Networking Groups Help You Grow Locally
One essential element of my business that I find to be more important every day is networking. Whether you do your networking online or through the traditional route of meeting people in the real world, or both, I highly recommend that you add this low-cost marketing tactic to your arsenal of daily or weekly activity. There are many ways to go about networking and I recommend that you incorporate both online and off line networking strategies. One of the most effective networking opportunities you’ll ever find, though, is your local business networking group.
If you search the classifieds of your local paper - usually the shopper is a good place for these - you’ll find ads for local small business networking groups. Many groups meet for breakfast or lunch, and some may even meet in the evening one night a week. They are usually organized by week or month. The most effective networking groups meet weekly.
By joining one of these networking groups you’ll not only have access to all the members of the group, but to their network of contacts as well. If you have 10 members of your group and all of them have 100 potential networks or contacts then that’s 1,000 people that you have direct access to through your combined circles of influence. Many of those people will be merely acquaintances, but acquaintances have a way of spawning into full-fledged friendships if you give them time.
Networking through a local meeting group like this can be very rewarding. The best networking groups only allow one person of any particular type of business in the network, which means that you have no competition within that network. For instance, if you are a doctor then there won’t be any other doctors in the group - unless they allow for specific specialties. If you are a barber then there won’t be any other barbers.
Networking groups also usually allow members to give presentations from time to time and share contacts on a regular basis. Many even have recruiting activities once a month or once per quarter. Whatever your business and no matter your location, having a networking group to meet with on a regular basis can be very rewarding.
Melberg Marketing
Blue Chip Marketing Tips
Small Business Mavericks
Tags: networking, off line marketing, online marketing, small business
May 26th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Great advice, Caroline! Even though I market myself as a Virtual Assistant, my clients are all local and I met all of them through networking events. One organization that is perfect for women entrepreneurs is the National Association of Women Business Owners (www.nawbo.org). They have chapters all of the United States and it’s a great place to learn those networking skills!
May 26th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Hi Melodee,
Thanks for your comment - great point about NAWBO, I just recently joined this year and have found it to be a great organization. Also, eWomen Network is another group I’ve been involved with for almost a year now, and have found it to be a terrific group as well - they have what they call “Accelerated Networking” where everyone at the table gets 60 seconds to introduce their business to the other table members - helps you hone your networking skills and get really focused about what you have to offer (because you’ve got to state it so that it makes sense in just a minute!)
Caroline