Social networking is society’s new obsession. All you have to do is walk down a busy sidewalk or into a shopping centre and almost everyone who passes you has a mobile device in hand and they are checking their favourite social network.
Social networking has invaded the work place, our living rooms, our kitchen tables, even our bedrooms.
You know exactly what I am talking about.
With Social Media being so popular, are in person networking events still important to today’s entrepreneur?
You bet they are.
In fact, the more skilled you are at bridging online networking to in person, the more successful you will be as a business.
When you connect with someone in person, the level of trust and comfort they have with you changes. Social media is a great place to start your networking initiatives but if you don’t use it to leverage in person networking you are greatly missing out.
One of my favourite things about Twitter is meeting people in person and feeling like I have known them forever. This is the power of social networking. It is as though you can skip the small talk because you already have rapport with this individual from connecting online.
If you are shy or dislike networking events, this is a dream because it makes going to an event feel like you are hanging out with friends instead of strangers. Even in my programs like The Pilot Project, members often setup live meetings to get together and connect in person.
As we start the New Year, look at your calendar and ask yourself where you will spend time networking in person. What organizations can help you to meet and connect with the right people?
My Shop Talk video gives you a bit of insight on how I approach this and how it has helped me significantly build my business over the last few years.
What are your networking plans for the year? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below.
2 thoughts on “Are Networking Events A Thing of The Past?”
Regardless of how much interaction you can do online, I do believe there is a place for face to face. If we watch big corporations and the G8 governments, it is obvious that there is big money invested so you know that big money is being made.
Communication is difficult at the best of times so any way to improve it can only anchor important relationships more solidly.
Yes, Lisa I met you at a WBC networking event. My plan this year is to go back to a networking group that I loved with my previous business where I made lots of connections and to shop around for a new one with an international reach. I feel that keeping it to one or two is best because it can get totally overwhelming! I believe people are alway looking for opportunities to truly connect with others. Even though I love connecting online, to me in person is where it’s at!