Quest PR Blog

There is a popular belief that users of social media will become more aloof due to a lack of face-to-face interaction. However, a study by the University of Texas has dispelled this myth and proven that social networking actually strengthens personal and business ties.

Social networking sites offer a different medium of expressing your message – not just with text but also through images, video and other multimedia. It’s all about the conversations it can generate, putting a face to that once distant contact. Social media is transforming the sometimes tedious task of networking meetings and other physical events with a leisurely click of the button. This latest technological advancement has created a new business community, which you can’t afford to be excluded from.

Think about the cost effectiveness: only a decade ago cultivating business relationships involved time spent in a restaurant, at a conference or on the phone. Now you can forge and maintain a relationship in mere minutes with a simple tweet or a comment on a blog.

Your online profile also has the advantage of getting you talking offline. You see someone’s name at a business seminar, all it takes is “I read your latest blog and found it really interesting…” and you’re away. It’s like being a member of an exclusive club, leaving those who can’t talk the talk (or should that be tweet the tweet?) out in the cold.

A study by Stanford University suggests texting and tweeting makes people better communicators, especially Gen-Y members. This is because social media users need to be adaptable, reading their audience – of which there can be hundreds or thousands and each with their own needs – and engage accordingly. Researchers even hint that the online community is also superior at face-to-face communication.

There’s no denying the fantastic benefits of social media, yet it would be folly to rely solely on this medium. 90% of face-to-face communication is non-verbal and it is crucial to be able to read those messages. This is a skill that can take some people a lifetime to perfect but it’s not possible to hide behind a screen all the time. Offline interaction is a just as valuable a communication tool, which can mean the difference between landing that deal or joining the dole queue.

So, yes, social media does help to forge links quickly and effectively. However, you still need to be able to back up your online skills in the 3D world.

For those who need help logging onto social media, Quest PR is hosting a social media strategy seminar on Thursday 10 February, 9am – 10.30. To book please contact Sue Roberts at sue@quest-pr.com.