Why Networking is Key in Social Media

Almost anyone deeply involved in the business world will tell you that networking is a key component of success.  Top universities set up networking events with their alumni and graduating class in order to facilitate connections and help the new graduates get employed.  If you and another person are equally qualified for a job, the more familiar face will undoubtedly receive the call with a job offer.  Everyone knows someone whose friend scored them a job and many teenagers work summers in their parents’ offices to gain valuable starting experience.  It’s not what you know; it never has been.  It’s still all about who you know.

Social media has done nothing to change that trend and in fact has encouraged it.  By making yourself visible and valuable in social media, you can substantially increase your reputation whether you’re working on behalf of a company or just seeking attention or information for yourself.  Your contribution and conversations on social networking sites can define you and rocket your career to levels you had never anticipated.

That’s because social media is all about engagement.  It’s networking writ large.  The great thing about it is that it erases social barriers; you no longer need an introduction to develop a friendship with the guru of your particular expertise.  All you need to do is contribute valuable conversation on his blog and chat with him on Twitter.  If you can provide him with something he didn’t have before, you just gained yourself a contact and made a very important person aware of your existence.  If you can get him to mention you, your audience (and hence reputation) can grow by leaps and bounds.

Think about social media like one huge party full of guests relevant to your life; your friends and family, industry professionals, and potential employers.  Are you likely to get far by standing on a stage and shouting out to the crowd?  No, because no one is listening unless they know who you are and know that you give awesome, informative speeches.  The good stuff is all happening in the crowd in smaller clusters of conversations where people are getting to know each other and sharing information – in short, networking.

If networking has characteristically been difficult for you, the internet can completely change the game.  Shy, reserved people often find their outlet on the internet because there is considerably less fear of rejection.  Those who are located in towns remote from the centres of technological development or business can now discover the latest happenings in a heartbeat, from watching videos on YouTube to live streams of Twitter coverage.  Sometimes they can even get involved remotely, learning from a worldwide store of knowledge rather than taking years to discover the same things for themselves.  Remote working and freelancing have increased their visibility and viability as career paths.

Of course, businesses can launch huge social media campaigns that are all about crowd sourcing, getting people to listen, help, and feel a part of something.  Recognisable businesses can often rest on their laurels; their mere social media presence can be enough to gain fans, followers, and authority with hardly any interaction.  But the key part of successful campaigns is always the crowd.  Social media is about making the formerly distant accessible to all of us.

If your lack of a social media strategy is hampering your business and you’re not sure where to go first, think of it as a conversation.  Find the people chatting about what you want to chat about and join in.  For more help and advice, contact us and we’ll get you started.