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Whew!! I made it to Network Solutions's #growsmartbiz conference in Washington DC yesterday and boy, was it a journey getting there! I wasn't aware that I would have to ride three different metro lines to get to #growsmartbiz after traveling from West Virginia to Virginia to DC ... but hey, so the question is ... was #growsmartbiz worth the arduous trip? 

Answer: Yes!!!! 

Yes, I would have to say definitely yes. In addition to the informative panels and engaging 10-minute quips between each panel session ... and between all the wonderful networking opportunities and fun, new connections with various sponsors ... I would have to say if I had to travel that distance all over again, I'd say YES (but would try to get there possibly by private jet to expedite my travels LOL). 

Some of my observations

• The place was packed! Lots of people connecting, engaging and conversating about small business, marketing, social media and more.
• Panels were very diverse. I really enjoyed seeing a good mix of men, women and minority-owned small businesses taking center stage and sharing their insight, thoughts and advice to like-minded attendees.
• Small business and entrepreneurialism was celebrated. Boy, if you were a small business owner, then you were rubbing shoulders with countless other folks who really admire the small biz's entrepreneurial spirit. Everyone there was for the most part a die-hard supporter for the innovation and impact small business can and do make day by day..
• Small biz peeps give good hugs. I got lots of hugs and well wishes from some of *the* best small biz huggers in the Washington DC area including Glennette Clark, Jill Foster, Carla Briceno, Shireen Mitchell, Gloria Bell (visiting from our sister city Philly), Robin Ferrier, Shonali Burke, Steve Fisher and of course, the infamous Shashi Bellamkonda.  

:)

So what can I tell you? I got to the conference pushing 11 am and fairly quickly began my blogging/tweeting set up near the back of the conference room. It was just as well, too, because the area reserved for bloggers and media was *packed* and I did not want to disturb or distract. 

Sitting in the back actually was quite helpful

I got to see the behind the scenes action and had a full view of the attendees which allowed me to gage their level of interest, be privvy to back door convos and see facial expressions of curiousity and intrigue on any given topic or panel commentary. 

Now that I've shared the general ambiance 4-1-1 download, let's get to the meat and potatoes in so far as some of my observations and commentary regarding panelist sessions.  

Here are some general observations... 

PANELIST PARAPHRASED COMMENT #1: "We're not that hot and heavy on social media" 

I was very curious about the morning panel I walked into about marketing, branding and advertising (see photos). Regretfully, I do not have an agenda with me at the time of this blog post writing so I can't tell you the names of the specific panelists but in general there were a few moments this panel raised my eyebrow just a wee bit. One comment in particular was a bit stunning: a panelist said he and the other business owners on the panel (3 other folks) were four businesses that have not been hot and heavy on the social media scene. Hot and heavy were not his exact words but the comment, overall, was made to explain to the audience that hey, we're small biz owners and we're not really that obsessed with social media and/or hey, we're small biz owners and we haven't really done all that much on social media (or are not heavily dependent on social media for their marketing). 

PANELIST PARAPHRASED COMMENT #2: "Face to face connections cannot be replaced by virtual relationships; Human connection needs to still happen." 

"We cannot limit or over-rely on status updates or tweets to manage our relationships with others; We shouldn't hide behind our Facebook profiles." These comments were made by another panelist during the same session. The speaker was quite passionate about this point and equated virtual management or customer relationship management activity via social network(s) to the Kindle. "Reading from a Kindle and reading by holding a book in your hands are two completely different things." The speaker continued to pontificate on this point stating that small businesses must do more than status updates to maintain and upkeep with important relationships and that the face to face interaction cannot be forgotten or ignored. 

Some of my thoughts

Both speakers are absolutely correct in their findings, in my opinion. Yes, it is very important indeed to not become "obsessed" with social media and to put social media activity into perspective, ensuring that social media engagement should augment or complement your existing marketing activities. I hear this all the time from small business who always protest they don't have hours on end to tweet on Twitter and be on Facebook. And yes, face to face connections are extremely important. Human connection can NEVER be replaced, this is true. 

But here's the deal ... 

The first reference to not being so hot and heavy with social media was important but also unfortunate, in my view. It's not that I expect small biz owners to all become obsessed with social media. No. Rather, I just wish the reality had been different.

Before I continue here, please know I only speak for myself and how I alone perceived the comments shared on this panel.
Nothing I share below is being said in a negative light.
(Besides ... if I didn't put my own .02 cents, how good of a blogger would I be anywayz??) :)

So ... the way I took these comments about the four panelists up there not being that all into social media or that active on social media was a "truth" I wish weren't true. But alas, there are many, many small businesses that, to date, are not yet up to speed on the power of social media for reach, visiblity and engagement. It's not to say that this panelist did not recognize perhaps these benefits social media can bring but he also did not indicate he and his business heavily rely in the tools either. At a time when social media engagement, utility tools and social connections are becoming an absolutely vital component of outreach and marketing, it just caught me off guard to see this panelist (and his fellow panelists nod in agreement) make such a revelation. 

In much the same light, the passionate panelist that is an advocate for upkeeping human connections via face to face meetings and not hiding behind Facebook profiles and status updates ... I couldn't agree more about the need for face to face engagement. That said, however, as much sincere value as there is and was in the panelist's cry for human gatherings and real face time, I thought perhaps it was ironic and somewhat unrealistic in that most small businesses who service customers, clients,end users, peers, colleagues and friends may not always be in the same geographic location to be able to make these wonderful human connections.  

Moreover, much of the "hype" about social networking is that now we CAN stay connected to folks much better than we could before and be privvy to lifestream details (of those we are connected with) we once never had access to even with face time invested. Connecting, engaging and nurturing relationships on social networks *is* so mainstream now, in fact, that many businesses ... including CRM giant SalesForce.com ... are capitalizing on this momentum and referring to this social networking nuance as the new CRM (read The Facebook Era by Clara Shih for more information on social CRM Facebook style). So yes, face time and personal human connections are always wonderful and needed but realistically for many small business, not always entirely possible. 

Believe me ... I'm not a meanie

Again, to repeat myself, these are my objective comments and are not meant to diminish the value and wisdom imparted by the panelists. I actually thank them sincerely for challenging my brain cells after a very long ride into DC! 

I have many more thoughts and comments and I will share in upcoming blog post.