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5 Tips to Create a Network of Value: It’s Not How Many, It’s How Hot They Are!

Five plus years into online networking I am continually amazed by the apparent randomness with which most people go about building their networks.

Answer the following questions and you’ll see what I mean.

Build Your Net Worth By Building Your Network
  1. Does it really make sense to you to heed Facebook’s friend suggestions? (Facebook is not that smart!)
  2. Are you truly comfortable connecting with someone with no face and half a bio?
  3. Don’t you want to know WHY someone wants to connect with you, beyond the generic “I’d like to add you as a trusted member of my network?”
  4. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have 200 targeted connections who know you, like you, trust you and will refer business leads to you, than 2000 tepid unknowns that are there to build your numbers?
  5. Does asking random people you know to “like” your page, even though they aren’t your target market and would do this just to be nice, add up to business?

Okay, now in case you didn’t answer the above correctly, let me share just five simple tips to rock your online networking to a place of business building instead of time wasting.

#1 Lead with your FACE
On every network, lead with a current, recognizable FACE image of yourself with a SMILE. Research has shown that people with smiling pictures get 3x as many opportunities to connect and their invitations are infinitely more likely to be accepted.

#2 Complete your BIO
Be concise, use language that your market will know, don’t get stuck in industry jargon. Your bio is meant to share quickly and easily, WHO you are, WHAT you do, WHO you do it for or with, and WHY you do it (the results.) Be benefit based, not feature focused.

#3 Know your INFLUENCERS
Establish the key criteria for those who have access to your market and can provide you with targeted leads. Connecting to build numbers is a waste of time, even if it does impress strangers (they are strangers, do you really care?) Reach out to your influencers, they are the one’s who can bring your market to you.

Give Your Connections the Red Carpet Treatment ~ Say Thank YOU!

#4 Make every invite PERSONAL
Every invite you send whether on LinkedIn or Facebook or any other network, has the option of adding a personal message. Never send an invite without using this powerful real estate. The personal message must indicate how you know this person or how you found them, why you want to connect, and what you can do for them. Lead with establishing reciprocity. When you give to them first or offer to serve and support their success, they are a lot more likely to be interested in turning around and doing the same for you.

#5 Follow up with THANK YOU
Once your invitation is accepted, for goodness sake, follow up with thank you. Thank that person for connecting and reiterate what you can provide to serve and support their success. Be interested in what they are currently working on or even a recent vacation they may have taken. Leverage this opening to show them genuinely that they can know, like, and trust you and you are a dependable and valuable connection. (By the way, almost no one ever does this, you will be light years ahead.)

Hey, talk to me and let me know if you are using these techniques and how effective they are.

Is your network growing your net worth or proving to be a time waster and worth less? It’s a choice.

If you’ve got any tips you’d like to share, please do it here in comments.

Always connect with me online, just make it PERSONAL! Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter . . .

Filed Under: Best Business Practices, Facebook Marketing, LinkedIn Marketing, Marketing Strategies, Referral Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Success Habits, Twitter Marketing Tagged With: Business Development, Business Tips, Getting More Business, Lead Generation, Marketing Strategies, Networking, Relationship Marketing, Social Media, Success Tips

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Comments

  1. Bruce says

    May 28, 2012 at 9:43 am

    Melissa, after we first met, I found your information very much something I was needing. In so I reached out to connect with you. #4 and #5 as the exchange went between us was my first experience for the “personal” touch.

    It somehow had a more realistic feel to the situation and I found them to be fantastic.

    Thanks so much for the information.

    Reply
  2. Melissa Galt says

    May 28, 2012 at 10:42 am

    Bruce,

    Delighted to be able to provide helpful tips. I think you’ll find they will consistently drive your net work to become your net worth and save you the time wasters of building idle numbers.

    Great to hear from you always! Well done on the avatar. How about adding a smile, LOL.

    Hugs, Melissa

    Reply
  3. Caroline says

    May 29, 2012 at 12:37 pm

    tMelissa -Oh how this resonated with me. I call them my pet peeves of Social Networking and it’s so nice that there are others out there that find them irritating.
    Thanks for verbalising this so succinctly.

    Caroline

    Reply
    • Melissa Galt says

      May 29, 2012 at 3:08 pm

      Thanks Caroline,

      Always glad to strike a chord!

      Hugs, Melissa

      Reply
  4. Jerry@real estate website designer says

    June 21, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    Melisa trust is something which is extremely important for any business and this should also show to the customers too.

    Reply
    • Melissa Galt says

      June 22, 2012 at 3:30 pm

      Jerry,

      Of course, it is important to KLT, know, like and trust our customers :).

      Hugs, Melissa

      Reply
  5. Brandonnardy says

    June 28, 2023 at 1:01 am

    https://meclizinex.com/

    Reply
  6. meclizinel says

    June 30, 2023 at 2:37 pm

    buy meclizine

    Reply

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