Professional networking has changed. Although there are still many opportunities to attend local events designed for professional networking, have you noticed the audience has changed? The demographics of our profession are changing rapidly and with that change younger professionals are changing the networking environment. Social media is not new but the use of social media is still rapidly growing. How are you growing your professional network with your social media activity?
Social Media Networking
It is a misconception that relationships built over social media don’t include face to face to interaction. While that is true in many situations it is really up to you. If you want to build on your relationship outside of posts and tweets there are ways you can.
Making social media personal
While I have a Facebook page and a personal LinkedIn profile I am most comfortable networking through Twitter. Many conferences utilize special #hashtags to connect conference users through social media. On more than one occasion I have connected with another conference attendee first over Twitter and then introduced myself to them and made a face to face connections as well. Now our social media interaction is enhanced because we have also had the opportunity to shake hands.
Why follow?
Social media also provides you the opportunity to get to know someone by following them. You should be able to find someone with similar interest and ideas and then you can follow their activity. Establishing rapport is the first step in any relationship. Through your social media account you can interact in various ways:
- Read a recommended article
- Comment to the community and add your thoughts on a post or tweet
- Share other users information with your audience
- Interact by replying and start a direct conversation
These tips can be a first step to building rapport and they will lead you to establish a professional relationship.
Geography is irrelevant
One of the greatest advantages of social media networking is the ability to expand well beyond your physical location. When you have access to people all over the world you can begin to meet people your local network would never provide you access to meet. Now you can find other professionals solving the same issues you are struggling with in your business. Or you can access potential clients from a much larger group allowing you to serve the very best clients.
Are you hanging out in the corner?
It can be intimidating to meet new people at a networking event. Social media allows you to listen before you engage. How do you use your social media account? If you are only an observer your are missing an opportunity to expand your network. Do you have a firm account established? If you only use your personal account you are also missing a huge opportunity to connect with potential employees, clients and future clients.
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