Here we are– a new year full of promise and opportunity. Goals have been set, strategies prepared and messages to be delivered. Your clients are out there. But how best to get to them? Through to them? With the ever-growing number of internet based communications vehicles, alternatives abound. And confound. Advertising, Public Relations, Email, Social Media, Blogs, MicroBlogs, QR Codes, Bookmarkers, Aggregators…it goes on and on.

Like a new toy, so much effort is put into leveraging the new media du jour, the tried and true get pushed to the rear, often times forgotten. For instance, when was the last time you saw your client? Face-to-face. Sure, you’ve emailed them a hundred times since last week. You’ve spoken on the phone just yesterday. All well and good. But again, when was the last time you shook their hand? Sat across the table? Had lunch?

It is during these times, face to face, where relationships are sown and cemented. Where new opportunities are discovered. New challenges revealed. Personalities enmeshed. Technology is amazing, no doubt. It can make things easier. Faster. More effective. Less expensive. But no matter how effective, no technology, aside from the yet-to-be-invented 3-D hologram, can match the intimacy and power of the personal relationship. Current or former.

Or even future. Which begs another question: “When was the last time you attended an industry function/networking event?” I know. I know. Take it from a self-professed social gathering-phobe. But it never fails. Every time I’ve attended an industry event, discussion, breakfast, whatever, it has resulted in new contacts, renewed friendships/relationships and at the very least, provided a visible statement that we are still here. Successful even.

All of these personal appearances remind everyone that you’re still a market leader. Still out there on their behalf. Reminding clients why they hired you in the first place. After all, there are plenty of people who are good at what you do. They’re just not you. Remind your clients of that. Regularly. Not just by Tweeting it. Or FaceBooking it. Show em.

Then you can answer those social media questions over a cup of coffee and hone that strategy together.  And then tweet about it.