#2 Networking on social media
There is a distinct lack of trust or quality in virtual relationships these days. Not surprisingly when the primary focus has shifted from how your friends and family are doing to a focus on the number of strangers following us and how to become an influencer and sign big sponsorship deals!
Facebook used to be a way to keep up with family and friends but has grown into a business platform, with business pages, business groups, and business ads. They are very effective, but I’m sure you can agree the sheer number of Facebook Ads taking over home feeds has been quite an adjustment!
Instagram is a great tool for sharing photos, my friends and I use it as our own personal photo albums, but for business, it is great for highlighting products and gaining views.
Snapchat took over for a while, though I never did jump on that bandwagon, and now we have Tiktok, hours of dancing and less than one minute — the length of any attention span these days — of entertainment.
Am I showing my age yet? ;-)
Keeping it real
Truth is it doesn’t have to be this way. In fact, most people who succeed in these social media platforms would argue that it is only by keeping it real, authentic, and genuine, that they really found success. Well, that and consistent content!
We can still ensure some level of real connection on at least one social media platform in our lives. It is possible. For me, the one I defend my profile and connections on — quite vehemently I might add — is LinkedIn.
My professional qualifications and experience were hard-earned and hard-won, and I still use the platform to genuinely connect people. Therefore the last thing I want to do is pollute my network with people I don’t know personally who are connecting to then take advantage of my network. Or worse still to use their new “second connections” as sales opportunities, sending spam as direct message!
If we want to develop real, lasting relationships, ones that can not only develop online, but also move offline, and relationships that translate into jobs and business collaborations when it comes to LinkedIn, then it is important to not accept everyone and anyone.
Don’t treat LinkedIn like other platforms, if you are using it as a professional or business tool, it does not need to be a numbers game. In fact, it functions better for jobs and businesses when used authentically.
Improved connections and support
We can ensure we maintain healthy and real connections, even on LinkedIn. I use my genuine connections on LinkedIn to introduce people to each other to introduce people who need advice, or support, or to recommend mentors. I also use LinkedIn to suggest my network for jobs, or as freelancers, to promote their businesses and support their businesses.
Therefore I absolutely refuse to accept everyone that approaches me and asks me to connect, especially if they are 3rd place connections. I still want my integrity and word to mean something when I introduce connections, even on LinkedIn. It is important for me to add value to my own network.
That’s my personal preference, but of course, everyone has the freedom to use the tools as they prefer.
Increased collaboration
We can increase collaboration and partnerships through the use of LinkedIn and even develop some of our businesses through the process. I use my LinkedIn profile to introduce people to each other for partnerships, or for business collaborations.
Introductions can help spur ideation and innovation. Introductions can simply introduce a start-up to established companies and suggest doing a pilot together. They can span all manner of business development and sales, consulting and freelance work, and bring together the most unusual connections for collaboration. And I love to do it for people I know, respect and like.
Unlike Facebook or Instagram where numbers of followers reign king, I don’t use LinkedIn the same way, don’t go for increased connections. I prefer to use it to expand my network of friends.
“Remember: at the end of the day, people do business with friends.” — Brian D. Evans
So whether online or in-person, ensure connections are with genuine contacts, link with only those that have contacts in common that you already respect…and start networking.
Tips and tools will be shared on this feature page. Feel free to ask questions or share your own thoughts and concerns as I share mine.
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