Technology, meet The Real World

• By Bizzabo
• 13 Jun 2013

The perfect mix

Social networks have revolutionized the way we interact, both socially and in business. At the same time, smartphones with location-based services have taken over. But if we’re spending more of our time living in a virtual world, why are we investing so heavily in technology intended to improve our “real lives”?

The truth is that the business world, however virtual, will always be anchored in reality, and the only way to benefit from both is to make them complement each other. So here are our top 3 tips for mixing it up.

1. Plan ahead

Events are great places to network, but knowing when and where they are, and which ones are going to make the best use of your time, takes a bit of legwork.

Luckily, that’s what Facebook, Twitter and Eventbrite are great for. You can research not only which events would be the best ones to attend, but also (some call it stalking, we call it research!) which potential contacts also on the guest list.

3. Instantly connect

Discovering potential connections is faster online (as is pretty much everything), but a meaningful connection is only really created with face-to-face meetings – that’s why real life events are such big business. First you do the small talk, then you talk business, then you swap cards. But the problem is, that’s sometimes where it ends.

In order not to le the connection run cold, make sure you follow up online as well. Social networks give you the ability to connect instantly, so you can keep that new relationship ticking over till the next time you meet offline.

3. Follow up

Making connections is great step, but never forget that your main intention is to leverage these connections to achieve a short or long term business goal.

That’s why the follow up is crucial. Once you’ve connected in real life, then connected again on any of the social networks, it’s time for the final merge of online and offline – the phonecall. Set a lunch date, and work out whether or not this connection has real-life potential for you and your business.

Bizzabo is a networking app for events that bridges the gap between the online and offline worlds, integrating with Eventbrite for event discovery, and LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter for people discovery.

Written on:

13 Jun 2013

Categories:

Best Practice, Networking