Hey, I’m Bob. What’s You Instagram info?
September 12, 2017 By: Deric Kennedy
Have
social media replaced the need for business cards?
Hey,
welcome back to The SCEM VIEW, with Deric. As you know, I’m pursuing a master’s
degree in Strategic Communication at Troy University and this blog was created
to explore the content we discuss each week in my Strategic Communication &
Emerging Media (SCEM) course. Glad to have you back with us! Quick recap of
last week, my COM 66030 class briefly explored mobile technologies and the way
they are changing the way people seek information. Some of these changes were
positive, some were not. We discussed the impact mobile technologies have made
on a few great classic American traditions- my high school class reunion being
one of them. My topic proposed the question, has technology killed my class reunion? We
concluded the following: While class reunion attendance has declined tremendously
across the board in the past decade, with social media and new technologies
mostly being to blame, there are solutions to consider and with the social
media, we have new a tool to help us achieve a more our desirable outcome.
Well,
we are now at week four! This week, COM 6630 is exploring social media and how
it is one of the biggest nightmares facing strategic communication professionals.
As stated by Dr. Padgett, the explosive and exponential growth of social media
means this is a communication tool that cannot be ignored. And so, I would
like to devote todays show (post) to a very popular piece of social media and
how it has impacted the way we network and seek to develop new opportunities and relationships. On post one,
it was mentioned that I am a part of both the creative and entertainment industries.
Put me on a stage and I’ll give you a show. Throw me in front of a camera, and
I will keep you engaged! Put a pen in my hand and watch a masterpiece unfold-
well, at least that’s how I see it in my head ha. But seriously, this business
is awesome and it is where my greatest passions reside and where my greatest gifts
soar. So, as we go on with todays show, keep this in mind.
I’m
confident that I have attended over 300 social events and parties in the business
since I sought out to make a career for myself and what I have found is heavy networking
is always involved. Even if I don’t want to party or be around large groups of professionals,
I still find myself attending the event to ensure that I am meeting and
connecting because it is truly a business of "RELATIONSHIPS". In fact, it is my experience that most networking entails partying
and or other forms of social gatherings, some that are totally unrelated to the business.
Each event seems to be set on a different goal in mind yet they all share one
major similarity- NETWORKING. Every step I take is met with a new hand and
another smiling face. And it’s great! The energy is unmatched. But here is why
I’m bringing this up; I seldom see business cards passed around! Hardly ever.
This came as a big surprise to me back when I first entered this arena. My background
is human services and (briefly) marketing and in those arenas, any time I found
myself in a networking space, I would exchange business cards with those I would
meet. That is simply how it went. But when I transitioned to the entertainment
industry, I noticed most people always say, ‘Hey, are you on Instagram?
If so, lets follow each other!’ This is what I experience ninety-five percent
of the time no matter if I am in Atlanta, New York or Los Angeles.
At first I was carried the assumption that this was an entertainment industry “thing”
but recently, after conducting research, I have learned that many across the
board think business cards are no longer necessary, thanks to a variety of
digital alternatives. According to a report on statisticbrain.com, company
sales increase for every 2,000 cards passed out. I’m no expert in numbers nor business but from
an average consumer/user viewpoint, that isn’t too impressive to my eyes or ears and it doesn’t
seem to be as effective as would imagined. Perhaps this is why the social media
route seems more successful in terms of connecting to establish and maintain professional
relationships and why our old friend "the business card" is struggling to lead the pack today.
After all, it is no secret that the internet and is one of the most successful
ways to keep in touch in the twenty-first century. So, considering the main purpose of networking, which is to develop mutually beneficial relations, social media seems only right. As reported by multiple sites and
companies, people prefer the social media/network route because communications
are easier. It has “personal touch” and most of us enjoy this.
Granted, one can send an email blast updating their one-thousand contacts on
what is new in their business endeavors and/or family life but new media such
as the Instagram application is a free and simple way to share your special life
moments, endeavors etc., and keep up with those we meet through networking.
Personally,
I prefer to exchange Instagram information versus a business card because normally,
we get a better feel of who the person is and what they are about via social
media. This is typically not as easy to achieve simply by keeping in touch via
email and that kind of occasional direct exchange. With applications such as Facebook
and Instagram, we are forced- for a lack of better word- to keep up with those
we follow and vice versa. I am confident that many successful relationships
that are developed via a social network such Instagram, can attribute most of
their success to the nature of the application. It’s more difficult to forget those we meet whom
we have connected with via social media because depending on often we are logged
in, we are constantly reminded of them with each time we scroll our individual
timelines. And that brings us to our closing. While social media have not completely
replaced the need for business cards- there are still many who prefer the traditional,
tangible option- it has certainly been proven a winning route when considering
the most effective ways to network.
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