Effective networking doesn’t happen over night. Don’t worry if you felt like sulking in the corner at your first networking event, feeling too shy to approach a random stranger. For beginners, networking can seem scary, intimidating and could go against everything you thought was appropriate in social situations. Fear not. There are strategies, tips and tricks to help you network better and more effectively to make meaningful connections and ultimately get new business. At Sparxoo, we believe in networking and building social influence and have provided tips such as building a social network on Facebook and Twitter and here are a couple of tips to get your started:

First Impressions
Behavioral psychologists estimate it takes only a couple of seconds for others to pass judgement upon you, or “stereotype.” That means your window is very, very small to make a good first impression. It begins with appropriate dress. If it’s a formal event, wearing your high school khakis and an ill-fitting polo shirt says a lot about you: that you do not take care of the details, might be disorganized amongst other things. It’s about not only dressing to the occasion but looking good.

Here are some tips on body language:

• Always smile
• Give a firm handshake
• Tilt your head to demonstrate you’re listening
• Speak firmly and clearly, as networking events can be loud

At this point, you’ve already made a good impression and need to stay on a roll.

You’re Not a Used Car Salesman
Although your objective might be to obtain business referrals, giving your pitch from the get-go can seem self-centered and superficial. Your pitch should come naturally in the conversation, not be the starting point. The first step is to develop trust. That can be done by finding something, other than business, that you have in common. Do both of you like hockey, tennis or even old horror movies? This will help you construct a strong base for your relationship, on which you can build trust.

Think of Your Best Friend
Crack “inside” jokes with someone you’ve just met. That’s not what we mean by “think of them as your best friend.” When talking with individuals, have the enthusiasm, passion and compassionate tone you might have with your best friend. If they say, for instance, they lost a big client, then implore about what happened, how did they feel, share a similar experience if appropriate. Remember, you’re building a meaningful relationship with them and treating them with the same compassion and enthusiasm as a friend is a good next step.

Spend Quality Time with Quality People
It’s a tried and true sales technique. If your conversation is slogging along and neither of you are clicking, it’s time to move onto the next person. Politely say, “Well, it was nice to meet you, good luck on…”  Conversely, it can be tempting to spend half the night chatting-up one person. Neither is going to be the best use of your time. Entrepreneur.com recommends spending no more than 10 minutes with each person. Then, after the event, making notes about the conversation with each individual on the back of the business card. This will help you with the next step, which is following up.

Have a Follow-Up System
When you were in high school, did it take one encounter to make you feel comfortable enough to bear your deepest secrets with your best friend? Let’s hope not for the sake of your friend. Relationships take time and work. The same is true for networking events. A day or two after the networking event, take a look through your cards and begin your follow-up emails. My Excel contact sheet has the following: name, company, industry, position, date I follow-up up, notes regarding where we left off, e-mail and whether you’ve connected with them on LinkedIn. We recommend following up 2 times, then adding them to a do not contact list if they haven’t responded.

Least Likely Places
Your first inclination might be to attend marketing events it you’re a marketer, or entrepreneur meetups if you’re an entrepreneur. In tough times, every other person at that marketing or entrepreneur event is also looking for new business. Not very productive. Attend events and participate in sports that are in-line with your hobbies or adjacent to your work. For instance, if you’re selling life insurance, you might want to go to an entrepreneur meet-up or golfing event.

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What You Need To Know About Building Your Network

“Let me introduce you to someone who might be able to help you.” This famous line from Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, speaks to the value of relationships and connectors. Connectors are match makers. They have an enormous amount of contacts, and thus a lot of influence. Connections are an increasingly important currency in our network society. Introduction to Social Influence Building A Business Network Connecting To Influentials The Golden Rule of Networking: Reciprocity The Role of Friends in Your Network

Networking Tips for Career Advancement

Many young professionals have big dreams. Along the way their ambitions will benefit from connections. We tapped into our network with the hopes of inspiring young professionals to build their social capital. Finding a Job Through Social Media Brazen Careerist Shares Tips for Career Advancement The Virtual Internship

Building an Influential Network Online

Connections can take seconds or require no effort at all. Twitter followers and LinkedIn connections have completely different value. One LinkedIn connection carries more social capital than one follower, as the effort that went into getting that connection is greater and more meaningful. Approaches to Building Social Influence Building Influence Via Facebook Building Influence Via Twitter Building Influence Via LinkedIn

Must-Read Articles: Building Your Network

One strong relationship can have a disproportionately large imapct on your career or your business. Developing valuable connections takes time, but can be very rewarding. Read on for more inspiration. Social Capital: Productivity and Innovation (Business Strategy Innovation) Social Capital and Your Lifestyle (This is London) How to Build Your Human Capital (Sparxoo) Digital Networking Can Strengthen Brand America (Sparxoo)

By Ethan Lyon, Senior Writer

Coca-Cola is the leading brand on Facebook with over 3.7 million fans. More and more brands are creating fan pages to capture the hundreds of millions of Facebook users across the world. Facebook can be a powerful tool to generate website referrals, engage existing and acquire new customers. It’s about creating meaning in your digital space that people want to be a part of. We’ll discuss how to brand your page, build relationships and engage and empower your fans on Facebook.

1. Brand Your Page
When you arrive on the Coca-Cola Facebook page, it is clearly branded. The landing page is almost a mini-Coca-Cola site where fans can “celebrate” their love for the soft drink company and become a member of the Coca-cola community. This pseudo Facebook splash page introduces users to the brand in a way different that the typical landing page. From the start, Facebook users understand the Coca-Cola page not just to be another Facebook page, but a platform to discuss, interact and promote the brand.

2. Inform Your Network
Send personal messages to those in your network that might be interested in your page. Blasting requests to join your page might not be the best approach–as it might alienate some of your network. Consider how you can make your page more than just a self-promotional tool. Maybe your Facebook page is where you raise money for a social cause… If so, it is a great introduction between your friends and your business–making the page less about you and more about your positive impact.

3. Be a Catalyst
There are many tools to engage your audience on Facebook. Consider the hundreds of Facebook apps, from SlideShare to Mafia Wars. Select those apps that are both relevant to your business and your fans. Some businesses have even developed Facebook Apps. San Francisco’s mayor, Gavin Newsom offers an application that serves as a badge of support and a fundraising tool. Or, consider contests and voting. Target was able to engage their audiences by asking their fans to allocate their donation dollars.

4. Offer Rewards
Why would someone want to return to your Facebook page? Consider how Sears added coupons for the products on their Facebook page. Users simply printed off $10 off coupons and brought them into the store for a discount. Simple, easy and a great way to engage your audiences. Or, what about contests? Adding a lottery-like drawing can entice non-fans to engage in your brand.

5. Empower Your Fans
With the influx of blogs and social networks, more and more people are empowered to become publishers. To capitalize on this, consider how you can incorporate your fans’ content into your site. For instance, your customers could create commercials for your brand. Have your customers submit the commercials and turn the voting over to your fans. The campaign creators will drum-up support through their own networks to create incredible brand exposure.

Sparxoo is led by blogging and social media experts.  Please contact our Tampa marketing agency for a free consultation.

David Capece, Managing Partner

Now more than ever, relationships are a top priority.  We have covered the rising trend towards building meaningful relationships.  Whether you are looking for a job or happily employed, it’s always a good idea to build your network of contacts.  Below, we share some tips to fuel your networking efforts.

1.    Have a plan. Think about the types of people you want to meet and how you can get to know them.  Should you focus on conferences or friendly handoffs?  Do you want to meet those who are making hiring decisions or purchasing decisions?  How many people do you want to get to know, and how quickly? Once you identify people to speak with, be sure to have an elevator speech about who you are and where your interests are.  Better yet, if you know something about them in advance, then customize the conversation to match with their interests and experiences.

2.    Size matters. The power of your network grows exponentially with its size and activity.  Take the time to get to know a diverse group of people with different skills, backgrounds, experiences, and interests.  That said, there should be a common thread to the types of people you are meeting and developing relationships with.  Do you want to meet a range of leaders across industries or focus on immersion into one or handful of companies that are a key priority?  While it’s great to make 50 new contacts…do you want to have 1 contact at each of 50 companies, or 25 contacts at each of 2 companies?  Either way, better to have more contacts.

3.    Follow-up. If you have a great conversation, let them know that you’d like to stay in touch and will be following up.  Send an e-mail telling them how much you enjoyed talking with them, and plan for future discussions.  While you certainly shouldn’t pester people, it’s a good idea to check in periodically to say hello, send an interesting article, or meet for coffee.  My favorite suggestion:  at the end of every meeting, ask if there’s someone else that you should be speaking with either inside their organization or at your organization of interest.  You’d be surprised…if everyone you meet makes a friendly intro to 2 or 3 other people, you’ll be on your way to growing a large network.

4.    Deepen a few key relationships. It’s great to have 500+ connections on LinkedIn.  It’s even better if you have deep relationships with some of them. Ultimately, your network will have a few central contacts that serve as mentors, ambassadors, and perhaps as friends.  Hopefully these contacts will include a few influencers (our blog post on how to identify influencers) These are the most valuable relationships.  If you find particularly good chemistry with a contact, then follow-up a little more often to let them know what you’re up to.  Coffee, lunch, dinner, drinks are great.  Think creatively about how to keep them involved.  Can they serve as your mentor?  How can you help them (which leads me to my last point)?

Here is a video of Seth Godin dispelling the myth that all digital friends matter:

5.    Reciprocity. Networking doesn’t work if it is a selfish, one-way exploration.  Ultimately, people invest their time in developing mutually beneficial relationships.  Think about what you can do to help the other person.  Pay forward today and reap benefits tomorrow.  Find opportunities to make an introduction, provide advice, share knowledge, and make others aware of business opportunities.  When you help others, they will see you as a key member of their network, and will be more inclined to help you.

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