Smiles. Greetings. And some informal chatter. You see a big crowd of people talking and sharing insights.
And you? Standing in a corner because your introverted self doesn’t know how to make the first introduction. Welcome to the world of networking.
Many people rave about networking and its magic for you and your business. But no one tells you the right way to do it. But today, we’re finally filling in the gaps and sharing the best-kept networking secrets.
Without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about promoting your business via networking.
5 successful networking tips to promote your business
Let’s help you tackle the elephant in the room: networking. Building up your networking skills will make you feel confident when you attend your next event? — ?whether in-person or virtual.
Tip #1: Master your outreach
The same rule applies to both an in-person networking event and a virtual one. And that golden rule of thumb is to always try your best to start a discussion.
Because if you don’t, you could be missing out on the opportunity for others to get to know about you and your business.
Here are a few ways to extend your conversation beyond a hi:
- Casual outreach: Start simple with a casual smile and introduce yourself to a stranger at a networking event. “Hey! I’m Dean. This online marketing event is great. It is my first time here. Have you participated in it before?”
- Formal outreach: Take it up a notch and go for a concise and engaging introduction that clearly communicates about you, what your business is all about, and why it’s valuable. For instance, “Hi Kevin! I enjoyed your presentation on the software that does social media management. I was hoping to learn more about it and discuss if it will be helpful for my company’s brand building. Will you be available for a small meeting over a coffee next week?”
Sidenote: Use your comfort level and better judgment to help you decide which one to implement (and when).
Tip #2: Perfect your pitch
The last thing you want to do is stumble over your words every time you come across someone at a networking event. That’s where preparation comes into play.
Having your pitch ready should be a major priority for you. Why so? Because it is your elevator pitch that gives a quick glimpse into who you are and what you do as a professional.
These 30–60 seconds can hook people in, help them get to know you and establish a foundation to build a potential connection with you. Think of it as an extension of your business card.
And the best part? You can deliver your elevator pitch in person during a large convention or send it out via social media.
For instance, look at this elevator pitch by an SEO expert who shared their pitch to help land them new clients.
What worked: The SEO expert emphasized three elements in her elevator pitch: the work she does, the results she’s achieved for her clients, and the way to contact her.
- What she does: Help both online and location-dependent businesses increase revenue through SEO.
- What results has she achieved for her clients: Driven thousands of clicks from SEO, which led to 4X conversions, and helped a solopreneur make 4-figs/ month
How do you implement this elevator pitch into yours when networking with others?
Make sure your elevator pitch answers the following questions:
- Who are you, and what do you do?
- What do you want to learn about the person?
- What can you offer them?
- What results have you achieved at work?
- How would you like to take the relationship (business) forward?
Know that your pitch can combine these questions, or you could answer only the must-haves with a digital business card. For example, a few elements that your pitch must answer include:
- Your name
- Your profession (and how do you help people)
- Results you have achieved at work
- Ways people can stay in touch with you (share your website details, social channels, or mobile number)
Tip #3: Attend niche-specific networking events
When you attend networking events relevant to your industry, both virtual and in-person? — ?it expands your networking reach and gives you the opportunity to be active in industry-specific conversations.
For example, SparkToro organizes a yearly virtual summit called SparkTogether, a marketing event where content marketers from different industries can gather and discuss real numbers and the latest trends.
What worked: The event was full of marketing insights from speakers, and the participants could take notes while networking with other marketing folks.
Tip #4: Build your professional network on social media
In the digital era, leveraging your online presence is the easiest way to tap into the power of ?social networking. The key is identifying the right social media channels where like-minded people from your niche are active.
For example:
- If you’re associated with the B2B industry, LinkedIn is the go-to platform.
- If you’re associated with the e-commerce industry (such as gifting, home decor, furniture, and more), Instagram is your preferred platform.
- If you’re associated with either of these industries, X (formerly Twitter) is the place to be.
By using social media and finding your tribe:
- You can access a global audience who share similar interests or professional goals.
- You can share your expertise, achievements, and knowledge, which helps in strengthening credibility.
- You get to stay informed? — ?social media offers insights on various trends and news about various industries and leaders.
- You get the networking opportunity to collaborate with influencers? — ?increasing brand awareness and attracting business opportunities.
- You can directly engage and interact with the network through likes, comments, and direct messages.
Here are a few simple tips for how you can leverage social media for effective networking:
On LinkedIn, you’ll find people from the B2B industry, such as writers, designers, marketers, founders, and CEOs. Here’s how you can build a strong network with these people.
Start by optimizing your LinkedIn profile to showcase your expertise, professional background, and the relevant projects you have worked on.
For instance, look at how this content writer optimized her LinkedIn profile and improved her LinkedIn headline, About section, featured section, and professional experience.
Follow niche-specific hashtags to be able to follow the insights creators share about your industry. For example, if you’re an email marketer, you can follow hashtags such as #emailmarketing.
Screenshot by Nidhi Kala
Under these hashtags, you’ll see posts from several people who talk about the topic. Besides their post, you’ll see the “Follow” option. You can tap on the option to follow them. This is where you take the first step towards networking with them.
Screenshot by Nidhi Kala
Once you have followed the person, you can send them a personalized connection request, i.e., the connection request with a note on why you want to stay connected with them. This is where you’ll find a common connection point to build a strong relationship with them.
Screenshot by Nidhi Kala
Engage with their content by commenting on their posts. This way, you’re building ?rapport. Plus, these people will start seeing your name and getting familiar with you.
Once the person starts knowing you through your engagement with them, you can start engaging with them via LinkedIn DMs and build a better relationship with them. Or, if you want to convert them into your customers or clients, you can use LinkedIn email finder to get their email addresses and reach out to them accordingly.
Screenshot by Nidhi Kala
X (Formerly Twitter)
Professional networking on X (Twitter) is similar to LinkedIn. All you have to do is optimize your X (Twitter profile), follow ? people from your industry, and engage with them.
- To optimize your profile, work on the X (Twitter) bio, links that you want to add to your profile, and a pinned tweet that can act as a short elevator pitch.
Follow people from your industry who are active on the platform. Just go to the X (Twitter) search bar and type industry-specific keywords such as content writer, freelance writer, and so on.
Screenshot by Nidhi Kala
You can also create an X (Twitter) list of people based on the sub-niches or people you want to interact with within your industry. For example, if you want to network with writers from the B2B industry, create an X (Twitter) list called “B2B Writers”.
Screenshot by Nidhi Kala
Now, engage with these people by commenting on their tweets, quote retweeting their tweets, or interacting with them via Twitter direct messages (DMs).
You can also follow Twitter communities that host weekly virtual events. In these events, you can participate, meet other folks on a specific date at a specific time, and exchange insights.
For example, #FreelanceChat is a virtual networking event where marketers and writers can meet each other, answer a few questions the host asks them, and engage with each other.
Tip #5: Value new connections
Imagine having a friend you only reach out to when you need a favor. Doesn’t it feel wrong? They know that every time you call or message them, it’s for an ask and nothing more. In such a scenario, they’d prefer not to help you and rather avoid you.
The same ? goes for professional connections as well. Here are a few ways you can nurture your valuable relationships with people:
- Exchange valuable insights based on your expertise. This way, you can gain insights from their learning, and they can learn from yours. It’s a win-win for both.
- Catch up with them over a cup of coffee, or meet them over video call on Zoom or G-Meet for a networking meeting. The idea is to get to know how the other person is doing after the initial interaction. (You can also practice this tactic for networking beyond social media).
- Make introductions wherever necessary and help other people land opportunities.
- Refer the other person and businesses, and make introductions wherever necessary to help these people and businesses land opportunities. This is one of the best ways to strengthen your relationship, and people will remember you.
- Celebrate their achievements by congratulating them and sharing about their achievements with your network. For example, if the other person made the highest revenue in their business and shared about it on social media, reshare it and hype them up.
- Attend? events organized by people in your network. This is a great way to show support for them and their business. This way, they’ll be naturally excited to support your business.
The magic happens when you customize your interactions? — ?it doesn’t have to be a traditional salesperson approach, i.e., connect with them and pitch.
Wrapping up
Don’t be overwhelmed by networking. It’s all about building meaningful relationships with people and continuously nurturing them.
Using at least one of these five tips can help you elevate your networking game.
So, get ready and start practicing these tips ahead of your next professional networking events. You won’t regret it. And we promise you’ll come away with at least two new connections.Happy networking!
