No, the above heading is not a result of my lack of grammatical knowledge. It's a new language known as "socialmediaese". Expressions born from the way so many of us communicate now, not just in our social lives, but in business too. Social media platforms such as Linkedin, Facebook, Instagram & Twitter, allow us to communicate with friends and acquaintances on a large scale. We can reach thousands, even millions of people simply by plugging in a sentence or a photo. You can let people know what you've had for dinner, or that your dog had a haircut. You can upload visual images. It's no wonder that those working in the finance world looked at this and thought "Wow!"

DOES BROADER REACH EQUAL HIGHER IMPACT?

Is simply reaching thousands of people with your message enough? Does your message make an impact with who you are trying to reach? Social media platforms are cluttered with everything from baby updates to retailers giving store discounts. Don't get me wrong, there are strong advantages for traders and brokers to become involved in and use social media. But we shouldn't sit back and think that broader reach, means more impact and influence over our decision makers and clients.

IS YOUR DECISION MAKER IN BUSINESS MODE WHEN READING SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT?

As an elite speaker on human behaviour and someone who loves working with people in all industries including finance, I find it a fascinating insight into the way communication is moving. Interestingly, it's often the quieter, more reserved people that tend to use social media the most. The lure of being able communicate to a group, without the normal pressures that come from the same scenario in a face to face sitting, is very strong with those who are less outgoing. In business, social media could become a tool for the lazy. Those who simply like to say they made 1,000 calls, when in reality they posted a tweet which ended up in 1,000 people's twitter feed (amongst 1,000 other people's tweets). When a key decision maker is scrolling through social media content, are they really in business mode? When face to face with a client, you know you have them in the frame of mind to decide on your proposal.

INFLUENCE AND IMPACT WITH DECISION MAKERS LIES WITH F2F SKILLS

This is not a session about the perils of using social media. As I said, there is definitely a place for social media in the way we do business both in the banking and finance industry and beyond. My message is simply that it's important for us not to take our eye off the prize. Don't be fooled that you've made an impact simply because you've reached a large number. Social media should be a part of your business connection strategy, not all of it. The best method of influence and impact you can make with any decision maker, lies in the way you conduct yourself in a face to face scenario.