Networking

Be A Professional Networker

Hey everyone, I want to talk to all the small business owners, freelancers, one-man companies, and even people who are just looking to land a job. More specifically, I want to talk about how to build business connections.

As a freelance copywriter who makes a living by finding people who need my services, about half of my workday is spent finding and connecting with potential clients. My two biggest networking avenues are LinkedIn and people in my existing social circles; unless you also want to count Fiverr. 

The first rule of thumb is: don’t be afraid to brag.

When I say brag I mean promoting yourself and your abilities. A lot of people struggle with the “Imposter Syndrome” when they’re first starting out, no matter what kind of a business they’re running. You have to push past that and be able to say: 

“I’m ____________; I and my business have what you need.”

Ok, so that’s not the exact wording you would use, but you get the idea. I guess what I’m saying is that you can’t be afraid of failure or looking like an amateur. People who are truly successful make mistakes, but the key is that they learn from those mistakes and keep going.

Connecting in your social circles

Your family, friends, and acquaintances provide a great networking opportunity. Next time you bump into someone and they ask you how your week has been going, mention something about your business. For example, if you sell stuffed animals you could mention how the unicorns have been selling out and that you’re going to have to restock soon.

If you know someone who needs a product or service you offer, let them know, but at the same time don’t be a… pest. Remember, confident yet polite is the key, and if you aren’t confident then pull out those acting skills because you’re gonna need them.

 Connecting online

There are plenty of ways to make business connections offline, but I’m a web copywriter so of course, I’m going to talk about the web. First off make sure you’ve got all your social media up and running with the right content, hashtags, and everything, then make sure to follow up on any possible customers that reach out to you. 

By the way, make sure one of those social media sites you’re on is LinkedIn, especially if you’re a B2B company. On LinkedIn and other social media sites, make a fervent effort to reach out to possible customers. When I was learning how to operate as a Fiverr seller, my mentor suggested reaching out to twenty possible clients every day… 

That’s right, twenty!

Now you understand what I meant when I told you half my work is connecting with clients. When you are selling products it’s a little different. You can’t necessarily hope on a website listing the names of people wanting to buy the perfect fishing rod, but you can still find facebook groups and forums where those people hang out and start networking there.

Next, is something that may or may not cost you money but will cost you some time: building an emailing list.

I’ll probably make a whole separate blog post about email lists because there’s so much I have to say on the matter (I’m an email writer, remember?). To give you an overview though, you can buy email lists from companies, which you should NEVER do because of how unethical and untrustworthy those companies usually are, or you can get people to subscribe to your blog.

If you’re a B2B company, I suggest looking up companies in the niche you’re catering to and make a list. Then send out your cold prospecting emails.

So, did I give you some ideas? If there’s a topic I haven’t addressed that you’d like to know about, please let me know in the comment section. 

Also, if you’re trying to start a business and need help figuring out your website and other online aspects, email me and set up a consultation call; I’d love to work with you