August 10, 2021
5 min read
The right professional community can make all the difference when it comes to growing and scaling your business.
Business networking is often thought of as a time-consuming process, and that can certainly be true. However, it’s also possible to grow your professional network without spending countless hours attending conferences and coffee meet-ups.
In this guide, we’ll share some tips that only require a small amount of extra time each week. If you can dedicate an hour or two to business networking each week, you can find the community you and your business need to thrive.
Keeping your LinkedIn profile up-to-date can provide a helpful organic boost to your networking efforts.
That’s because LinkedIn has a setting that allows you to notify your network about certain types of changes to your profile.
Updating your LinkedIn profile, then sharing those updates with your network, is an easy way to keep your name on the radar of your professional contacts. You never know, seeing an update may even inspire someone to get in touch about an opportunity that’s a perfect fit for your business.
If you aren’t already a member of online groups that are related to your profession or industry, here’s how to find the right communities on LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is the de-facto professional networking tool, but it’s not the only place to find your ideal online communities. You can also use a search engine to check for additional communities that might help you expand your business network.
Joining groups is the first step, but you also need to participate. When you’re ready to join a discussion, keep the following in mind:
Here’s how it works: You’ll introduce two of your contacts. In exchange, they’ll introduce you to one of their contacts. To make it happen, simply post about the introduction swap on LinkedIn or send emails with an invitation to participate.
If people in your network are willing to share their contacts, this can be a quick and easy way to make valuable new connections.
The great thing about each of these tips is that they won’t take up too much of your time.
With that in mind, here’s my challenge to you: Choose one item from this list each week. Within one month, you’ll have an expanded business network that can help you grow your business.