I have never been a social butterfly. The mere thought of having to go to functions, where everyone in attendance is dipping stale biscuits into bad coffee and filling the room with their schmoozing sales pitch, is definitely ‘cringe-worthy’. Oh, and don’t forget about the lame exercise of collecting business cards from companies that you’ll never use…
I’m sure the sign on my forehead that says “I’d rather be knitting”, must be a dead giveaway as to how much I enjoy ‘networking’ – which puts me in a predicament.
I am not a natural sales person and find it difficult to network, but I need to promote my new freelance copywriting business to gain contacts and potential business leads. Because after all, it’s not only what you know, it’s, more importantly, who you know, that makes the difference between success and failure.
So, maybe I am looking at this whole networking thing the wrong way? Where do I go to find answers? Google, of course! She knows everything, because after all only a woman could be that clever.
During my research I found that it seems that the secret to networking success is:
Engage in conversations that lead to mutually beneficial business relationships.
Okay, so now that I know the secret, how do I find unique ways to start conversations? Well, firstly I need a story. How did I get into copywriting? What lit the fire? How did my business start?
My Story
Without going into too much detail, here it goes:
Being curious (a polite word for nosey) in nature I read a lot. Anything from books to blogs will do. While studying and working in marketing, I was bestowed with the task of writing press releases and articles for the company I worked for. Soon I was proof reading for others and editing the internal magazine (for which I received an international award).
People were always asking, “Kerry, how do you spell…” “Kerry, what’s the best way to say…”
I then began writing for the web and I quickly learnt Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques that enhance a website’s ranking on search engines. During this process my personal blog was born. I write for Orangebloom almost daily and without even realising it, I found my passion. I love to write!
My husband and I decided to relocate to the UK. So, I took the opportunity to start freelancing and the journey began…
Starting Conversations
One of the best ways to engage in debate and get a conversation started is to blog. Content is king, so write valuable posts that people will want to read. Try to blog as often as possible, but make sure that it is valuable information that people will want to read.
Write articles that share your expertise and add value for the reader. Submit these articles to websites for publication, usually they offer a footer where you could display your contact details and website. Giving of your knowledge will definitely prove to be beneficial to you and the reader. It’s an excellent way to get your name ‘out there’ – so to speak.
Live your brand by telling everyone you know about what you do and how you could add value. You may be surprised by the way ‘word of mouth’ works. It’s the most trusted form of advertising and what’s best of all, it’s free. So, talk the talk.
Social networks can be great, if used correctly. So, get LinkedIn, start a Facebook page, Twitter, and many more. They can be great places to get your message across, but be careful not to spam people, it will cause more harm than good.
Conclusion
- I need to put a plan in place, which will help me find the right people to start conversations with. A plan will produce results more quickly.
- Networking is about systematically & patiently cultivating relationships that grow into business opportunities. It takes time.
Share your business networking ideas with me…
