Is networking important to you?
If we have a business, with a product or service we wish to promote or sell, networking is essential.
Sometimes we kid ourselves that we’re networking when we’re actually socialising.
Networking is not a night at the boozer with your mates, downing a few ales and swapping stories of one stripe or another. There’s a place for this, but I doubt many of us would consider it networking. It is socialising.
Nor is it playing with your handphone indiscriminately looking at tiktok or posting photos of your latest meal. Again, there’s a place for this, but it’s hardly networking. It is socialising or playing.
I participate in both of the above. They’re entertaining, but I’m not networking.
What is networking?
Here’s a pretty good definition.
networking /ˈnetˌwərkiNG/ noun
1.the action or process of interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts. “the skills of networking, bargaining, and negotiation”
Why am I interested in networking?
As a writer I want to engage with readers and potential buyers of my books. I also want to engage with other writers, and see what’s new in the writing and publishing world. I’m keen to look for opportunities to enter writing competitions. I suppose I also do it in the hope of attracting a potential agent or publisher.
Here’s a confession. I don’t do this well enough and need to devote more time to social media and networking.
I’m now looking for a agent to represent me so I can get one of my books, Love is Love, traditionally published. Any potential agent will examine my social media profile and see how I engage with others and how they engage with me. When I query an agent, I include links to my social media and website to make it easier for them to examine the extent of my networking.
What are my social networks?
I post regularly on Facebook, Instagram and X (previously known as Twitter). I follow the advice of Tim Stoddart@TimStodz of https://copyblogger.com/ . He wrote…
“I post on 5 platforms every day. But it only takes me 10 minutes per day to make it happen. The key is content repurposing. Here’s how I do it: (So you can do the same) Writing the original tweet usually only takes a few minutes. The repurposing takes a few minutes too. That’s how I post on 5 platforms with almost no time commitment. You can do the same.”
On top of my social media accounts, I am also a member of many writing and self-publishing groups.
Evewryday, I need to interact with the posts on these.
So, I am sure I spend at least an hour a day networking on social media.
Other ways of networking.
Become a member of groups that promote your craft or business. As a writer and reader, I’m a member of Goodreads, Romance Writers of Australia, Queensland Writers’ Centre and the Australian Society of Writers. These organizations allow me to connect with my colleagues. They also offer courses, competitions and more.
Networking using social media and organisational memberships is important, but building your email list is also essential.
Stoddart in a recent social media post reminded me how important it is to collect email addresses. He said, “Musk can take your Twitter account anytime he wants to. Zuckerberg can take your Instagram and Facebook whenever. LinkedIn, Pinterest, and every other platform can do the same. The only things you own are your email list and customer list. Build them.
SO, HERE’S THE TAKE AWAY FROM THIS BLOG.
- Regularly post photos and texts on social media. You want to keep your followers interested and build your audience.
- Read the posts of your followers and the groups you are in and interact with these. (Like, comment and repost.)
- Become a member of organisations that represent your interests.
- Take every opportunity to build your email list and customer list.