Better business networking

Posted on by Marie Page

virtual-networking I was approached by a writer recently researching a piece for the Royal Bank of Scotland’s ContentLive website for businesses. Rather than do a telephone interview I decided to write down a few thoughts on networking. And I thought I’d share them here. What would you have added?

On the principles of networking

I think it’s important to listen more than to talk. Not only does that make you a nicer person to be around but in a networking sense you can then better adapt your story to serve that person. By understanding their pain points you can help with solutions. And I’m very happy not to be the solution but to point people in the direction of someone else or another resource. There are two practices there from Stephen Covey. First his principle that we should “seek first to understand, then be understood” as well as his “Giver’s Gain” idea. I’m not that cynical that I attempt to adopt these ideas in order to do better, it simply makes more sense to me to live that way as a human being.

On networking without thinking

I really love my work so I tend to talk about it quite a lot socially. Working in the social media context means that most people have an idea of what I do and often the odd question. I’ve picked up a few clients at the gym that way or simply when out with friends at the pub. Often it will result in me passing business onto others in my network. With no intention of officially networking while out socially I’m chatting about what I’ve been up to, asking people about their work and those that run businesses will often ask me for advice on their digital marketing. Certainly on occasion that’s led me to getting more involved and working for a new client.

On being asked to “pick my brains”

As a recognised “expert” in something (Marie is one of the UK’s leading Facebook Marketing experts and trainers) I’ve become pretty frustrated at times over the years by people who wanted to “pick my brains” over a coffee thinking that they could somehow download all I know about a topic over couple of hours. Often it’s simply that people don’t understand the very broad scope of what they are trying to achieve. It drove me to writing a few ebooks on key topics, and nowadays I tend to point people at particular posts on The Digiterati blog or at a training course we are running first.

On giving it away for free

Part of what sets The Digiterati apart from other marketing agencies is that we don’t hoard our knowledge. We actively share our expertise and a lot of that is made available free-of-charge through the website. We find that we can give away pretty much all our knowledge about a subject and yet people still want us to come in and do it for them. Understanding about something but actually having the time and skill to deliver it are very different things.

At the very least that openness conveys a sense of trust that we really do know our stuff. (If you’d like an example of how we give away our expertise, click here to join a free short email course about Facebook advertising best practice).

On my best network

The best network I have ever been part of is the one that comprises the people I met while doing a Digital Marketing MSc at Manchester Metropolitan University. Because the entry criteria is pretty strict they only take relatively senior and experienced digital marketers so we probably learned as much from each other as we did from the course. Years later we still meet up. I’ve employed people I’ve met there, been passed clients, passed on work and even started a business with some of them (yep – that’s how The Digiterati started). During that MSc process we started a private Facebook Group for those on the course. This has proven better than any LinkedIn or Mastermind group I’ve been involved with. About 200 members and most days we find someone offering work, posing a digital problem, sharing a helpful link, asking for advice or a reference. It’s far from the overtly sales-oriented way a lot of LinkedIn groups seem to function. Genuinely a collaborative and supportive community.

On online networking

I don’t tend to go to a lot of formal networking events or conferences. Whilst I do love the inspiration you get from a good conference, they take huge amounts of time and those I’m interested in are megabucks! I really need to get out on the speaker network and get invited that way! Certainly the smaller events I’ve been asked to talk at in recent months have been really enjoyable. I always learn something from the audience and it’s a great opportunity to meet new people interested in the same things.

But with so much online there is plenty to learn there from the comfort of your desk. And immense virtual networking opportunities. Again the principle of giving your knowledge away yields dividends so I blog, we’ve just created a free “Digital Doctor” service, I comment on social media threads, and I spend a fair amount of time in Facebook Groups where I’m mostly learning but also contributing. I also do a bit pro-actively on LinkedIn, generally though the blogging platform there but I find LinkedIn Groups tend to be full of people either not so subtly selling or with bizarre keyboard warrior questions and opinions.

I think Facebook’s new Messenger updates will have huge potential for online networking. We are already seeing people connecting with us via Messenger from all over the world. They have technical questions, are researching articles they are writing or are looking for expert advice. It will be fascinating to see how brands develop their approach with Messenger. It’s almost like the old days of Twitter where the platform was a way of getting a back door connection with a celebrity and fast tracking to live chat rather than email.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the above. I don’t consider myself an expert networker by any means. But it was an interesting process to spend some time reflecting on it.

What do you do differently?

Marie Page

About Marie Page

Marie Page is one of the UK’s leading Facebook marketing experts. She is a founding partner of digital marketing consultancy The Digiterati and the Digiterati Academy e-learning portal for marketers and entrepreneurs. Her award-winning Master's Dissertation was the culmination of three years' academic research into Facebook that resulted in a book (and companion online course) 'Winning at Facebook Marketing with Zero Budget' that became an Amazon bestseller. Marie's work on the Facebook News Feed algorithm was featured in The Huffington Post. A recognised thought leader on social media, Marie is often approached by journalists for comment in articles such as this Telegraph article. She was also interviewed for ITV's Tonight show on Facebook privacy issues in relation to advertising. Marie is a regular guest on digital marketing blogs and podcasts including Social Media Examiner and Smart Insights. In 2018 she is speaking at Brighton SEO, Europe's biggest search and marketing conference. Marie is also author of two Smart Insights books: 'Smarter Guide to Facebook Marketing', now in its fourth edition, and 'Facebook Ads Guide', both edited by Dr Dave Chaffey. Marie is also a part time yoga teacher.

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