Networking- Really?

“That networking group doesn’t really benefit my business…” “I don’t really see how I can get anything out of it…”

Really?

How many times have you heard a colleague complain about networking groups not quite fitting his or her business? With the rise of SOHO businesses, many people now rely on networking groups to get out of their home office to connect with like minded professionals; consequentially the availability of, and popularity in utilizing said groups is reacting similarly. When one complains about a group’s effectiveness in relation to his or her business, you have to wonder what they consider to gain out of a network group.

I know the concept of networking was hard for me to grasp at first- spending time at meetings quickly introducing myself and my business while trying to remember as many names and “what I do’s” as possible, then coming home with no apparent gains in the end. However, after many networking books later and a little bit more experience I, like many others, have realized that networking is about creating relationships.

Networking is a lot of work. Creating relationships is a lot of work. Meeting people at a large gathering is impersonal, you might find some type of connection (ugh- a word I can’t stand thanks to the Bachelor) with another SOHO person, and really enjoy speaking with him or her, but it takes a few more meetings in and out of networking groups to really gain something from that initial meeting. Gain is also a subjective term in networking- is gaining something from a networking event coming away with a new client to you? -is it obtaining a referral to someone who may need your service outside of the meeting? Really- gaining something from a networking event means many different things to different people.

Really- you can gain a lot of “outside of the box” benefits from a network meeting. The best benefit I’ve gained from going to networking groups is knowledge. I have learned a lot from filling the funnel ideas from listening to others talk about their business to tips on the act of networking by observing what others do.

Come to a group with an open mind and I know you will gain something out of it- really.

Want to help your webstats and network at the same time?
A short list of -You Must Join- Social Networking Groups online, and at least attempt participating actively in::

1. Biznik: Business networking that doesn’t suck. High up on my list- much more regionally focussed than other sites. Encourages people to get away from the keyboard and meet face to face. Also, a business oriented network.
   
2. Myspace Duh… When I explain SEO to a lot of my clients and chat about social networking sites their first reaction is to say- Myspace? honey, do you know how old I am?- However, by just getting your business profile up there will most likely improve your search engine ranking. Also, there are a lot of resources out there by just using Myspace for your business. I will have to expand on this later.
   
3. Facebook Another more obvious site, think URL I am directing you to is explaining their site statistics though, you should make sure to check that out.
   
4. LinkedIn: Relationships Matter Again, improves your rankings, and also a more business oriented site.
   
5. Get involved in the Blogosphere, make/share/watch viral videos, share photos, etc! There is an endless list of other sites to get involved with to promote your SOHO business that are extremely cost affective forms of marketing,advertising, and PR- free even. Take advantage of them.