R U Automated
The out of the Box and in the Zone Newsletter
(For people who want to stay ahead of the pack.)
June 22, 2009
Speed Socializing
I actually heard myself say it. I was having dinner with my wife and some friends. Here is how the conversation went:
Me: So Wayne, What are you doing to market your services?
Friend: Sending some emails, knocking on some doors.
Me: Are you on Twitter and Facebook?
Friend: No. I don’t really do anything like that.
That’s when I said it.
Me: Whoa Wayne! That’s where it’s at now. You have to be on Twitter. It’s a lot more powerful than anything else you could be doing.
Why did I say that? Is it true? Is Online Social Networking becoming so powerful that the net tangible results should motivate me to spend all my time tweeting? Not quite. But, for me, it has actually become the fastest way to make direct contact with a mass audience full of potentially great contacts. So I have been spending a large chunk of my time socializing online, and I’m over fifty.
Here’s the actual order of business as usual for me on any given day: Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Work on Current Projects, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Work on Projects, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc., with a few other networking sites thrown in now and then. And the results?
Every day my reach is growing. I have regularly incoming contacts from people whom, seconds earlier, were total strangers. They inquire about my services and often ask about referrals for other services. I listen to or read questions about marketing products and services. Often, the discussion turns to completely unrelated topics, but a connection is made that will probably lead to a significant business connection down the road. All this is happening at a much quicker rate than with any type of sales or marketing techniques I’ve used in the past. We should stop referring to it as “Social Networking,” and start calling it “Speed Socializing,” or “Rapid Mass Response.”
Why should you care? Whether or not you have a product, service, or non-profit to get out to the masses, you need to understand that this is so powerful, it may- sooner than you think- largely take the place of current news & entertainment platforms. People are already referring to the protests in Iran as the Vehicle that brought news to Twitter, like the first Gulf War was for CNN. Yes, it’s that powerful. If it hasn’t already, sooner or later, Online Social Networking will change your world.
As always, if you have questions about how to participate in this or other marketing or design matters, feel free to contact me via email or phone. Or you can tweet me http://twitter.com/JohnAbato or www.FaceBook.com/jabato or just visit
www.angelvalleyco.com.
John Abato, The Angel Valley Company