In my book, The World's Best Known Marketing
Secret, which was written in the mid-90s, I discussed the
six types of networks in which you should consider participating:
casual-contact networks, strong-contact networks, professional
associations, service clubs, social organizations, and women's
business organizations. If I were writing that book today, I'd
definitely add another network that's grown substantially in
the past few years: online networks.
When it comes to online networking, there are several ways to
develop your word-of-mouth marketing, but it's important to
understand that the foundation of making online networking work for
you is the same as with any kind of networking--you've got to
develop relationships with trusted business associates.
How, then, do you go about developing networking skills,
relationships and trust in an online environment? Here are five
ways to do it:
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1. Join one or more online networking communities. If
you're not sure where to start, I'd recommend Ecademy. No matter
which community you choose, however, after joining, you need to
participate in whatever way you can to best grow your presence at
the site.
Keep in mind that it's not enough to just join and have your
name on the membership list. You have to focus on building
relationships with the other members of the community. This is a
new concept to some; others of you will realize quickly that you
can develop real relationships with people you're meeting in
cyber space.
So be active in the community. Post topics on threads that deal
with your area of expertise. Respond to others' postings on
other threads if the subject is at all relevant to your area of
expertise. Posting on relevant bulletin boards is a great way to
gain visibility, which can lead to credibility and eventually new
business. And the more you're seen, interacted with and talked
about, the more visibility you'll gain on the site. One note of
caution: Don't join too many online networking communities, or
you won't be able to be involved effectively enough to build
relationships.
Here's another idea: If you're already in a live
networking group and then join an online networking group, consider
creating a regional or national club or a sub-community for the
members of your offline group. This will just expand the amount of
networking you can do within your own organization!
2. Start a blog or write a regular column for a website or
e-newsletter. Online networking works best when you get plenty
of "hits." If you can start a blog (basically an online
diary) on one of the larger blogger sites or online communities,
you'll create more buzz for yourself. As people read your
content and become familiar with you, they'll feel like they
know you and that's integral to the networking process.
Becoming an expert in an area and writing regularly about it can go
a long way toward building your online networking
opportunities.
3. Develop an e-mail newsletter for your own company.
Create an e-mail database of clients, customers and friends, and
send them regular content that drives them to your own website. Be
sure that your newsletters contain content that has a broad
spectrum of interest about your business. You might want to
encourage clients and customers to contribute to your content. In
doing this, you'll build stronger relationships with them,
which in turn will help you increase the amount of referrals
you'll receive.
4. Never forget that online networking is still about
developing trust. With online networking, the bottom line is
still the same as with live networking. In order to drive business
to your company by word of mouth, you must focus on developing
real, personal relationships with people. Once you've
established that foundation of trust, you'll feel comfortable
referring people--and so will your network. The same hold's
true with online networks, although it may take a bit longer to
develop that trust over the internet.
Although there really are no short cuts, technology has made it
somewhat more convenient to connect with many more people. That
being said, I cannot stress enough that those connections
aren't terribly valuable if there isn't trust, respect and
friendship being established. One place that teaches that online is
www.NetworkingCommunity.com. This website is part of
the CoachVille.com community but is open to coaches and
non-coaches alike. At NetworkingCommunity.com, they teach people
about social capital and networking, and they do it in an online
community setting.
5. Understand that online networking has its own cultural
norms. It's much easier to get "flamed" online
than in face-to-face networking. Let me explain. If you were to ask
a total stranger to do business with you in a face-to-face setting,
it's pretty difficult for the stranger, because of cultural
norms, to respond in an aggressive manner. Mind you, they're
still not likely to feel comfortable with your request, but they
probably won't act visibly upset.
None of those cultural pretenses exist online, however, and
people tend to be much more blunt when responding online than in a
face-to-face meeting. With online networking, I think that people
feel it's easier to be more direct. The problem is that the
response is also more direct and may come across as aggressive or
antagonistic. So be careful whom you approach--build a relationship
before you ask for someone's business.
Online networking gives you breadth in your networking efforts.
It allows you to broaden your reach to anywhere in the world. Just
don't forget that trust and relationship building are still as
important as ever.
Ivan Misner is Entrepreneur.com's "Networking"
columnist and the founder and CEO of BNI, the world's
largest referral organization with thousands of chapters in dozens
of countries around the world. Ivan's also a New York Times
bestselling author--his latest book is Masters of Success: Proven Techniques for Achieving
Success in Business and Life.