Are you devoting more and more resources to online marketing and being omni-present in social media circles?

And yet, do you struggle to break through the clutter and really interact with prospective customers – finding ways to bypass decreasing attention spans and incessant information overload?

Maybe it’s time to get back to more old fashioned methods, like public speaking and face to face communication, to connect more effectively with your target audiences.

Here’s the thing. We’ve never been able to do more or share more information through technology.

And while it should make our lives easier – does it?

Speak directly to an audience to capture hearts and minds

Have we reached a point of ‘technology-smology’!

Maybe. Answer this. If you’re search for something online and don’t find what you’re looking for on the first page of a search engine results, what do you do?

In most cases, the answer is not much. Less than 1 in 10 of us will check out a second page of results. And if we don’t do any better should we try one or two more search terms, we commonly just give up – as our attention shifts to something else!

Truth be told, access to 24/7 media and endless streams of information often makes it harder to find the best ways to solve problems we want to address.

In his recent article Sorry We’re Closed: The Rise of Digital Darwinism, social media expert Brian Solis explains:

“While important, social media only plays a part in this (r)evolution. The customer journey is evolving. How businesses react and ultimately lead the enhancement of relationships is not determined by technology. To get closer to customers takes a culture of customer-centricity…

…The reality is that most executives don’t use social networks. And, to be honest, most don’t read their own emails. Many won’t ever see this post…

…The future of business comes down to relevance and the ability to understand how technology affects decision making and behaviour…”

Absolutely. Just making information available via websites or social media is not enough. People won’t read everything you write or watch/listen to everything you include in videos or podcasts. They need relevance.

Make it easy for customers to find relevant and trustworthy information.

While you absolutely do need to create presence where your customers and prospects gather information online, you also need to find ways to:

• Create more personalised and relevant connections with your target audiences,
• Give people enough time to really hear what you have to say, and
• Encourage face to face interaction

Is it time to be old fashioned again to get more connected with your target audiences?

To learn how our public speaking courses can help you to gain trust and inspire others: email eobrien@thersc.ie or call +353.1.5311196.  I will always be delighted to hear from you.