Don’t Underestimate the Value of Social Interaction

The camera adds ten pounds. This concept, when related to body image, is a definite negative. However, there are other avenues when the use of a camera or video truly does add weight and depth to an image in a positive way. In business, when often times the extent of the imagery used are the quarterly graphs and pie charts, one cannot deny the need for weight and depth to business interactions.

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It’s Not a Numbers Game

Any accountant can measure the success of a business by the numbers, but imagery is an important tool to reflect the desired growth and goals of any company. In order to share that vision and those goals with those who could bring them to fruition, businesses are turning to various new meeting and conferencing tools. A company’s yearly goals and business prospectus could be packaged in a short video or PowerPoint presentation and mailed to clients or investors, but the real sell comes from the interaction.

It’s said a picture is already worth a thousand words, and the same is very true with your business. there’s no denying how a successful video viral campaign reflects well on a business, no matter how offbeat the topic or content is. Even charities and non-profit organizations have harnessed the power of a well-made video; it makes for excellent representation in the online arena, and makes for ease of spreading the message. By creating a video that speaks to a person, the content itself now becomes its own publicity. Not only that, these videos make an impact on your target market and the brand itself becomes a household name, making a lasting impression and giving the brand relevance.

Self-made millionaire Dani Johnson loves to say, “facts tell, stories sell.” This simple statement suggests that more than the sum total is necessary to bring outsiders onto a company’s team, whether it’s new clients or investors. Person to person interaction can be the determining factor after all the numbers have been discussed and negotiated. Sales coach Wendy Weiss tells Forbes that you there’s a lot of discussion between hello and the end of a deal, and that’s what really makes the difference between a one time meeting and a lasting business relationship.

Build On Your Content

The tools companies use for interaction are changing. Cold calls no longer give the best impression nor yield the best results. Marketing your business and connecting with clients is what builds a company. Great content about your strategy and goals is important, but without a connection it will not get far.

Best selling author and speaker Garr Reynolds states that great content is necessary, but that businesses need to go above and beyond that by building that content into an engaging story that will connect with your audience. It’s human interaction that determines the impact of the content. Honing presentation skills is one important way to enhance your business potential, and no technological advances will make up for lackluster communication.

Many successful brands understand it’s really the human touch that makes content work so well. Brands understand their target market — what their needs are, their concerns, the challenges they face, their hopes and goals, as well as the experiences that they cherish — and they engage their market with these points in mind. Brands like IHOP and Burger King, and Pizza Hut have connected with their customers via Twitter and other forms of social media, and have kept the marketing landscape an exciting place to be in. (Albeit with a few glitches along the way, but this also an important lesson to be learned in market sensitivity.). This goes beyond simply having “the feels”; this is being able to connect and engage with your target market; this is what social interaction is all about.

Technology won’t magically create excellent content or understand your audience, but it can provide a stellar platform that will help you get your message out. Knowing and staying connected to your audience is the way to reach the end goal. There are so many tools available to businesses today to facilitate the connection between company and client or partners that simple phone calls and email are now too basic. If you want to get ahead of competitors, you have to be ready and willing to adopt the latest technology into your game plan and go full steam ahead.

Tools of The Trade

Many modern day communication solutions include the ability to share and cooperate on data remotely. This useful feature of cloud computing and communication tools has brought business interaction to a dynamic new level. It’s no longer necessary to wait to receive the most updated information, since with cloud sharing sources, we can see changes made in real time. Cooperation and partnership is quickly becoming limitless.

This also creates room for enhancements in other business interactions. Conference calls no longer require a conference room, with multi-party, multi- device video conferencing. Companies like BlueJeans video conference equipment allow a CEO to video conference from their office with a contractor who’s on a tablet or mobile device anywhere in the world. It also includes the ability to share information and data while video conferencing. Tools like these increase productivity because you can add users on demand. Video conferencing is enhancing business to business interaction, making it more dynamic and relational. As important as the information is, any business meeting or presentation is not merely about an exchange of information. Garr Reynolds highlights that the efficacy of a meeting or presentation is as much about the person giving it as it is about the content or the information.

According to Keith Harrison-Broninski, CTO of Role Modellers Ltd., it’s the people power behind the processes that really get things done, and that by harnessing technology that enhances work processes, the full potential of human-centered work can be reached. Taking control of the power of the personal touch to invigorate business models and provide greater value to customers is what will earn you success in the long run.

People tend to invest in other people, and if a company does not have the stock portfolio or financial legacy to speak for itself, its greatest sell will be its people. Interaction is necessary to that end, and utilizing every communication and technological tool available to facilitate strong interaction will empower a company to make powerful, lasting partnerships.