Last month I mentioned that trust is a vital part in getting business. One of
best ways of building trust is by doing some regular networking. There are many ways of networking, from big networking clubs like BRE or BNI to small, informal groups. But today I want to talk about an alternative to these – online networking.The advantages of online networking are that you can reach a vastly larger group than you possibly can during face-to-face meetings. You’re not tied to fixed meeting times or have to worry about mandatory attendance. And businesses on a budget will be happy to hear that online networking is generally much more affordable than joining a networking club.
On downside you’re not networking in a group that excludes your competitors – in fact you may face quite stiff competition, depending on what line of business you’re in. No fixed meetings also means that it’s easy to let things slip, so it’s up to you to make sure that things keep rolling along smoothly.
Having said that I don’t think there’s any reason not to give online networking a try. Unless you’re swamped with work, of course, or you don’t own a computer with Internet access. (In which case, how did you get hold of this article in first place?)
Online Networking for Success
Here are a few hint and tips to maximize your success with online networking. The same can be used for face-to-face networking, of course.
1) Don’t go around asking for business. Trust me, you don’t want to come across as an annoying salesperson. Instead see if there’s anything you can do to help others. A good online networking club will have forums where you can give help and advice to others – take advantage of this. It’s a great trust builder, and it provides you with professional visibility. Useful advice does stick in peoples’ minds – and so will your name.
2) Do use your signature to your advantage. Create a short signature to use at end of all your correspondence in club. It can be same as your email signature, or something tailored specifically to networking club. My only recommendation would be to stick to a plain text signature, rather than HTML. Make sure your signature contains URL of your web site, and a good tag line (mine’s “The right words to improve your business”, for example.) Including URL will improve your search engine rankings, as most networking clubs are picked up by search engines, and including your tag line will make people remember you.
