Meeting people and developing relationships – whether business or personal – is fairly difficult and something I’ve been dealing with for quite a while. Increasing new customers, friends, and relationships can be a task and there are follies to doing so strictly online. A reader asked me to discuss some pitfalls of online relationship building so I’ve decided to relate this to my personal experiences.
It didn’t take me very long to piece this week’s article together. As many readers may know, I am starting out fresh with regards to my personal relationships. Those who have read recent articles may also know I’m trying to develop my own business using online strategies.
Outside of Facebook there are many networking sites dedicated to matching people with people as well as suppliers with customers. Depending on your goal, there may be a solution. About a month ago I signed up for four online dating sites. Each site created an expectation of meeting someone and developing a romantic relationship.
Around a year ago I signed my business up with online business specific networking sites. LinkedIn was the first site. It ties business executives together in hopes that the connections yield more business. BizNik and BizWiz, two separate companies, promise to link small businesses with the expectations of sharing information and wealth development ideas.
In the case of my business, I used all three collectively for a reasonable amount of time. I linked to a lot of businesses in this area through LinkedIn – most of which were already customers. BizNik users who didn’t understand my business, demographics or really anything about me made many suggestions of things I could do better. BizWiz seemed like they just wanted to take my money.
My online dating experience wasn’t too much different. I met plenty of people who just didn’t match up to their online profile. Similar to business networking, online personals proved to be a lot of smoke and mirrors. People advertise themselves as something they’re not. I quickly discovered that false advertising is quite easy when one hides behind a keyboard and monitor.
Most people think of online networking as the only way to develop customers and contacts. From my experience with my business, the internet is a good aid but not a good overall solution. There are many low-tech methods a small business should employ in addition to online marketing. Business owners and those looking to build their customer base may need to start developing a different strategy if all they’re using is online techniques.
Good will, local advertising, and personal networking play a big part in growing a locally owned small business. Newspaper advertising is a good place to start. If you’re reading this article then you can appreciate its benefits. Making periodic donations to local schools and church groups will increase your business’ good will. Probably most important is “handshake” networking with customers. Make sure they know you exist and that you want more business.
Personally, I have reached a point where I am happy to pull myself away from dating and business sites. I attended business school before online marketing was even a term used in text books. If I could add a chapter to one of my Marketing books it would include a how-to about augmenting Marketing strategies. I am taking my own advice and letting some of my online subscriptions expire in hopes that both the right kind of customers notice me and at the same time I attract a good person. Sometimes we just have to rely on a good old fashioned smile and wave from the right person and hope they’re sincere.
(Jeromy Patriquin is the President of Laptop & Computer Repair, Inc. located at 509 Main St. in Gardner. You can text him at (978) 413-2840 or call him directly at (978) 919-8059.)