Networking

What does networking entail? How can you maximize the benefits of networking to grow your brand, connections and your image? Networking can be advantageous for any business because it gives you the opportunity to grow your connections, gain insight and knowledge that you may not have had in the past. Networking allows you to expand your consumer reach and move into new varying markets; this expansion garners attention from other businesses and business professionals that will help your business grow into the future. 

To get into a networking mindset it is important to understand the benefits of networking and what you must do to prepare your business for new ventures: utilize social media, share your passions and attend conferences and events that keep you open to growth Social media is a great way to network; utilizing your platforms to engage and interact with like minded individuals and those who can help with traffic through mere interaction with your website, and promoting your products. A simple retweet, shoutout or brand ambassador collaboration helps your company reach audiences that would not have otherwise interacted with your brand before the use of social media platforms. Engaging with other brands should happen when the relationship aligns with the mission and vision of your brand; your passion should be driven by and upheld by morals and values that are the foundation of your image. 

Attending conferences and business events give you access to business networking situations and experiences. This is a great way to surround yourself with like-minded individuals, and entrepreneurs that may benefit from the valuable connections that you are looking to create. Be prepared to share your vision and exchange information and services in order to engage with other businesses. This exchange may not initially lead to anything at first, however creating lasting impressions puts you in a great place to be approached by other business owners because of the few you made at a convention! Be open to advice, too, oftentimes these conferences give you tips and tricks on how to continue to build your brand name and achieve high levels of success. 

Networking is an effective way to grow consumer outreach, build brand partnerships and strengthen your brand image. Many people are deterred from networking because of the negative experiences that may occur during the process; fail forward anyways. Learning from experiences is better than not trying at all, networking puts you in areas that set you apart from your competition because the stamp of approval you receive from highly-qualified individuals. How do you do that? Be resilient, be smart and have patience. Building a brand is more than how you aesthetically represent yourself, it is about building relationships, being reliable and maintaining professionalism.

Flyers, brochure postcards and newspaper ads used to be the ways to promote a business that, however is old business. Present ways to advertise happen through electronic ways and technology, it allows businesses to have greater access points to their audience; that’s why more and more companies use relevant platforms that span from social media, to search engines and websites. Business websites not only serve as promotional tools in and of itself but it allows companies to tell a story, what they offer and distinguishing characteristics. Website traction allows you to monitor the success of other promotional tactics, other ads and pages. 

With all of your marketing channels flowing into your website, you can use analytics to see which strategies are working best and get invaluable insights about your audience. The utilization of various platforms such as Youtube, Google, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter give you invaluable positions to leverage your business, services and products, not to mention perfect was to increase collaborations and partnerships. Beyond large platforms, finding ways to advertise within your local markets are just as important as finding large SEOs to maximize. Find where locals traffic frequently and use that to leverage your brand – local events, local newspapers etc. Advertise to and engage your audience with relevant information.

Investing into your advertising looks like having consistent themes, a website and logo that all look the same. From collaborations with other successful small businesses that share the same clientele as you, but are not in direct competition with you is a way to invest. Brand partnerships that are non-competitive is what that looks like; promoting each other’s business through discounting flyers and coupons. You may have to fund some services for running ads; but your dreams should never have a price tag if the product will end up helping you in the long run. In the end, advertising can be truly beneficial if it’s done properly and with great understanding, last week we talked about what research can provide. All the small steps and tools we suggest gives you a foundation, a blue print to succeed at brand and business ownership.