It's happened again. I've tried to make plans with friends and the whole thing has gotten "bollocksed-up." The cause? Too many choices of communications mediums. If you want to connect with someone these days, there's just too many choices. There's land line phone, mobile, text messaging, email, Skype, IM, Facebook. Did I miss any? So how best to connect with someone, that you have a personal connection with?
I have a small group of friends that likes to hang out once in a while at a local watering hole. Every other Wednesday, they hold an Open Mic night. What that means for us is that we get a free show from some of the best area musicians, while we kick back and relax. So, I post a note on Facebook, for the handful of those that follow me, as well as this bar. I get interest from four of them, plus I'm sure a couple of wives, girlfriends or significant others will be in attendance. A manageable crowd. One friend is arriving from a long trip overseas and is the primary reason for this celebration. Later, I learn that his flight arrives too late for him to join us and, I post this news in the original place that I sent out the invite, Facebook. No responses. Hmm, okay.
The day of the event, I get a call (great, instant communication) from one of the guys and we discuss whether we will go or not. We decide together that there isn't enough interest and decide to skip it, in favor of a quiet night in. Today, I turn on my cell phone and get the following message, laden with loud, background bar sounds: "Jeff, are you coming out tonight?" This from the one single gal in our group, who was brave enough to walk into a bar solo. I immediately felt like crap.
After a heartfelt apology, I realized that AT&T ought to be promoting the hell out of it's telephone service. Miss your friends again? Call them.
Are you connecting with your "friends" and customers? Or, are you just adding to the white noise that our in-boxes have become? Do you have a one-to-one relationship with your best customers? Social media is a great tool, but it's only one method of communication and not necessarily the most reliable.
I recently met a local business owner who had a revolutionary idea for promoting his business: He went out and met his customers. Can you believe that? When was the last time you met any of your customers? I mean, in person? Too many companies and Marketing departments are guilty of hiding behind web sites, email and other forms of communication. Think of it this way, would your mother rather see you, get a call from you or get an email, text, Facebook post from you?
In these days of many multiple communication methodologies, I think it's time we all took a step back and looked at our communications methods, from the receiver's perspective, for their effectiveness. Go talk to someone and see how that goes. You might be pleasantly surprised.
