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Networking has evolved a lot especially this year.
It used to be whenever the word was mentioned, thoughts in your head would immediately turn to that 5 pm Business Mixer, stiff business suits & the one thing that would signal death at a business event, no Business cards.
So the other day I was doing some online research and I stumbled onto an interesting group that was for Millennial Corporates keen on personal branding.
Automatically I decided to join.
A few weeks later a smaller cohort of us decided to come together to share our growth paths.
Some pivoting into business and others starting their personal branding journey whilst maintaining their 9-5.
Honestly in all my working career, 9 yrs now, this was easily the most relaxed & authentic networking session I've had, all for free.
No suits, just real conversations, with real people sharing their corporate & entrepreneurial journeys and how that's impacted their personal stories.
I learnt that in order to reach the next level, you'll have to make yourself both visible and accessible.
Here are some pointers which you can't afford to miss out when embarking on your networking journey.
#1Ignoring Social Media
Social media is powerful, in fact, ill need to do a piece dedicated to building your presence on social media.
It's free & convenient to all.
Not hoping onto social sites will literally make you unknown in this digital age.
Long story short, this is a must-have strategy if you're looking to communicate your value.
Find 1 or 2 platforms that align with your brand and master the sites because each has its unique audience and usage style.
#2. Not Cultivating your contacts.
Creating trusted interpersonal connections can help you gain traction as well as credibility thanks to the knowledge and opportunities presented by them.
To build sustainable connections, you have to invest in getting to know them.
“If you’re going to expect results straight away, that is not the right approach.
The relationships with staying power are those which develop through a gradual, intentional process that can take months or even years of consistent engagement with one another.
#3Limiting your circles
You are a sum total of those around you; friends & environment.
Limiting your circles to only those you feel comfortable with will slow your growth.
This of course means stepping out of your comfort zone and creating new connections who are likely more seasoned than you and are within your areas of interest.
Try different types of events. A good starting point is where you already are known especially within your industry.
With time you should expand to complimentary networks.
For instance, I am a marketer in the Agriculture Industry and a certified project manager.
Already those are 3 different layers of networks (Agriculture sector, Marketing & project management circles).
Of course, it takes time to build inroads, but the fact still remains that there's a lot of untapped potential within where you currently are.
These are all linked to my career which will give me a broad reach but still relevant to my career & personal brand.
Access to meeting sites; Zoom, Slack, Meetup.com has limited geographies so its possible to join niche virtual events which can add a lot of value.
So Get Networking
When done tactfully and effectively, networking will boost your career or business. Step outside your comfort zone, be intentional about meeting others and whenever possible add value to your connections. This could lead to relationships that could potentially change the direction of your life.
Linda O. Muchelule-Masya.
I am a Marketing Leader at CROPNUTS who writes on topics about personal branding.
Thankyou, for sharing with us Linda. I have learnt that ai need to start networking and stop limiting my circle to people that I don't even look up to. It's a very important reminder.