I am frequently asked this question as if it were an either/or. I don’t think it needs to be. Both have a similar purpose, which is to spread your name, product and services to a wider market. Some companies will use one more than the other, depending on their goals.
In general terms, face to face networking builds deeper relationships than social media, and social media allows you to spread your message farther than you can with face to face.
Here are some questions I recommend asking yourself to decide how to balance the two. What are your networking/marketing goals? How many people do you need to reach with your message? Is your business local, national or global? How deep are the relationships you need to build to advance your goals?
Using the above questions as a guide can not only give you insight on which you need to spend more time on; it will also help you balance venues and channels for each type of networking.
So don’t think either/or. Think about how a careful use of both can help you advance your goals.
Tags: marketing, Networking, social media