We normally write about good website practices and SEO, but this month we decided to write about something fresh – Business Networking!
We normally write about good website practices and SEO, but this month we decided to write about something fresh – Business Networking!
We have over 20 years experience in business networking and have been doing this since way back when we started building websites.
Like SEO, networking is often pigeon-holed as a long term strategy, however this is not always the case. The success of networking often relies on the power of numbers, the more people you meet, the more people you know, the greater your success. Some people will disagree, but the more networking groups you attend in more locations, the greater your chances of coming across the clients you want. No one will care if you do not attend regularly but what’s important is that people will become aware you exist and you are capable of doing the job.
We have been regularly to some networking groups but it is not always productive to see the same faces week after week - when you could be somewhere else!
We personally do not need to network when most of our clients come from Google, but we do recognise that half come from recommendations, and some of those are from networking groups.
If you are not fortunate enough to get all of your clients from organic search or social media, then networking is the next best thing. Networking is not limited to just morning networking groups, there are afternoon, evening, speed networking and all day and week shows. You can utilise these to amplify and maximise your reach. If you attend 10 networking events in a month, you should meet at least 10 people at each, and each of those people may know 100 other people in business. That could be 10,000 possibilities (10 x 10 x 100) in very short period of time. So don’t forget your business cards!
Right place, right time!
Most of all, networking is about being in the right place at the right time and the more you do the better. For instance, last week I went to a random networking event in East London where a company was looking for an SEO professional, and the month before I met a business in West London who had a friend who was searching for a more professional agency.
Tradespeople tend to get the most work in local networking groups, while specialist businesses, like us, have to reach further afield. I have even met people selling tractor parts and air conditioning filters!
Networking is a good example of ‘what you put in you get out’. We attended some all- day business shows, done some speed networking while we were there. We met over 100 businesses and 5 signed up with us over the next month. They chose us because you cannot always trust what you find online and it can be difficult to verify who truly understands what they are selling.
People buy from people
Millions of people will buy online every day in a heartbeat, however if you are selling a high quality, high value product, the power of knowing people in real life cannot be compared to someone who finds our website and has to research everything about us, our real location and reputation.
Don’t forget your business cards!
One of the latest problems in networking has been digital business cards, like QR code and the NFC type. Initially they seemed an amazing idea, but they still involve a cumbersome process, you can't find their details afterwards and half of the events never seem to have any signal. If you don’t have traditional business cards, carry a note pad and if you don’t have any of these, add that person on Linkedin and while you are with them, make sure you send them a quick Hello message so you can find them again. Otherwise you won’t have a hope in finding them after you have left the venue. Business cards cost 5-20p each. How much did it cost you to take half a day out and how much could a connection be worth? It’s a no-brainer.
So get out there and don’t forget your business cards!
On the link below you can find over 40 business networking groups in South East London that also operate in other areas.
Local Networking Groups & Events in Croydon, Bromley & London
