I was a bit put out last week when I missed a client's anniversary drinks. I thought it was unusual that I wasn't invited and wondered if I had done something to upset them. I racked my brains and thought the only faux pas I've ever committed in that office was asking them to choose a different playlist on Spotify. You can only listen to the Original Cast Recording of Wicked so many times. My mistake, it soon got switched to Kylie Minogue's Greatest Hits. Sometimes it's better the devil you know. I have a good relationship with these people and thought maybe my invitation just got lost in the post. I fired over a quick email and it turns out that I was indeed invited. Via Facebook.
Now, social media is part of our lifeblood these days. If we are not wise to it, we feel left behind. I consider myself competent with Twitter and Facebook yet I recently missed an invitation. Out of curiosity, I looked for the event on Facebook and there I was on the guest list, my notification had been buried in the avalanche of baby pics and cat videos. I wondered how many others had missed out too? Least of all the clients who created it.
As we move towards social media there are a few things we should remember. Not everyone is online. I recently booked an actor for a workshop and the very old school agent was still to discover the joys of email. Everything was done over the phone. I was able to peruse his charges' CVs on the Spotlight website but any communication had to be done via the landline. Which of course was the perfect opportunity for him to hold me captive with his Kenneth Williams impressions. And his Charles Hawtrey. In fact he was nearly halfway through Carry On Camping before he remembered a lunch meeting with Lionel Blair and mercifully drew it to a close. Now, I imagine that old dinosaur is a minority but what if he isn't?
When you use technology on an hourly basis, it becomes second nature, you could be forgiven for assuming that everyone else is doing the same, constantly refreshing inboxes and paying particular attention to newsfeeds. This isn't the case. Many people still don't spend a long time online. And of those who do, many of them aren't on Facebook. Shock horror. It should be no surprise with the constant security scaremongering and endless sickly sweet stream of self-motivational memes that some people prefer not to keep in touch via the Book of Face. And of course, perhaps the most confusing are the people who are on Facebook but use it infrequently. Therefore giving the illusion that they are hearing our news but actually not picking up on it at all. Even Facebook regulars - especially those with a large number of friends - can miss our news as it's buried beneath the photobombs and cat-bearding. Our all important party invitations can slip down the stream very quickly.
And this is how I missed out on the drinks. The client assumed that I would receive the invitation and I'm guessing assumed that I saw it and ignored it. Neither of which is good for business.
We need to remember that social media is not an all-encompassing tool. It should be used to enhance campaigns, not run them. Yes, it is a proven way of reaching people and finding new contacts and customers. A brilliant way of sharing news and reviews but we must not assume that it is reaching all of the people all of the time.
In this age of tweets, texts and emails, don't underestimate the power of a handwritten letter. If you really want to get someone's attention, get back to basics. I recently sent a thank you note to an Australian contact through the mail and she phoned me up to thank me. That has never happened with an email. It's hard to ignore the written word when you hold it physically in your hand. I'm sure that's why the tax office keep sending me letters.
If you want a guaranteed response, send a letter. It's quite the novelty these days. Back it up with e-contact but don't rely on it. Whoever sent a Valentine's email? Well, I actually did make that mistake one year. Another reason why my marriage broke down. That and the fact that our home computer froze on a naked pic of Hugh Jackman. I did try to pass it off as my daughter's doings but she was only seven at the time. My wife wasn't best pleased. Still it was good to get everything out in the open. Eventually.
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