We want to belong to virtual professional networks that help us grow. But online networks come with risks: wasted time, superficial connections to people who don’t really care about us; canned, insincere marketing pitches to wade through and delete.
So how do we grow worthwhile virtual networks? By being sincere and mutual. We represent ourselves and our work honestly, without exaggeration. When we ask our virtual network for referrals, we give referrals, too.
Follow these four virtual networking tips, and make professional connections that will help you grow:
- Ask questions when you comment, like, or share. If you’re already liking the social posts of people in your virtual network, that’s great, but try asking a question instead. If someone shares a research study, for example, like it and ask which finding surprised them most. When a connection posts about a change to a local program for small business owners, ask whether they approve of the change. Questions start conversations, and conversations build networks.
- Be generous with introductions and smooth the process with an app. If you’ve made this type of introduction in the past, you’ve probably done it by writing a gracious email: “Zoe and Reagan, I’d like to introduce you to each other. Zoe is an experienced accountant, and Reagan is a founder of a new nonprofit who needs a QuickBooks expert …” The downside of email intros is that you may never know whether people connected.
Consider using an app like You Should Meet or Bridge to facilitate your business matchmaking. These apps prevent endless email threads and give you, the connector, an easy way to keep track of your introductions and receive feedback from the people you introduced.
Recently, my former client used Bridge to introduce me to a graphic designer who’s looking to expand her business. The Bridge app’s automated reminders bugged me a little at first, but they did prompt me to actually set up a meeting with the designer, so I was glad for the app’s help.
- Rediscover the intimacy of talking to people on the phone. I know you hate the phone, but I also know you want your networking efforts to build real relationships. Schedule a phone call with that person whose blog you love or whose posts you always share. On the phone, people are better listeners, and you’ll avoid all that webcam eye contact weirdness while you’re building this new connection. Plus, there’s the novelty of talking on the phone, which can help when you’re trying to extend your network.
- Exploit every feature, facet and opportunity on LinkedIn. In my experience, LinkedIn has become a more generous online place, with less posing and bragging and more sincere offers to help connections who are open-to-work. Learn all the LinkedIn tips and tricks, like how to tell when your connections are online and available for messaging or how to filter your connections by location, a feature you’ll definitely want to use if someday you want to meet a member of your virtual network at a local café.
Expect some awkwardness. Virtual networking includes some of the same social discomfort you experience with in-person networking: not knowing how to break into a conversation, mixing up two people with similar names or forgetting where one person works when you’re making an introduction. But if you want a virtual community that will help you grow, you can handle a little awkwardness, right?
Leslie O’Flahavan is a get-to-the point writer and an experienced, versatile writing instructor. E-WRITE owner since 1996, Leslie leads customized writing courses for Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations.
Leslie helps the most stubborn, inexperienced, or word-phobic employees at your organization improve their writing skills, so they can do their jobs better. As a result of her work, Leslie’s clients improve their customer satisfaction ratings, reduce training cycles, improve productivity, and limit legal risk. Leslie is a LinkedIn Learning author of six writing courses including Writing in Plain Language, Technical Writing, and Writing for Social Media. She’s the cohost of the monthly LinkedIn Live broadcast “Fix This Writing!”
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