Five reasons to do your Professional Networking Online
Why should you do your professional networking online? Well it’s a no brainer. Here are some of my reasons.
- Image by gillicious via Flickr
1. You can do it any time, any where
I started networking online when the only time I had was my lunch hour and the train commute to and from work. I had a new baby and was working full time, with my husband acting as stay-at-home dad. He’s done a great job, but 7.30 to 6.30 was more than enough for him – I had to be accessible in the morning and home in time for dinner. No breakfast or evening meetings for me!
Using my iphone, and now a netbook too, I can make new professional contacts on the train, whilst making the dinner, or after putting my son to bed. Networking online has successfully replaced much of my face-to-face networking during these times. It has enabled me to reach a wider range of people than would have been possible with traditional methods.
2. You can build your career without playing golf
Many people taking up networking are small business owners, but another significant constituency are professionals who have realised it can help them prove their value as a rainmaker at work.
Traditionally the only way to bring business to your firm was through your friends, and many professional firms aren’t very good at helping their staff bring business from other sources into the firm by teaching them networking techniques. The exceptions were the conventional tools – companies who invite the members of other companies they work with to attend seminars, launches and lunches, or play golf.
Now golf has its place, but it was never much of an attraction for me! Fortunately there is another constituency of professional contacts which compliment the golf players, and I meet them online.
Of course these professional people aren’t only rainmaking online. They also know that when the time comes, their online network of contacts with help them find their next job.
3. People come and find you
Though there is no substitute for meeting people in the flesh, online networking acts as a pre-filter. If you write a blog about subjects of interest to the audience you want to meet, it’s the people you want to meet who will find it and read it. If you tweet about the contents of your blog and start conversations with people interesting to you, they will check you out and if the feeling is mutual, they may request a meeting.
I believe that it is impossible not to be yourself when networking online. One of the great attributes of social media tools is how they create a ‘footprint’ of your ‘brand personality’. This means that starting your networking online can save you loads of time searching for the right people to meet. They rise to the surface naturally, and you can pick up the phone.
4. You can source your crowd
Over the last 18 months, especially since I’ve been using twitter, I’ve found another really useful attribute of online networking – CrowdSourcing. This is the technique whereby you ask your network (readers, followers, connections, whatever you want to call them) for help with a question, and your network responds with a range of answers.
You can use CrowdSourcing for a huge range of tasks. I’ve used it to gather content for presentations, decide which netbook to buy (a Samsung N140; I’m typing this post on it now), get best value for a laser measuring device, I’ve even used it for recruitment. If you can build a strong network of several hundred people, you too can benefit from the combined force of their experience, and be part of such creative processes yourself.
5. Its fun!
Never forget to enjoy yourself. One of my great friends on twitter, Chris Sherliker made that point in a survey I posted. If people join twitter with the sole aim of doing business they will probably fail, because the most successful people on twitter are the most gregarious, friendly and fun people.
So chill out, find the people who who you can trust, the people who can help you, but also have fun with. After all, some people even enjoy a round of golf!
Su
You can read more about networking online on Su’s blog, Just Professionals
