Can we talk about finding clients before social media took over?

I was sorting through some old business cards and remembered how I used to get most of my gigs from local networking events. Back then, it was all about face-to-face chats and handing out physical cards. Now, I spend hours online trying to stand out in crowded feeds. Does anyone else feel like the personal connections were easier back in the day?

3 comments

3 Comments

hernandez.gavin1mo agoMost Upvoted

Actually I was reading a newsletter that made a good point about this. It said back then, building a client base was about slow trust. You'd see the same people at monthly chamber of commerce breakfasts or trade shows, and relationships just happened from repeated chats. Like, you'd meet a graphic designer at one event, then bump into them again and finally land a project months later. The algorithm doesn't work that way, it's all about instant clicks.

wood.paige21d ago

Notice it in how we make friends now too... you meet someone once at a party, follow each other, and that's it. You never really talk again. The old way forced you to see the same faces and actually talk.

mattheww571mo ago

That "slow trust" idea Gavin mentioned really sticks with you. So is the trade-off just that we get more chances now but each one means less? Like @hernandez.gavin said, the algorithm pushes for that instant click, but does a connection that fast ever actually stick? Feels like we swapped real relationships for a higher volume of weaker contacts. Makes you wonder if that old way, as slow as it was, built stuff that lasted longer.