Catchy title huh? 
There has been plenty of talk from social media and small business consultants about the importance of fusing traditional networking with online “social” networking. It is one of the more important things you can do as a business development head or owner of a small to mid-sized business.
Networking has always been at the core of sales for small business owners. Since starting my company two years ago… networking (both online and offline) have driven business to my firm…But do you know what released the flood gates?
Combining my offline networking with my online networking.
John Jantsch hit the nail on the head when he said in his recent post about becoming a social company:
“(social) firms are much easier to refer because they are more deeply connected and socially involved in every facet of their ecosystem”
We can talk for hours about selling online but the real value for business owners is becoming social company and working hard to network both in an online environment and offline environment.
The main thing to remember is that you have to BELIEVE in networking. You have the opportunity to becoming involved with hundreds of people in your immediate location.
So what are the steps to networking online and offline?
1. Join an offline networking group. (I personally use Rainmakers and Confluence here in Indianapolis)
2. Join a locally based online networking group (ie Smaller Indiana)
3. Join a national network and use search functions to locate users in your area. (Twitter and Twitter Search)
You will be pleasantly surprised and remember… it is a way of life and a tool for your business.
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If you aren't you are missing huge opportunities. I look at each small business as a niche blog waiting to be tapped. You have built in audience, content and readily available interest (you probably even have a list of potential subscribers!).
[...] Super Ping placed an interesting blog post on #1 Reason Why Small Biz Should Use Social MediaHere’s a brief overviewWe can talk for hours about selling online but the real value for business … Business Isn’t Personal (ducttapemarketing.com) Oh Yeah? Prove [...]
[...] Super Ping placed an interesting blog post on #1 Reason Why Small Biz Should Use Social MediaHere’s a brief overviewWe can talk for hours about selling online but the real value for business … Business Isn’t Personal (ducttapemarketing.com) Oh Yeah? Prove [...]
As much as I like and use online media to connect with people, nothing beats face-to-face. So I look for opportunities to turn all of those online connections into offline connections. If there's a local meetup coming up, I'm there. Or heck, I'll organize one of my own!
There's nothing more rewarding than when you meet those readers and connections in-person ya know.
And in cases where we don't get to meet, I spend a lot of time on video emails and video chats through Skype. (Even something as simple as this goes a long way in establishing relationships).
I love face to face, but have found the on-line as a great way to expand and reinforce the connections. I may only run into someone once a month in the community, but we stay connected in short bursts through Twitter.
its very informative for business developer. And I think video marketing like business videos are very important for any kind of business large or small, thanks for sharing this kind of information.
[...] #1 Reason Why Small Biz Should Use Social Media (kylelacy.com) [...]
NIce.. I agree very catchy title. I coudln't resist to read the content after I saw the title.. Good job there…Social media is very essential in business, small or big.. It is a great way for business opportunities..