Some people call me a tech coach. Some people have called me a #social media expert, but really I look at my myself as a productivity and business development coach. And because of this, I don't deny that face to face connections still matter.

When you are #face to face with someone it changes the context of your relationship. It changes the way you feel about them. In fact, I have only NOT met two of my real estate coaching clients in real life and my clients are over North America. But, just how important is face to face #conversations? Just because it feels good, does it still matter in the big picture and our crazy world of HIGH TECH?

82% of Word of Mouth conversation take place face to face

#Google and #Keller #Fay collaborated to study the effects of the #Internet and Internet enabled devices on #word of mouth conversations about brands.

What did they find?

Every day there are 2.4 billion conversations about a brand.

82% of #Word of mouth conversations happen face to face

12% over the phone

5% online

But what is really interesting is that the internet is sparking what the topics of discussion are and is the #1 source for people to find information during and after a #conversation.

Think about it, during the middle of a discussion have you ever pulled out your phone to fact check. Or ever ended a debate with, "YEAH, UH! Google it!"

People still trust Search more than #Social

Another interesting take away is that when conversations about brand are informed by search they are 25% more credible and 17% more likely to lead to purchases then conversations informed by social media.

Below is the video from Google and Keller Fay going over this data more in depth. Does this mean that social media is a waste of time and all your energy should be focused on search? Not in my opinion. Because social is still dominating the other forms of traditional media like print, television and radio when it comes to credibility and trust.