NETWORKING

Networking. Sounds simple enough, right? It’s not like it’s a new concept after all. Rather, it’s been a cornerstone of good business since business began. But the explosive social media scene has gone and changed the game, adding options and opening doors to new methods of making connections.
“Strategic, professional networking is one of the most powerful methods of growing your business in today’s world,” says social media marketing expert Mari Smith. “What’s happened with the massive rise of online social networking is we created a fundamental paradigm shift in how we function, communicate and do business both online and offline. It’s now more important than ever to be highly versed in the skills necessary for quality relationship building; the new high-tech methods allow us to dramatically enhance our networking, but timeless principles of effective relating still apply.          Taking It to the Next Level
“Businesses that blend both old-school and new-media methods for networking stand head and shoulders above their competition,” says Smith, author of Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day.
“To give you an example, any time you’re going to be attending an in-person function, here is a series of steps you can take: First, do your research online. Does the event have a hashtag (a special phrase preceded with a # sign that you can then find on Twitter)? Follow everyone talking about the upcoming event. Tweet to specific attendees that you’re looking forward to meeting them. Make a Twitter list of attendees, and Tweet about it to help others network with each other more easily.
“Identify key individuals you particularly wish to meet; do further research on this smaller group by finding them on LinkedIn, Facebook and through Google searches. Then subscribe to their blogs and e-zines. Check out these key individuals’ headshots online so you’ll be better able to recognize them when you meet them. You’ll also have gathered key nuggets over which to build rapport.
“Once at the event, be sure to have a mobile device and Internet connection so you can live Tweet the event, with the hashtag, and you’ll be adding value to all your followers, building further rapport with other attendees and creating coveted visibility with the event organizers.