We spend so much time on the Internet and Social Media these days. We blog from a coffee shop, tweet from a conference, post pictures and images about the behind the scenes of your business on Instagram. We use Facebook to speak to our clients’ hearts and get new “friends” to develop a continuous stream of new clients.
Indeed the way we communicate with our customers is changing rapidly. We no longer rely exclusively on advertising and press releases to get our message out. The new media environment has turned every business into a source of information, education and also entertainment.
This new environment has also changed the way we network, probably the most important activity one should engage in when building a business or a career. No business nor career can flourish without a qualified network of contacts that can be turned into customers, partners or collaborators.
But which works best—digital or traditional networking? I would say both. But the potential of digital networking still is often neglected, particularly here in Italy where I live.
So if you haven’t tapped into the networking opportunities of the “digital sphere”, here are 5 tips that you could use to create successful personal and professional connections.
Clean Up Your Social Media Accounts
We continuously see profiles with questionable pictures that can change your perception of a person. Always be mindful of what you are posting online: your professional contacts may view your personal profiles too. Be professional with all things you do publicly. Remove tagged pictures that may hurt your image and don’t be offensive in our tweets and status updates.
Get Personal On LinkedIn
LinkedIn is THE most important Social Media channel for networking. Most professionals are more willing to accept LinkedIn “invites” than Facebook “Friend Request”. It is important to know the dos and don’ts of LinkedIn and approach people following LinkedIn netiquette. Always introduce yourself and say why you would like to add that person to your network – for example, you are reaching out because you met at an event. Engage regularly with your “key” contacts and participate actively in groups. If you do that, you will see your network grow faster than expected. And it doesn’t take much time: 10 minutes a day will do.
Be Active in LinkedIn and Facebook Groups
LinkedIn and Facebook groups are a great place to grow your network of connections. Interacting with customers, prospects, industry contacts, and other relevant users is the best way to expand your circles. Look for and participate in conversations where you can bring a valuable contribution, and show your own interest in what others have to say by liking, sharing and leaving short comments.
Follow Up with New Contacts on LinkedIn
We meet a lot of people at conferences, industry events, workshops, networking events. But do you follow up with them? I know we we are all very busy with our lives and finding the time for a coffee to meet with some of these new contacts may be difficult.
So use LinkedIn features to follow up and build a relationship with them.
If you don’t know how to do that, you may be interested in attending one of my LinkedIn webinars or seminars. Visit the Events page on my website: we update our event schedule regularly.
Refer and connect
Think of two people you know who could benefit from knowing each other. Every contact you make virtually has at least another valuable contact. When you network on LinkedIn or Twitter, for example, your ability to refer and connect contacts with one another is limitless. And it takes only a few seconds. When you do this you will see your network of contacts grow consistently and you will be seen as a connector, which is very valuable in the digital networking era.
Explore Meetup.com
Still little used in Italy, Meetup.com is a great place to find community groups and find out their meeting times. The website has been known to link the right individuals together. I make extensive use of this platform to network when I’m abroad and I must say I have grown my network of international contacts exponentially.
Practicing these important tips on a daily basis will help you create a powerful network of contacts. And with the right planning and tools (it can take as little as 10 minutes a day!), those networking tasks you hate can be easily streamlined and, in some cases, put on autopilot.
Now it’s your turn. What type of networking your prefer: traditional or digital?
Remember to share as much detail as possible in your comments: many people come here every week for inspiration and advice, so I encourage you share your thoughts. Your experience and insights may inspire and trigger a meaningful change for someone else. And if you have someone in your life who could benefit from this article, share this post with them – they’ll thank you for it 😉
Thank you for reading, watching and sharing
To your success and prosperity
With love
P.S. If you’d like making the mindset shifts necessary to earn more than you spend, turn your idea into a profitable business, find and be found by the right clients on LinkedIn – I’m here to help.
Simply, click here to book in a call.
Image credit: blog.partnersglobal.org
