Every small business owner and entrepreneur already knows the importance and impact of networking. It is the best way to find new clients and prospects, to meet other entrepreneurs, find employees, mentors, and grow your sphere of influence. It may seem daunting at first, but with the right guidance you can easily network on behalf of your small business.
Build Online Connections
Social media has made it easier to network and stay in touch with business and personal connections, and small business owners and entrepreneurs should take advantage of social media platforms to position themselves in their respective industries.
There are many great platforms to network on, including LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram. Follow leaders in your industry and connect with local businesses to explore potential partnerships. If your customers have businesses, you can support their initiatives and follow their channels too. The key is to create opportunities for engagement with customers and business owners alike.
Look to Other Entrepreneurs for Inspiration
Follow other entrepreneurs and leaders on platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook, interact with their posts, join groups they are a part of, participate in conversations on groups, and stay active on social media. You not only learn and gain inspiration from other entrepreneurs, but you can also gain a new perspective on how to maximize your operations.
Share Your Expertise
People will be more receptive to you when you approach them from a point of adding value rather than a point of extracting value. Give your network enriching content that shows how you as a business owner and your brand understand their pain points. Offer your network practical solutions for these inconveniences and show them how your products or services are just the thing they’re looking for.
Hosting webinars where you speak about your niche and expertise, and give advice and ideas, are all great ways to increase audience participation. You could invest in specific platforms to broadcast your webinars. On the other hand, you can go live from your business’s social media accounts such as Facebook or Youtube to share your insights.
Host Meet-and-Greets
You don’t always have to look for entrepreneurial events around you. You can host them yourself! Many like-minded entrepreneurs and small business owners are looking to network with each other, and you can create a space for them to meet.
Make sure you have a professional venue to use, a proper schedule and itinerary planned for the meet up, and, of course, the right people and businesses to invite. Have guest speakers lined up and select what topics will be covered. Use premium marketing materials like brochures, custom polo shirts, and vinyl banners to set a professional atmosphere for your event.
Join Business Organizations
Being a part of small business organizations is another great way to network with other business owners and entrepreneurs. However, these groups aren’t just about arranging meetups for networking, they also actively work towards helping their members grow their businesses.
They do this by arranging mentorship programs, introducing members to investors, connecting members with influencers, helping with legal and regulatory work, and more. Along with these benefits, you also get access to the network of business owners and entrepreneurs who are members of the organization. If you join a business organization, come prepared with a great elevator pitch about your brand and a professionally designed business card.
Assist Other Entrepreneurs
As discussed earlier, networking isn’t only about taking seizing opportunities, it’s also about giving opportunities to other businesses and individual entrepreneurs. This goes a long way in building lasting relationships.
One great way to do this is by participating as a guest at other entrepreneurs’ events and activities. This does not just help you build a strong relationship with the entrepreneur you partner with. It also positions you as a n industry leader, community expert, and helps you expand your sphere of influence.
Volunteer
You don’t have to look far to find nonprofits in need around your community. Look for opportunities to support these organizations and get your customers and network involved in your efforts.
Host percentage nights at your store and share your community building initiatives with passersby. You can use blade flags, vinyl letters and numbers, and outdoor banners to alert everyone to upcoming charity events or organizations you are supporting.
Don’t Forget To Maintain Relationships
Building a network does not stop once a business card or contact info is exchanged. All the tactics for networking mentioned in this article gets your foot in the door. However, to get value from this network, you need to follow up, build, and maintain relationships.
Make it a point to call your connections, follow them on social media, invite them to events, and check up on them from time to time. Small, intentional gestures can go a long way to further your networking goals and build strong business connections. Maintaining relationships is just as important as making new ones, and better networking strategies can help you reach your professional goals.
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