I’m not a networking expert – just a young guy from a tech startup building his networks for the first time and leveraging the internet as much as possible. Are online tools going to replace face to face interaction and business deals sealed with a handshake? Of course not. But the fact of the matter is that they can quickly and easily open up a whole new pool of potential contacts that can help you gain insight and grow your business.
Lets start start with the obvious social network first, shall we? LinkedIn is firmly established as the social network for business, but how effective is it for meeting new people and pursuing new opportunities? I have to admit, I do almost zero networking on LinkedIn itself. For me, LinkedIn has two main uses: 1) for researching people I’m interested in connecting with and 2) as an online rolodex of people I’ve already met. Thats not to say that LinkedIn hasn’t helped me on my networking journey; to the contrary having a robust LinkedIn profile is exceedingly helpful with networking. In the same way that I can research people I’m interested in, others can research me and get quick snapshot of my skills, interests, and career. These insights allow them to quickly make a decision about whether I’m worth knowing. LinkedIn groups can also be powerful tools – they provide an excellent venue to pose questions and hold discussions with other professionals. However, very rarely have I actually connected with other professionals as a result of discussions in groups. More often groups provide a channel to learn about external networking events specific to your industry or interests.
I think one of the main issues with LinkedIn is that it hasn’t just become the social network of businesses, it’s also become the social network of B2B sales and recruiting. Thats great for someone in sales or recruiting but it also perpetuates that seed of doubt: when I meet someone on LinkedIn are they really interested in connecting or just trying to make a sale?
Not too long ago I was firmly convinced Twitter was a bunch of hooey. After all, how much wisdom can truly be imparted when limited to 140 characters? How can you truly connect? The Answers are: “quite a lot” and “quite easily”, as it turns out. One of the great things about Twitter is that is an incredibly open and democratized network. Almost anyone can be found via search and I immediately have access to the uncensored stream of consciousness that is their Twitter feed. This makes it absurdly easy to find and connect with like-minded people who share my passions, interests, and/or industry as well as those whose thoughts serve to motivate and inspire me. With Twitter I can reply to anyone’s thoughts or direct my own at particular people which promotes surprisingly natural conversations and discussions. Here the restriction to 140 characters becomes something of a boon – I’m forced to streamline my ideas to the barest essentials and cut out all the fluff. I’ve found this quickly results in the kind of genuine interactions that promote trust and form the foundations of solid relationships.
I’m including Facebook here because many people ask about its networking potential (and it is the biggest social network). The problem with Facebook, however, is that it is primarily a consumer network rather than a business one. This means that Facebook is an excellent channel for interacting with consumers but is often lackluster in the business networking space.
For those who just skimmed the article – here’s a quick synopsis:
LinkedIn – great for research and to establish credentials
Twitter – an excellent way to form genuine connections with like minded business people. Just remember that you can’t build connections if you don’t interact!
Facebook – best for connecting with consumers. For networking – your time will be better spent elsewhere.
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