You Can Turn Your Contact Profile Into A Networking Tool To Help Grow Your Business

Whenever you hear or come across the word networking, perhaps one of the first things that come to mind is the act of socializing or exchanging pleasantries and business cards with people that you meet. While there is some truth to this scenario, networking means more than the act of meeting more and more people. Rather, it’s all about establishing and nurturing connections with people. It’s a significant part of furthering your career or your business interests, and it is one of the wisest investments that you could make at any given time in your life. You can greatly benefit from your network if you know its potentials well enough to pay close attention to certain aspects of your daily work routine that affects how people see you. Every click, post, comment, message, email or form of communication that you send out gives you the chance to create or reinforce a connection. That is why it is important to use such opportunities to your advantage to strengthen your network and ultimately, grow your business. Here are some of the sources that you can tap.

It’s all about establishing and nurturing connections with people.

Updates on LinkedIn

You have an impressive LinkedIn profile and can connect to a lot of people that you know professionally and personally, but you should not stop there. To optimize the use of LinkedIn, go further by making it a point to share updates on a regular basis to communicate your thoughts and opinions about relevant industry news or perhaps an advocacy that you feel strongly about. By doing so, you stay visible, connected, and it allows you to promote your business in a subtle way. You can also utilize updates to help endorse the products and services that you support or perhaps to cross-sell the talents of a colleague.

Your bio is not about you

As a professional or a business owner, you need to have a bio that speaks not so much about you, but about your audience. And that is why it is very important to customize your bio to the needs of the person or group to whom you’re handing your paper. Your bio should say what you can do for the recipient, with just the right amount of “accomplishments” or “contributions” that have a bearing on the recipient’s interests. In a nutshell, each bio that you are asked to give should be targeted to your audience and should spell out what to expect from you.

It isn’t just what you know, and it isn’t just who you know. It’s actually who you know, who knows you, and what you do for a living.” – Bob Burg

The headshot that you use

The image that you use says a lot about who you are and what you represent. You don’t want to appear too stiff and unapproachable by appearing in a crisp, tailored suit, but neither do you want to come across as rather carefree and casual by using a selfie you took by the beach. Keep in mind that the headshot you use should be appropriate for your career or business, branding, and the network that you want to develop and maintain in a certain digital space.

Your email signature

The email system is here to stay amidst the other communication platforms that have come about and will arise. Whenever you hit the send button, you establish connections and strengthen your network on almost a daily basis. It is, therefore, basic that you adopt a signature line that is consistent with your brand. Keep it casual but professional for your email recipients to easily recognize and acknowledge your digital presence. The email signature may contain your basic contact details below your name and perhaps a trademarked tagline, to sum up what you and your business stand for.

If your business comes from relationships, relationships should be your business.” – Doug Ales

Your written work

The written work that you produce reflects on you and your brand. If you have a website or a blog, then everything that has been published there represents you and affects your network. If you have a product brochure, your audience (potential customers, buyers, colleagues, suppliers, etc.) would know right away what your business is all about, the way you’d want to conduct your business, and practically all there is to know about you and your product or service. Your written work is one great proof of the extent of your expertise, knowledge, skills, and as such, it increases your networking power.

If you have not explored any of these networking possibilities, then start working now. In this digital age, you have to seize every opportunity to get and stay connected with people because your connections are what your business needs to grow further.