The Best Marketing Secret.

Today's Marketing Cookie is about valuable connections.

Yesterday evening, I had the opportunity to do one of my favorite things! I was invited to attend a committee meeting for the Boston Chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). You may not realize, but everyone who serves the local chapter of the AMA is a volunteer, and they give their time because they want to help the association grow, improve, and succeed. While I have been attending board meetings every month for the past seven years, it has been a few years since I've had an opportunity to participate in a committee meeting, and I am so glad I did!

The meeting was for the Social Media Committee. A dozen people had gathered around the conference room table to talk about how they might increase the prominence and relevance of the Chapter through tweets, shares, and posts. As I looked around the table at the talented individuals who had gathered with a commitment to work together for the AMA, I felt such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude because I know what it takes to give your time and energy as a volunteer.

As the meeting was called to order by the VP of Social Media, Lew Sabbag, he asked each of us to share our "best marketing secret." Each person at the table shared terrific little tidbits of marketing strategies and tactics, and even at the outset of our meeting, we were already learning something valuable from one another. One person, who shared that she has been unable to execute social media where she works, explained that her greatest marketing secret is networking. She made a commitment to attend at least one business networking event per month. She explained how just being present among other marketing and business professionals has given her access to new ideas, fresh thinking, and different perspectives. She said that she almost always comes away from real-life networking meetings having learned something new.

What a concept! As I thought about what she said, I realized that she had unveiled a secret that every last one of us has known throughout our careers. She had uncovered a truth that we all know to be true and yet, I for one, had somehow forgotten how beneficial it is to be with my peers, in the flesh, talking, and sharing ideas. With over sixty thousand virtual connections on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., I had somehow forgotten the benefit of sitting around a table, shaking hands, and spending time with others face-to-face. I encourage you to get out from behind your keyboard. Get out there and spend some time with people. You may just learn something! As today's fortune says, "A meeting with a stranger may soon bring benefits to you."