Social and electronic media are so important in today’s communication plans that it is easy to forget the vital role human touch still plays. Together, they are very powerful.

I worked recently with Tara Alemany to promote her new publishing business, Emerald Lake Books, which focuses on helping entrepreneurs bring books to market as part of their business plans. Tara is a professional marketer and a LinkedIn expert. After reading some of her comments in a LinkedIn discussion group, a new contact, Jean, reached out to her and asked if she’d be willing to speak by phone. This new contact introduced Tara to the president of a chapter of the Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association (CAPA) in Jean’s local area. Tara ended up giving a talk there and since then has spoken to two more chapters around the state and is slated to speak at the annual conference in 2016. (That’s Personal Connection No. 1. Tara connected online, spoke over the phone, and now is well-known as an in-person speaker for CAPA.)

The next big boost came when we worked together on a press release about Emerald Lake Books and distributed it throughout Connecticut.

Tara was scheduled to speak to the CAPA chapter in Groton in March, so when I sent the release to New London Day business reporter Lee Howard, I mentioned her speaking engagement. Lee liked that angle and interviewed Tara about her business as a preview to the CAPA meeting.

The story was published and people started calling CAPA to sign up for Tara’s appearance. CAPA had to move to a larger space to accommodate the growing crowd and when Tara polled the audience, 20 percent said they attended after reading the Day’s article.

That is partly the result of Personal Connection No. 2. We could have sent the release to the general newspaper email instead of to a specific reporter. News organizations get a lot of press releases every day. If you can make yours stand out, even a little bit, with some luck you will earn recognition for your legitimate story. In this case, a quick search of the New London Day website helped find a likely recipient and communication by email facilitated the discussion.

Tara has been all over the social networks pitching her talks and her company. That has to happen. But it’s useful to remember that personal contacts, and traditional media, remain important tools in marketing.

Paul Steinmetz is principal of Writing Associates, providing writing services to businesses and organizations.