One thing is for certain: You can't be at every networking event or meet all the right people you need to succeed without a little help. But you can leverage social media to meet and stay connected with the right people.
In addition to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are the largest social media outlets making networking for businesspeople easier.
LinkedIn, for example, allows professionals, via the social network, to make connections with people they know directly and indirectly through connection requests or mutual friend introductions.
LinkedIn is your hype-man
LinkedIn is your personal hype-man. The Web site puts your work experience, current projects and desire for future opportunities all at the click of a mouse for your connections. Many members get recommendations from their LinkedIn connections that are posted to their profiles. What better endorsement than adding reputable third parties to your online profile that share their high opinion of you. These endorsements are a great way to build buzz about your professionalism and enhance your company's reputation. Since the network also allows you to see who your friends are connected to, it is a fantastic vehicle to meet new people.
Facebook is one of the most visited Web sites in the world and the reigning king of social media. You might be surprised who is on the network. In fact, one of Facebook's fastest-growing segments is adults 50 and older — a lot of the people who are decision-makers at businesses.
Facebook allows you to create a profile, share video and photos and provide status updates to your friends throughout the day, among many other capabilities. Facebook makes it easy to connect with family and friends, and yes, keep tabs on your business contacts. While Facebook is loaded with settings to protect privacy and control who sees what on your Facebook profile page, many professionals have a friends and family profile, and then a business profile. While your friends might get a kick out of seeing photos of you in compromising positions, you might not want to share your night out on the town with your head outside the sunroof of a limo to the people you are trying to do business with. So having a business-connection-only profile, or just making a rule to keep everything rated PG, are good practices to choose from for the professional.
In the end, you have to get out of the office and network, but social media is a terrific method to show off your work, share ideas and make new connections. Most of all, LinkedIn and Facebook help you stay top of mind with the business people you want to have remember you.
Josh Sommers is president and CEO of Focus Media, a marketing and public relations firm serving the Hudson Valley. He can be reached at josh@advertisingandpr.com or 796-3342, ext. 303. Read his blog at focusonmarketing.blogspot.com or visit www.advertisingandpr.com. His column appears Fridays.
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