We all know that networking is great for business. It’s how you build impactful connections, grow your reputation in your field, become more visible, and generate new clients. If you want to create and nurture relationships – and ultimately grow your business – networking is essential. But what if you’re not a fan of (or are shy about) ‘networking’ in the traditional sense?

There’s more than one way to network
Yes, keeping in touch with your network might involve attending traditional networking meetings – those large events where you talk about your business to a room full of people. But it doesn’t have to. You may find you get just as much (or more) value from other activities. Things like:

• Organising regular client catch-ups
• Picking up the phone to check in with prospects and other people you know in your business community
• Meeting a contact for a coffee
• Emailing ex-colleagues from back in the day to say hello
• Liking and commenting on your contacts’ social media posts
• Sending relevant articles and other useful content to people in your network (‘I saw this and thought of you…’)
• Connecting your contacts with other relevant acquaintances
• Attending small local events, like business lunches or breakfasts (far less formal than large, structured networking meetings)
• Setting up your own meeting of local business owners
• Organising a small educational event for your clients – a chance to bring people together and unite them around a specific topic

What works for OCTOPUS
If you’re local to Woking, we highly recommend the Henchards monthly business lunch, and the Woking & Sam Beare Hospice quarterly business breakfast – you’ll find us at both events, enjoying the food and getting to know people! (By the way, we’ve also worked with clients to set up their own events, both online and in person, to deepen their connection with their network.)

But most importantly, our founder Frances is always out and about meeting with clients and prospects, and picking up the phone to people. Looking after your network can be as simple as that – checking in on a regular basis to keep those connections alive.

So if traditional networking events aren’t your scene, we hope this article shows that there are plenty of ways to nurture and grow your network. We’d also love to hear how you keep in touch with your network. What activities work best for you? And can OCTOPUS help you expand your reach even further?

(Image by Freepik)