Social Media Sharing: 3 Questions to Ask Before You Post

The good and the bad about social media is that there aren’t any firm rules. You can choose how you want to use it, post whatever you want, connect — or not– with whomever you want. For example, some use LinkedIn to connect only with those they already know, and some use it to expand their network and are willing to accept invitations from anybody. Both approaches are totally valid and the best one for you depends on the goals of your business.

But, just because there aren’t any firm rules, doesn’t mean there aren’t some best practices you should be following. If your intention is to use social media to build your business, then focus on activities that advance your cause, and stop doing or minimize everything else. If you’re killing hours of time playing games or watching videos of kittens, and then complaining that social media takes too much time and doesn’t work for you, you should re-evaluate what you are doing.

And this lack of rules leaves some people a little lost. In every social media workshop I’ve attended, those who aren’t active yet say they haven’t jumped in because they really don’t want to post what they’ve had for breakfast that morning. And yes, if you feel compelled to post things like that, then please don’t bother. But there’s so much information that you could be sharing.

What you need to do is ask yourself these 3 questions:

1) What can I share to enhance my credibility? The majority of your posts should be intended to increase your reputation as an expert in your field. That means sharing articles and resources — your own and from others — that your followers would find helpful. It’s perfectly okay to share something personal every once in a while, that’s what adds dimension to your profile and helps people connect with you on other levels, especially if they share your same interest.

2) What can I share to help me stay in touch? Social media makes it easy to keep in touch with so many people in your network in just minutes a day. On Facebook, you can see which of your friends is having a birthday. On LinkedIn you can see who just got promoted or changed jobs. It takes just seconds to say “happy birthday” or “congratulations” or to “like” a post. It’s like tapping someone on the shoulder and saying “Hi, I noticed you today.”

3) What can I share that will help someone else? Again, it takes seconds to share a link or retweet a post on social media, which means that in seconds, you can help someone in your network spread their message. No matter how busy they may be, they’ll notice you in a very positive way because you’ve helped them. Every little touch point helps strengthen your relationship over the long term.

Hopefully this simple but powerful framework will help you become more visible and relevant in your industry and to the people in your network, and spark many more opportunities to advance your goals.

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© 2012, Liz Lynch International LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: “Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, shows accomplished business professionals how to connect to the right people and attract the opportunities they deserve. To become a more visible leader in your organization or industry, visit www.LizLynchOnline.com.”

Speak to Grow Your Network…and Your Business

When I worked in corporate America as an investment banker, management consultant and in-house business development exec, presenting to senior management, clients or potential investors around a conference table was something I had to do quite a bit and got pretty used to. But standing up in front of a room to present always got the butterflies flapping, and forget about ever getting on a stage!

But a year or two after leaving corporate to start my own business, I picked up a book called Million Dollar Consulting by Alan Weiss, which I highly recommend, and which convinced me to try speaking as a way to market my business and bring in new clients. I took that advice and never looked back.

Why is speaking so effective? Whether you’re a business owner or corporate professional, speaking helps you do 4 important things:

1) Hone and expand your knowledge. To be able to give a 60-90 minute talk, you have to know your stuff. But even more, you have to know how to organize and explain your key concepts in such a way that the audience will walk away with good insights that can help and inspire them.

2) Get in front of your target audience. If you’re a business owner or sales person, giving a presentation in your area of expertise is a great way to attract people already pre-screened to be interested in what you have to say. For example, when I give my talk on“Lead Generation Leverage: Get Maximum Clients with Minimum Effort” I know the people in the room are interested in that result or they wouldn’t be there. Of course I give tons of content, but I also let them know how they can sign up for my Lead Generation Intensive where we spend the whole day mapping out the ideal multi-channel strategy for bringing more qualified leads into their business.

3) Be seen as an expertThere’s a perception that if you’re standing in front of the room conveying important information, you must know what you’re talking about. If you don’t, it becomes apparent right away. But if you do well, you’ll get invited to do it again and again, for that group or others. And the more often you are seen in front of the room, the more people perceive you as an expert AND a leader in your field.

4) Build a powerful networkBecause speaking elevates your status in your field, you’ll find it easier to reach out to other leaders and get a positive response. You’ll also find more people wanting to meet YOU.

Are you a speaker, or would like to be? Post your topic on my Facebook page. I’m always coming across opportunities and would love to know who’s out there in the Smart Networking community that I can recommend.

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© 2012, Liz Lynch International LLC

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: “Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, shows accomplished business professionals how to connect to the right people and attract the opportunities they deserve. To become a more visible leader in your organization or industry, visit www.LizLynchOnline.com.”

Networking at Big Events: How to Get the Most from Your Time, Energy and Money

As you’re putting your plans together for the new year, how much of your budget are you setting aside to attend big events and conferences? If you aren’t generating enough clients from the local networking that you do, and social media hasn’t made up the difference, it may be time to add a conference or two to your repertoire.

Why attend conferences? First is the issue of quantity. Not only do multi-day conferences attract a lot of people, they also provide so many different opportunities to meet them — during meals, at breaks, after hours. At my own live events, I also incorporate different group and partner exercises to allow participants to get to know each other’s businesses, goals and challenges, and provide opportunities for feedback and support.

Quality also comes into play. Because conferences can cost several hundred and sometimes thousands of dollars to attend, they will often attract business owners and professionals at a different stage of their business or career than events that are free. If you want to tap into a more affluent crowd, it can be well worth the investment.

But of course, you have to know how to make the most of the conference to get a good return of your time, energy and money. Here are 5 things you must do BEFORE you even walk in the door to give you the greatest chance of success:

1) Choose your event strategically. Think about the kinds of events that would attract your target prospects, as well as those that would attract target partners, other businesses with whom you can develop referral relationships or collaborations. To find events, do a keyword search online or ask your network about the kinds of conferences they attend. Don’t choose events based just on cost. If your budget is tight, you can often get substantial discounts by registering early or going with a friend and splitting the cost.

2) Plan to connect with as many people as possible. That means try to get to the event for any organized activities the night before and participate in everything while you’re there. At a multi-day conference, people WANT to network so they’ll tend to be more open and approachable, ready to talk about their businesses but also ready to find out more about you.

3) Bring plenty of business cards. Bring more than you think (better to have some extra than to run out), and if possible, put your picture on them. When your contacts get home and are sorting through the stack of cards they’ve collected, it will be easier to remember you and the conversation they had with you if your face is on your card.

4) Put a follow up system in place. Before you leave for the event, think about how you’re going to follow up with the people you meet so you don’t waste days after you get back trying to figure out what to do. Will you try to connect via LinkedIn? Then you better have your profile complete and up to date to make sure you have your best foot forward. Will you send a personal note? Buy the notecards and stamps now or sign up for a system like SendOutCards that lets you send a physical card through an online interface.

5) Prep your elevator pitch. You always want to be ready with a confident and compelling answer to the question “What do you do?” Ideally, your elevator pitch should include the kinds of clients you work with as well as your key objectives for the event. Share what you hope to get out of the conference and you just might get the help you need.

Now, if you’re ready to maximize your results at conferences in 2012, check out Conference Success Secrets to learn the whole success formula.

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© 2011, Liz Lynch

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: ”Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, works with entrepreneurs who have great expertise but struggle to be seen and heard in a crowded marketplace. To learn how to raise your profile to attract the clients, connections and opportunities you deserve, visit www.LizLynchOnline.com.”

Communicating with Your Market: 3 Ways to Connect to What’s Really Important

We know that each day, we have hundreds of thoughts going through our heads. Thoughts about things we’re doing, things we have to remember to do, and things we want and haven’t gotten yet. But, we have thousands of messages coming in demanding attention. We would be completely immobilized and likely go insane if we paid attention to each one.

That’s why we’ve all developed filters, both conscious and subconscious ones, to know which messages to focus on. If your baby gurgles in the next room, your sensors go off. But the white noise around your office you’ve learned to block out or you wouldn’t get any work done.

When we’re speaking to prospects or networking partners about our work, we have to get through those filters, otherwise, what we have to say won’t register. Here are 3 things to keep in mind to develop the right messages to help you get through to the right people at the right time:

1) Lock into their self-talk. What is your target market saying to themselves about their business or life? What are the situations they’re describing that are causing them stress? What are the actual words and phrases they’re using? To get through their filters, you have to speak in their language, and about the issues that are important to them. Otherwise you just fade into the irrelevant white noise that they’ve learned to screen out.

2) Plug yourself into their picture. Connect what you do to what your market wants, not what you think they need, or what would be good for them if they’d only listen to you. It’s one thing to be Apple and create products people will want — and decide they need — as soon as they see them, but most of us don’t have the luxury of time or the R&D or marketing budgets to pull that off. I always focus my clients first on the low-hanging fruit. Going after the stated but unmet need builds your bank account a lot faster.

3) Sell the destination, not the deliverable. Most service providers are very focused on their deliverables, the tangible report or product they give to their client that will “validate” their work together. But in reality, clients don’t care about having a financial plan or a website, they care about what they believe those things will get them. Keep your communications focused on the results they will experience, and when you do talk about your deliverables, relate them to those results.

Again, this is all about getting through their filters in an effective way. You could shout more loudly than the next person or bring in bright, shiny objects to get their attention, but it will be fleeting. Connecting to what is important to your audience is what brings the substance to your message and will help you gain the trust to keep their attention long term.

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© 2011, Liz Lynch

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR NEWSLETTER, BLOG OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: ”Liz Lynch, author of Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online, works with entrepreneurs who have great expertise but struggle to be seen and heard in a crowded marketplace. To learn how to raise your profile to attract the clients, connections and opportunities you deserve, visit www.LizLynchOnline.com.”

Referral Partnerships: Add More Value and More Clients


Are you too focused on
trying to find clients one-by-one when you network that you completely miss the
people around you who can connect you to a whole big pool of them?

I’m talking about referral
partners, those whose businesses are naturally synergistic with yours
. You
serve similar target audiences but in different ways. Your products and
services are complementary rather than competitive.

Some
good examples of this are:

  • Real
    estate agent, interior designer, landscape architect – when someone buys a
    house they might want to have it redone inside and/or outside.
  • Wedding
    planner, florist, caterer – when I got married 15 years ago, before the
    internet became so popular, that’s how I got recommendations. I found a cake
    baker I really liked and asked about the flowers she seen at other weddings.
  • Nutritionist,
    masseuse, personal trainer – someone who’s into their health, might REALLY be
    into their health and interested in eating better, working out more, etc.

Forming
referral partnerships with other businesses and service providers can help
connect you to people who can bring you a lot of new clients
without your
having to do much work. Because potentially, everyone that they work with can
use your services too.

You
can create a steady source of new clients that come to you automatically from
your networking partners. You don’t have to spend so much time looking for
clients; they come to you. And in most cases
they’re pre-sold on working with
you
because of the strong recommendation from your referral partner.

Here’s
an example. If I were to meet an insurance agent at a networking event and they
were trying to convince me to set up a meeting with them to talk about my
insurance needs, I would probably blow them off. But, if my financial planner
said to me, “Go speak to this insurance agent, you really need to think about
this right now, here’s his card,” then I would do it. Because someone I already
trust and who knows my situation is suggesting that I do it.

Furthermore,
because your clients may be able to use your partners’ services too, when you
make referrals you add value to your clients’ lives by introducing them to
other resources that can help them.

You
move from being just a vendor who looks out just for himself, to a trusted
advisor who looks out for THEM and connects them to the best people
.

One
of the key things I coach my clients to do is to start building what I call, a
“web
of contacts” thinking bigger and broader about their connection strategy
and
who they should network with. And we spend an entire module on this in the
Smart Networking System home study course. It’s THAT important.

Have
your target client in mind, but put your focus on people and professions who
can easily connect you to that client. What kinds of professions can you
develop referral partnerships with? Where is your service a natural fit with theirs, and where their clients have a good chance of needing what you provide? 

Spend
some time this week really thinking strategically about your web of contacts
and how to change those from lots of tiny threads that are hard to hold
together, into big, thick strands leading you to big pools of potential clients
for your business.

Strategic
relationships like referral partnerships are what really help your business
grow. You start to think bigger about how your relationships can help you, how
you can help them, and how to create win-wins.

People
don’t help you just to be nice. It’s great when they do, take it where you can
get it, but you’ll get the most help and the most valuable help from those who will
benefit as much as you will.

© 2010 Liz Lynch. All Rights Reserved

Want to use this article on your website, blog or ezine? No problem! But here is what you MUST include:

“Liz Lynch, business development strategist and author of ‘Smart Networking: Attract a Following In Person and Online,’ teaches entrepreneurs and professionals how to get 24/7 networking results WITHOUT the 24/7 effort. Get her Smart Networking Toolkit atwww.SmartNetworking.com.” 


Networking at Conferences – Part 1

With the uncertainty in the economy, it’s more crucial than ever to get out there and network to uncover opportunities that are starting to bubble but have yet to break the surface.

One of my favorite places to do this is at industry conferences and large seminars.

Not only do you get a chance to hear about new trends and breakthrough ideas that can help your business or career, but you also get a chance to meet other folks who are highly interested in the same thing and willing to make the investment to attend.

Leaders are networkers

These are the folks not hiding in their offices waiting for a government bailout or some other miracle. They’re leaders who are taking action and moving forward.

Networking successfully at a big event like a trade show, seminar, or conference comes down to taking charge of your own experience by developing a cohesive plan, leveraging all available resources, and using your time wisely.

Over the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing tips for maximizing networking efforts at your next big event.

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Before you arrive

Here are the first two: what to do BEFORE you arrive…

1.  Expand your search for non-obvious events. It may be a given that you need to make an appearance every year at the big trade show for your industry, but you also should broaden to other events your target market might attend.  The more tightly defined the conference is, the chances that your competitors will be there too will be slim, and the more likely you’ll be able to differentiate yourself.  You might choose a specific demographic niche, such as women or baby boomers, a professional niche, such as lawyers or doctors, or a special interest niche, such as sports or gourmet food.

One year when I wanted to fill my business consulting practice, I attended the annual conference for the American Cheese Society, which puts on a great multi-day event for cheese makers, retailers and distributors culminating in the Festival of Cheeses (if you like gourmet cheese, trust me, it’s a must do!).  Not only did I have the best time learning how a whole new industry works, I also won a number of consulting projects from companies who had never met a business consultant before, but sure needed one.

To find trade shows or conferences in your industry or region, check out Trade Show Week or Trade Show News.  Also search online for associations in subject areas in which you have a personal or professional interest, then check their websites for information about their annual conference. Tap into your network as well for ideas and recommendations.

2.  Clarify your goals. Think about what you hope to gain at the conference.  Most people go for a vague combination of information and inspiration, but the more specifically you can articulate what you are seeking, the better you’ll be able to choose how to spend your time.

A couple of years ago, for example, I attended a conference on behalf of a client and laid out some very clear goals:  “To find out what other companies are doing to reach Hispanic audiences and to identify potential partners to help my client enter that market.”  Having such clarity of purpose helped me narrow down which breakout sessions to attend, which speakers to meet, how to introduce myself to them, what information to collect, and what questions to ask fellow participants.

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Having clear goals makes it easier to hone in on making the right connections and engage in meaningful conversations. Otherwise, your networking efforts will be unfocused and important conversations will go nowhere.

Stay tuned next week for additional tips and how to maximize the conference once you’re there.

Read the original post in Personal Branding Blog

Overwhelmed by Networking? Focus on Strategy, Not Just Tactics

Are you heavy on tactics and light on strategy when it comes to networking for your business? You’ll know if you’re feeling at all frustrated that the time you’ve put in is far outweighed by the meager results you’ve gotten out.

Trouble is that when we get into this situation we think we need to do more, and we look for solutions in the form of other tactics that we might not have tried yet. But imagine if you took 5 random ingredients from your refrigerator and threw them into a sauté pan. What are the chances you’d have a finished dish that you’d actually want to eat?

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Then what if you added another ingredient to the pan, and another and another?  Think the end product would get more appetizing? Not likely.

Yet that’s what so many people do to remedy networking that isn’t working. Adding more and more stuff to an incoherent mess and getting further and further away from enjoying a satisfying, yummy, filling meal. In fact, after all that work, most likely they’ll be hungrier than ever.

A tasteful and successful dish

Crafting a successful dish in the kitchen starts with having a fairly good idea of what you want the dish to be, deciding what it should look like and taste like in your mind first. Only then can you choose the right ingredients to create it. It won’t work the opposite way. You can’t make beef wellington with Caesar salad ingredients no matter how skilled in the kitchen you are.

It’s the same thing with networking. You need to have a good idea of the kind of help you’re looking for and who might be able to give you that help before you venture out online or in person to meet them. Otherwise you’ll have too many people in your network, nice folks as they may be, who can’t give you the kind of help you need and not enough of the people who can.

A strategy helps you narrow down where to spend your networking time. That’s especially important for entrepreneurs and business owners who know that every minute spent on networking is time they’re not spending on client service and other key business responsibilities.

And let’s face it, none of us has unlimited time to network, nor unlimited time to wait for networking to work. We want to do the things and be in the places that will give us the greatest likelihood of meeting the right people. But to do this, we need to focus on the who before the how.

When you’re compiling your list of key relationships to build for your business, be sure to consider these different groups:

Those with specialized knowledge

Speaking with folks who can give insight, advice and market intelligence on key industry trends, news and people can help you find hidden opportunities to capitalize on.

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Those who actively network

People who are active on social networking sites or who frequently attend networking events will be valuable not only because they understand the concept of networking, but also because they have a large network to connect you to and a steady inflow of new contacts.

Those who’ve already achieved

Having role models who’ve already accomplished the goals you’ve set for yourself can be inspirational, and they can help you shortcut your road to success by giving you firsthand advice on the mistakes to avoid.

Those with access to money

You’ll never know when you might need a small business loan, private investment or some other form of financing for your business.

Keep in mind that being deliberate and focused about who you network with doesn’t give you license to be a jerk to everyone else. You want to be friendly and respectful to everybody you meet and never burn bridges. Even if you don’t think someone can help you, they could be of great help to someone you know.

Note: Want to craft a coherent networking strategy for your business so you can spend less time AND still get the help you need when you need it? Enroll in the 5-week Smart Networking tele-course. The next session begins Wednesday, June 17.

Read the original post at Personal Branding Blog
 

Want to Get Others Interested in What You Do? Tell Them What’s In It For THEM

Ever feel like you’re speaking a completely different language when you’re relaying your branding message or elevator pitch to others? Even when you deliver it coherently without stumbling over your words, something seems to be lost in the translation because people just aren’t “getting it?”

What’s often lost in the translation, what others aren’t understanding is, “What’s in this for me?”

What’s in it for me?

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Defining your brand and differentiating yourself are important, but at the end of the day, people won’t buy from you or hire you unless they understand how they will benefit. And while you can make the translation easily and automatically in your own head because you’re so familiar with your work, it’s a shift that’s not so easy to make for someone hearing it for the first time (or even the second or the third).

So no matter how enthusiastically and cleverly you are broadcasting, “Here’s who I am and what I do, shouldn’t everyone want this?” potential clients, hiring managers, and networking contacts are waiting to hear, How can this help me or someone I know?”

Speed up the understanding

How do you relay your brand message so that others see the value more clearly? Here are four ideas that can speed the absorption of your message:

Focus less on what you do and more on what your target market gets. How specifically will their life or business change once you’re in the picture? Will they make more money, decrease risk, save time or hassle? For example, don’t just say, “I’m a financial analyst” but instead say, “I help companies make more money with their investments.”

Go into more detail using examples. Since a good percentage of the population is visual, sometimes telling a story can illustrate the benefit much more clearly. You can describe a problem that you faced and the result that was gained. For example, “The company was spending money in marketing that wasn’t bringing them any customers. I worked with them to invest in programs that brought in new customers and eventually tripled their revenues.

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Tie it into their specific situation. You can make a stronger impact with your message by linking it to a pain or problem the other person is already familiar with. Before you answer the “What do you do question” say, “Well, there are a number of ways I help depending on the situation, so I’ll give you an example. What industry are you in?”Then go right into a story or even an analogy they’re more likely to relate to.

Make more information readily available. When you have a great connection with someone at a networking event or even across the Twitterverse, being able to refer them to your blog with articles you’ve written and case studies that describe some of your work can help them solidify their understanding over time and at their own pace. This takes the pressure off of that initial interaction to keep talking about what you do until they get it, giving you more time to focus on getting to know them better and building a rapport which is so much more important.

It’s not enough to be passionate about your personal brand. You have to get others to be passionate about it too. Supplement your tag line, branding message, and elevator pitch with elements that touch people closer to home and your transmission will be more readily received.

Read the original post in Personal Branding Blog


Are You Aiming at the Wrong Bulls-Eye?

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Do you ever feel like you’re doing all the right things with networking, but you’re not getting results? I got an email recently from one entrepreneur who networks diligently, participating in a business leads group, local Chamber of Commerce meetings, and other events.

He writes: “I feel my presentation is adequately polished, I follow up promptly both on the phone and via email, mail out follow-up letters, etc. but I am not getting business from my efforts. What am I doing wrong?”

If you’re in this boat, one thing to consider is while your message may be dead on, you may be aiming at the wrong bulls-eye.

Sometimes in our haste to jump onto the networking bandwagon, we start looking for a group, any group, to network with. But, even if you think you might be doing everything right, and that’s still a big IF, your personal branding message may be reaching an unreceptive crowd. It’s almost as if you’re tuned into completely different wavelengths, and that could happen for any number of reasons:

1) They aren’t there to network. One group of people you might find at certain networking events are those who want to socialize and hang out with friends, rather than meet new people (this is more common than you think). On the other end of the spectrum are those who are there to sell, either to get job leads or referrals for their products and services (this is pretty common too). Yet if everyone is busy pushing their own agendas, they’re not going to be in the right frame of mind to learn about what you do. Your challenge is to find that group in the middle, the folks who are there to build lasting and supportive relationships.

2) They don’t reach the same buyers. Some people you meet may truly understand what networking is and are open to sharing your message, but their target audience may be in different industries, functional areas, or managerial levels from your target audience. That means they’ll be hard-pressed to make an effective
introduction on your behalf because they won’t have access to the right people in the organization. The ideal networking partner has strong relationships and frequent interaction with the same types of people who would hire you.

3) They don’t have the credibility to recommend you. If I’m looking for a new phone system for my company, I’m probably not going to ask my dentist for a referral, as wonderful a guy as he is. Instead I’m likely to turn to someone who is involved in the telecommunications arena and can help me determine what to look for, what questions to ask, who the major companies are, etc. A productive lead will come from someone who knows enough about your capabilities to warm up the prospect and generate interest in meeting you.

Smart networking isn’t about putting in tons of hours, but about doing things that get results. If you’re getting out there but not attracting business opportunities, even with a strong message, you need to analyze where you’re spending your time and who you’re spending it with.

If you’re not sure who the right audience is for your message, an easy way to test is through social networking. For example, since Smart Networking was released in November, many of the comments I’ve gotten on my blog, on Facebook, and on Amazon have come from career coaches who’ve recommended the book to their clients. Prior to this, I always considered small business owners my main market. But armed with this new knowledge, I plan to seek out different networking events and perhaps even create special programs targeted to the career coaching field. Figuring this out offline would have taken a lot more time and a lot of trial and error.

If your networking efforts aren’t paying off, consider devoting some time to building up your online presence on a blog and on Facebook. Talk about what you do and see who is most receptive to your message. See who “gets” what you’re saying and starts to engage with you. Then find networking events and groups that attract that same audience to start building relationships in person.

When the right message reaches the right group of people, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can achieve whatever career or business goal you’ve set out for yourself.

Read the original post on Personal Branding Blog