In the last two years, a new way of existence has emerged, and many have taken quite a fancy to this new way of conducting business. After examining what works for my own ghostwriting agency, I’ve concluded that digital connection and human connection should co-exist. Of course, there are organizations that can indeed prosper on digital connection alone. A great example of this is food and takeout companies. Restaurants can thrive by appealing to the consumer through their eyes. Posting a photo of a juicy, mouth-watering burger with fries will indeed gain the sales of those who crave a succulent burger. By comparison, jewelry companies may be successful in applying human connection only. However, digital connection may be useful to them as well. For example, an attractive photo of a diamond necklace may drive the consumer into the store. It’s up to the friendly and persuasive salesclerk to complete the sale. Then, there are companies who absolutely need both digital and human connection to succeed. Real estate agencies can prosper through posting attractive photos of homes, but of course, this is only half the battle, as a great agent is more than likely needed to lock the sale in. The digital era seems to have become more popular than ever, and many entrepreneurs have utilized the power of digital connection to achieve the desired results in their business. Many have been successful. Does this mean digital connection outranks human connection? There are many pros and cons for both digital connection and human connection. Below are two pros and two cons for each.
The energy involved in human connection is authentically felt and leads to captivation.
The first time I tried contact marketing, I was excited. I dressed up, put on my biggest smile, and stepped into my friendliest personality. This was my chance to captivate my potential clients, and that is exactly what I did. I landed the second client that I pitched! The client appreciated my taking the time to introduce myself and share my brochure. Human connection usually involves sight, smell, and touch. We sometimes underestimate how powerful these are. I once heard that red has a psychological effect on the other party, so I almost always wear something red. This usually works for me, and it may work for you, too.
These days, I find that white is a powerful color as it is often associated with luxury. Luxury is what I find most people are drawn to these days. Use in-person opportunities to captivate your potential client and to make a genuine, authentic connection that can blossom into a great working relationship.
Digital connection provides the ability to command visibility and get the conversation started.
Potential clients usually open my emails out of curiosity. I include my logo, links to my website and social media, and my brochure to ensure I get as much visibility as possible. It typically gets the conversation started, which gets the ball rolling regarding a chance to possibly work with that individual. If your attachments and content are interesting enough, you’ll gain the results you hope to achieve. My advice is to make sure your social media content isn’t generic and that it gives a peek at the real you. I realized that my social media content gave spam vibes as I didn’t include content that displayed me as a real person as opposed to a bot. Photos of you having fun with friends and family are perfect and show you as a real live person. Nobody wants to be scammed, and if your content is generic, you’re less likely to land the meeting.
It is not always possible to embrace human connection because it is not always likely you will gain an in-person meeting.
I can recall showing up to the office of an executive only to be told I would only be allowed to leave my package with the assistant. If I could do it again, I would have called beforehand to find out how I could get on her schedule. What do I do when my target market consists of executives, politicians, athletes, prime ministers, and other such individuals? Why would they create space in their schedule for me? Most times, the only option is to leave an attractive package that contains your brochure and a brief letter. Don’t let this discourage you, though, for there are also times when I have indeed been able to introduce myself to my potential client in person. However, an in-person meeting is not always guaranteed. You’ll have to go with the flow and do your best to this regard. I try to reach out to pastors on Sundays after church. I also try to arrange a meeting with executives beforehand through their assistants. An in-person meeting isn’t always guaranteed, and the best way to deal with this is to prepare an attractive package for your potential client.
There is a chance your email may be overlooked or undervalued.
Emails are great, but what do you do when the person you’re emailing gets tons of emails per day? Emails aren’t a solidified way of landing a client because emails can sometimes be overlooked, may go to the spam folder, or may be assumed unsafe to open. The name of my company is interesting enough for someone wanting to become an author, so I usually get a fair amount of interest. A lot of executives don’t connect with certain email titles, which poses the threat of your email being left unopened and unread. I don’t let this discourage me, though, and I still send the email. This gives me an excuse to follow up with a phone call or even in-person. A follow up may look like, “Hi, I’m just following up concerning my email regarding the brochure for the book proposal that was sent to Mrs. Seymour on August 17th.” The unopened email is still valuable because it gives me a genuine reason to show up and be seen! Don’t let the fact that your email can be overlooked stop you from sending the email. The chance can still be leveraged, and you may still land a sale from that opportunity.
Most organizations have succeeded with human connection for years. However, many are seeing the value in digital connection as well. For me, I usually get the conversation started with an email. It’s usually my way of landing a meeting, whether through Zoom or in-person. It’s also an excuse to follow up through another email or in-person! Both human connection and digital connection have pros and cons but can work great and in an exceptional way when they co-exist within a business. I personally love in-person because if my clients love me, they’ll more than likely purchase my ghostwriting services. If I was selling food, I could tell my clients about my amazing food until I’m blue in the face. If their sense of sight, taste, and/or smell isn’t initially utilized, though, I’ll more than likely be unsuccessful. Consider what works for your business. This can be done through trial and error. Determine what works for you as an entrepreneur. What is it that you need to close the deal? Do you need human connection? Do you need digital connection? Or do you need a co-existence of both human and digital connection to land the sale?