Social Media Experiment Results

As many of you know, over the past week I decided to do a social media experiment. Actually, it was more of a human interaction and communication experiment more than anything. Here’s why…last Monday, I was speaking with a close group of friends about relationships in today’s society. We all know that we have more technology available to us to make communicating “easier” than ever. You literally can reach me using snail mail (which I rarely get), an old fashioned telephone call, texting, Google chatting, Skyping, Facebooking, Twittering, commenting on my blog, (oh and how could I forget) and emailing one of my many email addresses.

A Look at Communication in the Past

We are bombarded with communication, but the question was “are people really connecting?” There is definitely something to be said about human interaction. During our conversation last week I brought up a point about communication 200 years ago. At that time, the only real way to communicate was in person. Yes, they had the Pony Express, so you could send snail mail. That could take a month for someone to receive your message though. Back in that day, personal relationships were greatly cherished. Think about the soldiers going off to war in the Revolutionary War or even the Civil War. They would tell their wives that they were going away for an undetermined amount of time and there was no assurance they would come back at all. No such things as cell phones to call to check in and certainly no such thing as skype with video to see each other and have a live conversation. Yet, in this time people fell madly in love and the divorce rate was inconsequential compared to today’s roughly 50% divorce rate for first marriages.
What does all of this mean? Our theory is that people now always need the constant reassurance that everything is ok. In this world of negativity, people anticipate what they see on TV will come true. Trust and faith have declined greatly and communication has gotten more hollow.

The Experiment

For one week, we didn’t stop communicating with technology altogether…we’re not that crazy.  Actually, we challenged ourselves for an entire week to make communication more personal.  Obviously running an Internet Marketing Company I couldn’t stop communicating as a whole, but rather we called people back who texted, emailed, chatted, facebooked, etc.  We wanted to see what effects actually speaking to someone had on our relationships.

The Results

From the experiment, I was able to connect with people on a much different level.  I talked to people on the phone who I’ve never spoken with in the past.  In one instance in particular, I set up a business meeting with a prospect who I would have never spoken to otherwise.  In other cases, I developed closer relationships with those who I already consider friends.

Lessons Learned

This was not an easy experiment.  In  many cases, it is so much easier to simply text someone a quick question or answer.  It’s also a ton of fun to post and interact on Social Media.   I’ve decided to break down the lessons to person and business lessons.

Personal:

I will not stop texting and using Social Media.  No way.  There are just too many benefits that come with them, including ease of interaction and time saving.  Instead, I will look at as many chances to interact in real conversations as possible.  This past week I called people to wish them happy birthday instead of the typical Facebook “Happy Birthday!” wall post.   People sincerely appreciate you taking the time to call.  That will always be the case.

Business:

Some great marketing lessons came from the Social Media Experiment as well.  The internet and techn0logy give us great abilities to communicate with people in the masses, but once the communication lines are open it’s good to give personal touch.

One of they ways to do this is to come up with a follow up system for your prospects.  It doesn’t matter how you meet someone, but it does matter how you follow up with them.  Email marketing is a great leverage tool to use, but at some point, if you’re asking people to spend thousands of dollars on your products or services, you need to develop that relationship.  The relationship can be built in person, over the phone or even through videos (if you’re really good).  Simple emails and copy writing are not enough for people to know you, like you and trust you.

Take all of your messages and focus on building relationships.

Even with all of the communication technology in the world, there will never be a substitute for building relationships.

Let me know by posting your comments below how you think technology affects our current communication.