How to Increase Your Network - 9 Easy Methods That Will Boost Your Networks

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July 12, 2022 Marketing

Have you been looking to expand your network and meet other business owners?

If you are, then you’re in luck because we can help with that and improve your business prospects.

Meeting new people and forming connections with them can be tough at times, especially for introverts. But there are methods to ease the process that you can follow do so.

For instance, you can join online communities or create an account on LinkedIn where you can easily communicate with industry leaders and other aspiring business owners from the ease of your home. You can also host meetings at your place of business.

Who Should You Be Networking With?

It’s reasonable to believe that the larger your connection, the merrier. And, although adding more individuals increases your accessibility to having a community, there is a trade-off.

The majority of people want to meet and network with decision-makers. These are the recruiting managers, senior leaders, and individuals who have the authority to hire, contract with, and purchase from you.

The issue is that they are frequently the most sought-after individuals and can become inundated with queries.

Moreover, your network can contain two classes of people: decision-makers and information providers. The decision-makers can invest in you or refer you to someone who will.

On the other hand, information providers may or may not have the authority to recruit or procure from you, but they may provide some unique market intelligence or perspective that makes you more innovative, relevant, and effective in your profession.

9 Methods to Expand Your Network

Method # 1 – Host Meet and Greets

Hosting a meet and greet is a great method of getting to know a lot of relevant people through one event. It becomes much easier for you to connect with and get to know other businesses and business leaders.

As you start networking, you’ll find that you’re not alone in the world of networking. Many business owners want to meet other business owners and connect and chat about ideas and discuss insights. But it’s not possible for a lot of small business owners as they don’t have the know-how.

Therefore, why don’t you start off by hosting a session at your business premises? Not only will that create a space for socializing, but it will also give you the opportunity to establish your own network.

Invite attendees to bring enterprise information and set up a huge booth for everybody to exhibit their businesses. Offer them pamphlets, brochures, and other branded merchandise that reveal details about you and your company, your product offering, or the solutions you offer.

If you’re finding it hard to find potential businesses to invite, you can always use the businesses around me directory. They are a game-changer when it comes to finding small businesses in a particular location.

Method # 2 – Get Involved in Your Area

As a businessman, developing contacts in your community allows you to present yourself and your firm to new clients and expand your exposure.

Even if you run a remote IT firm and your only address is a P.O. box, speaking to other business people in your neighborhood can provide you with fresh advertising or delivery strategies.

Understanding more about the businesses in your area can also lead to new opportunities.

A neighboring firm in a related sector may be prepared to collaborate on a similar offering to attract their clients to your brand. Furthermore, local contacts might assist you in identifying places or helpful real estate brokers in the region in case you’re looking for a new storefront or warehouse.

Understanding more about your neighborhood also reveals what the region lacks. Discussions will enable you to comprehend what the market wants. It helps to validate an idea when you’re still in the early stages of developing your idea.

Method # 3 – Join Online Communities

One could also become a member of a business enterprise and participate in its activities. Local chambers of commerce, industrial groupings, and professional societies are a few examples.

Many of these groups exist primarily to network. Although you can buy upvotes, you can also find Reddit communities that work to help businesses with a wide range of issues.

It’s simple to get engaged because businesses are always seeking fresh participants. Partnering with a business association is an excellent way to easily meet new people and provide value to others.

Method # 4 – Attend Social Events

Nothing beats a weekend where you can free your head and get away from the workplace. However, nothing beats a night out to help you build connections and expand your entrepreneurial network.

Attending social gatherings is a terrific way to meet new people and expand your network while having fun.

Some events are deliberately designed to help people network, but others are simply entertaining gatherings that evolve into networking opportunities.

Method # 5 – Get Social and Start Talking to Everybody

Even when you’re not working, you should continue networking. If you really want to broaden your outreach, talk to people at your local gym or aerobics class. You can even network during your kid’s school programs and sporting events.

After all, parents are usually searching for anything to talk about other than what’s going on around the sports field!

Relating to new members can be nerve-wracking, particularly if you’re shy. However, speaking to everyone is a terrific approach to broaden and strengthen your business connection.

You might discover that the person behind you in a lengthy checkout queue understands something about content creation more than the advisor you were speaking with previously.

Whilst your goal when chatting to individuals is to expand your network, you shouldn’t make the encounter about you, your firm, or collaboration. The best networks are those that are genuine and established on a friendship.

Resist contacting someone with the intention of selling them something. You really shouldn’t think about conducting business. Instead, approach them with the intention of building a relationship and then allow the networking to unfold naturally.

Method # 6 – Get More Active on Linkedin

LinkedIn is without a doubt among the most significant social media platforms for industry leaders.

If you’re not engaged, you’re most certainly losing the ability to interact with individuals who can benefit you this year, next year, or ten years from now.

No, you will not need to publish anything every day or react on as many threads as possible randomly.

Remember that increasing your networking by 20% with quality connections is considered to be more useful than increasing it by 40% with randomly chosen connections.

Also, avoid common blunders such as using an improper photo, failing to share your location, skills, or degree, and failing to customize your feed.

Take the opportunity to get acquainted with LinkedIn as a networking platform and become a regular, rather than a mere tourist, on the site.

Method # 7 – Learn something new

Probably one of the reasons our connections languish is because it is so tempting for us to focus nearly entirely on our field of competence. While it is necessary to concentrate on your functional department, you may be unknowingly restricting yourself by forgetting to investigate other areas as well.

It is critical to stretch yourself not only to increase your skill set and to extend your networking opportunities. By dabbling in other areas of expertise, you open the door to totally new sets of contacts and interactions.

Method # 8 – Build a Reputation

People prefer to create commercial connections with friends they regard as competent in the field of communication. Thus, people will be more inclined to contact you and remain in contact with you if you establish an image as somebody who is smart, friendly, and valued.

Moreover, establish close and consistent interaction with clients you wish to stay in touch with. You can create long-lasting relationships with clients easily by understanding what they want. Connect via email, blogging, social media platforms, and, of course, in person.

Method # 9 – Find a Mentor

Choosing a mentor is the best networking suggestion available. Create a list of 3-7 individuals you’d like to have as mentors and contact them. Observe them, study them, and even volunteer for them.

A mentorship can educate you on things that books cannot, and once a mentor believes in you, his or her network becomes your network. You provide value, and they provide experience and knowledge. That is a strong connection in which both of you can succeed.

Final Words

We’ve covered pretty much everything that you would need to know regarding expanding your network. You are now closer to forming your own network and boosting your business.

Networks can play a much greater role than most people realize in this digital age. It can lead to everything from a simple exchange of thoughts and ideas to forming partnerships in a new enterprise or learning market insights that you might not have known previously.