I’ll chip in more of my 2 cents worth in a bit, but for the time-being, I’d like to know which form of networking you believe provides you with the best opportunities to introduce your business, and which you prefer.

Offline marketing gives you a chance to take your business from “High-tech” to “High-touch“, and allows your contacts to connect a face to whatever you are promoting, while Online marketing allows you to each more people simultaneously.

Generally, I feel that contacts made face-to-face are more solid contacts and give you the best opportunities.

What are your thoughts?

@rich-brooks

I feel the same way, but it seems that I’m hearing more and more people downplay the value of physical networking.

Myself, I try to attend networking groups on a consistent basis.

BTW, that’s a great line: “what makes a rectangle bigger: its width or its height?”

Hi, Warren of @warrenveach  

Most of the people I know use both offline and online. I have found that as I get deeper into social media that my influence has grown much faster then the venues I have used with success in the past.  (and spent so much $$ on)  Since what I do is not locally based, it is not important for me to make those local connections.  Social media was exactly what I needed to be able to reach people from around the world. At this time, I am not advertising offline at all, and in fact, have no need of it.  Maybe that will change in future as I continue to learn from the great minds here.

If I want to talk to a person in real life, it is easy to take them to Skype or a Google+ hangout to chat. 

I do go to a few networking events each year.  Speak at a few others, and also share articles in niche related publications. 

My question for this topic is,  Do you think this matters for a locally based  business more than an international?  

@randithompson

Randi,

No doubt social media has allowed us to reach farther and faster than ever before. And, at a fraction of the cost.

I do quite a bit of business both locally, and in various states, so a mix of online/offline works best for me.

If I get a chance to attend a networking event or convention that is close by, I usually try to attend those just to keep my face in front of clients and prospects.

Both are important to me but I personally disagree with @warrenveach about face-to-face contacts being the most solid. I do the majority of my writing work virtually and some of my best clients have only ever met me through my online presence and over the phone.

@debbielynnava

My opinion about face to face contacts is solely based on my personal experience, based on my background in Insurance where a physical meeting between agent and client was required for the signing of documents.

And the fact that I primarily deal with Insurance Agents, Realtors and Mortgage people, all of which are “High-touch“ rather than “High-tech” businesses.

However, that being said, as I have transitioned away from Insurance, I also have developed quite a few strong contacts utilizing the phone.

If I were a prolific blogger/writer, I’m sure that I would also develop quality contacts in that manner also.

That’s the great thing about the time we are living in now, there are many options available to everyone.

People will naturally gravitate to marketing using their personal strong suit, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t dip our toes in the water and try other avenues.

Who knows, maybe this time next year, I’ll also be saying that blogging and writing is the way to go.

Thanks for your comments, as I’ve said before, the reason I joined this site was to learn from people like you!

You’re right @warrenveach. When buying insurance, a car, a home (and other big ticket items), I want to meet the person I’m dealing with instead of wondering if an online company is reputable. Keep on doing what works best for you!

I think it depends greatly on where you are located and your industry. As I am locally focused business that works with the internet, I am investing equal amounts of time networking online and offline. I network online mainly with peers and experts and network offline with my community.

This has worked well so far as I am learning a lot and have met some awesome people in communities such as this one. I have also gotten all of my work so far by joining the local Chamber and Women’s Network and attending their meetings. I have been able to get to know the local business people, which is important as it is a very close community that values active and involved businesses.

@warrenveach

While I have a social media presence on all the major platforms, I don’t expect to see much business from it at this point. My area is just starting to get connected and understanding their need to get online. There are still many businesses that don’t even have a website, much less a social media presence. The funny thing is that we are a major vacation destination. By networking in person, getting to know the local business people and providing affordable workshops, I am having the best luck removing purchasing barriers and converting leads into sales.

I guess it really comes down to knowing your market and where you will find them. In my case that would be “not” online. At some point in the future I may look to expand my customer base beyond my area and then network online with that purpose in mind.

Last year I started to track where every single prospect to my business came from: offline referrals, friends, clients, SEO or social media. I build websites for local businesses and help clients launch their social media, but the offline referrals last year massively outnumbered the SEO and social media. Oops!  Well this year I made myself a goal; to turn that around. I blogged about it this week: http://www.abigailgorton.com/2012/01/01/seo-social-media-goals-for-2012/

@abigailgorton

Nice article, and excellent question:
“If I don’t have goals for these activities, why would I do them?“

I can’t recall who said it at the moment, but the saying goes, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there”.

Keep on writing, you obviously have a talent for it!

@warrenveach That’s so funny!