Taking your business to the next level is scary. Reaching out to complete strangers (aka networking) can be one of the most difficult part of growing a business. Since we’ve been on lockdown (quarantine, whatever you want to call it) professionals in most industries have had to pivot to and turn their networking efforts online.

Networking is essential to brand grow & business success.

For my business I’ve made the decision to organically grow my reach. It’s taken me 5 years but I’ve reached 53k+ connections across LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. [This number includes 10k on my personal accounts which aren’t listed here.]

Those professionals who, pre-COVID, relied on face-to-face opportunities to grow have found it necessary to push their efforts online. This change doesn’t come without growing pains. With growing pains comes a shift in mindset. Here’s some practical advice, mind your Ps and Qs to successfully network online.

Persist: Initially you’ll want to give up, once you get the guts to post something somewhere you will likely find minimal to no engagement. Don’t give up! Trust me on this one - with a targeted approach on the right platforms - where your audience is - you will find your audience or rather they will find you. (More on the importance of hashtags in an upcoming blog)

Productivity Tools: Use the right apps to maximize the time you spend on social media. There are many valuable free ones to get you started! (Detailed review of free apps that work in a future blog.)

Push with a Purpose: Be intense! Use (targeted) force and velocity to grow your network. I’ve always been tenacious, but you don’t have to be to push ahead. Look for ways you can authentically put yourself out there!

Pivot: Especially in this time of uncertainty, it’s ok (heck even expected) to pivot to survive (and thrive)! Come up with a plan, try it (really put in the time and effort) - don’t be afraid to admit it didn’t work and move in another direction.

I’ve learned a lot from the first blog post I wrote 6 years ago, I didn’t have the connections to grow it and I was writing for the wrong reasons...I wanted external validation (aka Likes) too much. Write, post, connect with purpose but don’t obsess about Likes, Comments, and Shares. Focus on quality and being true to who you are (your brand).

(Don’t Panic): Personally a bit of panic can be healthy to push you forward...don’t let it consume your thoughts, use it to propel your efforts.

Let's level-up together! Liz