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  Networking is the process of meeting and interacting with people. This could be for the purpose of business or personal growth. Building healthy and strong networks is important for every individual, not just for the aim of growing their business, but for personal exposure.
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Networking with the right people puts you on a pedestal for life success. This means that it can and should never be taken for granted. In the business world, building good networks is one of the prerequisites for scaling a business, as it can be a viable tool for growth. I will be outlining in this article, some tips on how you can build your business network and leverage it for success.
  • Know your audience
At the core of whatever you want to achieve in your business is the knowledge of your audience. Who are you serving? Who are you rendering services to? Where are they? And how can you find them? When you are able to determine these, then you can know who you should be seeking to network with. Once you know the people you are serving in your business, then you can know where and how to find them. Only then will you know what industry-based events you should attend.

  • Meet and mingle

People cannot know about you or your business when you don’t put yourself out there in their faces. After events like the industry-based events we discussed in the first point, you should take out some minutes to engage in reasonable discussions with people. I know that everyone is not extroverted or will want to initiate conversations, but for the sake of your survival in this social space, you must take baby steps toward mingling with people.
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Share your business cards with them too, so they have a remnant of you that they can carry home with them.

  • Optimize your social media

Just as physical meetings are beneficial, it is also important that you invest in making your social media pages attractive. You sure wouldn’t want to meet with someone physically, wearing a rag. The same applies to your social media space. Create useful content on your social media pages. Invest in engaging with your audience. Take quality pictures for the gram, and make your feed as interesting, yet educative as possible. When people check you out, they want to see something pleasing. Don’t disappoint them.
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  • Connect online

Now you know there is a need for you to put yourself together, social media-wise, it is now time to connect with others. A great platform that helps you connect with professionals is LinkedIn. Facebook is another worthy platform. Check out profiles of credible people in your industry and send them requests for connection. Shoot emails to them and also Direct Messages (DMs) to get their attention towards you. Another great way to connect online is to follow influencers in your specific industry. Get into their space. Engage with their posts and be sure to take your ideas from their pages on how to do better with yours.  In all, you should be thirsty for inspiration to build your own platform. You can even get some of them to mentor you first-hand. This way, their years of experience will be compressed into their time with you. So keep learning and growing your network! Featured Image Source: Nwes
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This article was first published on 26th May 2022

chidiogo-akaelu

Chidiogo Shalom Akaelu holds a degree in English and Literary Studies, from the University of Nigeria. She is a freelance writer, editor and founder of Loana Press, a budding online publishing outlet.

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