It seems everywhere you look today, people are talking about social media. Twitter, Foursquare, Facebook and the like now rule the conversations of many individuals both in the marketing world and beyond. Nevertheless, when such strides are taking place in the technological world, it becomes easy to overlook the importance of other types of communication. While social media will undoubtedly play a large role in the success of any organization, one must always remember to employ face to face communication as well.
Earlier this month, Finance Fund held a media tour and reception at the Freeport Press in Freeport, Ohio. This event celebrated the purchase of a new printing press that will help Freeport Press retain 150 jobs and add 40 more jobs over the next 7 years, and it hosted several state dignitaries, including Governor Ted Strickland and Congressman Zack Space. With such great news taking place in an economically distressed area, it was extremely important to focus on more than just social media to promote this event. Finance Fund did blog and tweet about the event, but in order to make it even more successful, a combination of social media tactics and face to face communication was necessary. Media representatives were invited to attend the event in person to speak with the Governor, Congressman Space, Jim Klein (the CEO of Finance Fund) and David Pilcher (the owner of the Freeport Press) and to tour the facility. As a result, the event had a great turnout and was featured in various local media outlets both around Freeport and in the Columbus area, thereby garnering more attention for both the Freeport Press and for Finance Fund and its causes throughout the state. In the Freeport area, the use of television and newspaper outlets was quite effective, and combined with social media, it added to the success of the event overall. For more information on the Freeport event media coverage, click here.
Overall, one must never forget the importance of face to face contact. As the Finance Fund example illustrated, tweeting, updating Facebook and blogging about topics may add to the experience, but nothing can replace the essential communication that takes place in person. Social media is only one piece of the media puzzle, and as such, it is imperative for marketers to incorporate face to face communication into their strategy as well.