"Only connect!"  — Howards End

We can still relate to the struggle of E.M. Forster’s pre-WWI Victorians to forge meaningful connections. Of course, we have it easier than they did. We’re living the delightful irony of an era in which we can enjoy a “personal” connection with someone on the other side of the world, yet never meet them in person. Connecting is easier than ever, yet simultaneously more remote.

Connecting is the “new” marketing and branding mindset, yet it’s actually been around forever. We all have a primal urge to connect with others.  It’s why we shop at the mom-and-pop instead of the big chain store whenever we can. It’s why we walk the extra block to the friendly drycleaner instead of using the one that’s closer. It’s why we buy our morning coffee here instead of there.

Inbound marketing is steadily replacing traditional outbound marketing because we’re all tired of being “sold to.” Tired of people and products we don’t care about clamoring for our money and our attention. Tired of brands trying to pick our pockets rather than trying to understand what we really need from their products—and from our relationship with them.

Yes, you and I are marketers and we’re professional communicators. We make our living finding channels for our products and outlets for our messages. But we’re all people first, and so are our customers and clients.

And remembering that simple fact is really all that social media is about: First we connect as people. Then we do business.

Ciao for now!

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Photo credit: “Oh the society! Oh the networking!!” by [busy] via Flickr, used under a Creative Commons license.

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