A Boyd's Eye View: Social media includes "face-to-face" contact.

Not long after my last Boyd's Eye View I had a great discussion with a friend who also has a long history in the fishing and outdoor industries. He liked what I had written with regard to "professional anglers" needing to pay attention to details in their posting on social media, but he also made a point to remind me that it's important not to lose sight of the one aspect of marketing one's self that seems to have really gotten lost the past few years; Face-to-face engagement.

Instantly I realized he was right. It's almost like we spend so much time on the computer with "social media", we have lost the ability to be "social" in person. I have seen this in action first hand from one of the best. For years, I had the pleasure of working with Hall of Fame walleye angler Gary Parsons. I have no doubt that if you took aside 100 individuals that had met Gary in person at least 80% (and probably more) would say he was personable and great to talk to. Truth be known, there were many times we would be at a boat ramp or on the road headed to a TV shoot or an event and stop in to fill gas or make a pit stop and Gary would get approached by and spend 30 minutes or even more talking fishing before getting back to the task at hand. Was that something he "needed" to do? Absolutely not, but he saw an opportunity to share his passion for the sport he loved with other like-minded individuals and took it. Seriously, I don't even think it is something he can help; his passion for fishing and the outdoors is just so strong he can't help but share it at most every chance he gets.

Face-to-face may very well be the most influential form of social media.

Many professional anglers (or other professional influencers for that matter) don't work on their "people skills" nearly as hard as they do their social media skills because companies that sponsor them have no way to track the effectiveness of their face-to-face contact. That's a shame, and while it's true that its not a real measurable commodity, it very well may be an infuencer's most powerful tool in the long run.

It's amazing how many times I have seen guys completely blow the perfect opportunity to build on their face-to-face influence. Working sport shows is an ideal situation. Whether you are there to support a sponsor or to give seminars, you have a captive audience that are there to hear what you have to say. If you are standing around in a booth with your nose in your phone, you are not doing your job. After you give a seminar, there are inevitably going to be individuals walking up to talk and ask questions. Engage them with a smile, shake their hand and be "in" the conversation. If you need to take the conversation to another room to make way for the next presenter, do so. This is your job. Do it with courtesy and enthusiasm. If you can't do that, go find a 9-to-5 gig because this line of work is not for you.

It's an art that few have and anyone working to be an "influencer" in any industry should master. Being able to connect face-to-face builds brand loyalty, and it can do it in a manner that's much more effective and long-term than any type of media can produce. Be careful however, as it can backfire on you just as quickly and irrevocably turn folks off to your brand and influence in the marketplace. Be professional at all times, be polite and smile. This all may sound elementary but its amazing how often the most simple steps to being social are completely ignored.

If you are working to be an influencer in your chosen industry, someone that drives around in a fully wrapped vehicle promoting your sponsors or your brand, it doesn't matter if you're a professional angler, professional hunter or even the world's foremost expert on K-cup coffees (a position I am honing in on with every passing cup), you need to be approachable and personable. You can influence a large group of people by one friendly and passion-sharing conversation with one person. It works because then that one person goes out and tells their friends about it, and then they tell their friends, etc, etc. It's the pebble dropped in the water deal ... and none of it involved a computer. 

That's my Boyd's Eye View at least ... Carry On.