social Media Baseline? (beth.typepad.com)
• Talking Social Media with Chris Brogan (marketing.blogtanker.com)
• Social Media Marketing – What the Heck Does that Mean? (biztipsblog.com)
• Twitter Or Facebook ? You Need Both For Different Reasons (advancingwomen.com)