Networking is a very important part of building your business. When you partake in this form of marketing, you are establishing yourself and your reputation, which in turn can be a big boost to your business. You can also make some new friends, which is also a plus.Networking is when you come in contact with as many people you can to learn, share, promote, and form relationships with prospective customers. You want to talk about your business, but not blatantly advertise. Get to know others, learn from them, let them learn from you and get to know you. This is an excellent way of building a strong foundation for your business.
What you don't want to do is be a walking commercial. This will not get you very far in your networking. Do not spam when you are networking.
There are many effective and free ways of networking online. Message boards and discussion lists are
two ways I have found to be most effective.
*Discussion Groups*
When you subscribe to discussion groups make sure you follow rules and guidelines for posting. You do not want to be accused of spam because you haven't read rules. Most lists will allow a sig tag, which is a great way of advertising without spamming!
Introduce yourself and become an active member of group. As you offer advice and help, people will begin to visit your business because of you and your willingness to help and your knowledge. This will help you build a respectful reputation.
You will also learn from other members. We can never do enough of that! I have found some lists to be invaluable in finding resources, and expanding my knowledge.
Listed below are a few of my favorite lists: mailto:entrepreneurs-network-exchange-subscribe@yahoogroups.com mailto:WahmHits-subscribe@yahoogroups.com mailto:digital-women-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
This is a list of discussion groups ranging from ezine publishing, to web promotion, to home business ideas. I have just joined most of these myself, but they sound like informative, helpful groups.
