Relationships are smart marketing in a recession, because they are free!
Relationships become more important each passing day. Money magazine recently did an article on making connections. They suggested we attend at least one Networking function per week! Whether currently employed, or a student, we need to be out there increasing our network or we will have a hard time getting or keeping a job. WHY?
According to major headhunter research, 40% of new jobs are found by reconnecting with old colleagues or professional recommendation by someone in the firm. This makes economic sense. If I can hire someone who is referred by an existing employee, then Personnel doesn't have to spend time and money to run and ad, nor do they have to hire a recruiting firm.
We see alot about "connections" and social media. But Network building is about not just making the connection, but what we do after we make them. Ongoing dialogue, follow up by eMail, phone calls, actual letters - Christmas cards - whatever real live human contact we make spell much better relationship building than just "let's connect".
I have a few accounts on Twitter. Some are rather small, like @CicerosGhost for instance, which specializes in Cicero the Orator/Statesman from antiquity. Now that account is purely for entertainment purposes, and I don't use it for making "connections" so much as just a way to collect all his sayings and follow those people who appreciate Cicero. I don't actually spend much time trying to connect to those people, although if someone were to respond, I could and would follow up.
But is a response tweet really a connection? Yes and no. In it's simplest definition, a tweet is a connection when directed immediately to someone. But it's also just 140 character communication like a text message. As a matter of fact it is a text message, just sent over the Internet.
Real follow up is made when I can provide some better and more lasting forms of communication. Imagine for a moment, if I had a system where I could actually benefit all of my Twitter followers! Oh goodness, what a system that would be, but sadly it's impossible. People are following for all kinds of reasons, many of them, simply because I follow back. They don't want me to call them, they don't want a "relationship" they simply want to know me on Twitter, follow them back, and that's it.
Other "connections" have been built through cross marketing or better termed: "the symbiotic relationship of the Big 3", meaning Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I have "connected" on Twitter, then befriended on FB, and finally had invitations to do business with people on LinkedIn. This relationship is made more efficient by the fact that I put my LinkedIn profile on my Twitter Profile Page.
So just connecting on Twitter is great, don't misunderstand me here, but in order to have a real relationship, something more must be done. The use of DM for instance on Twitter is important, we can write something we might not want the rest of the world to know. Getting to know someone by eMail and then chatting with them is a step.
http://facebook.com/ProNetworkBuild
Lonny Dunn Tweets at @PronetworkBuild and and is also an Editor/Author
Top of Blog See All of ProNetworkBuid
Return to Twitter
Relationships become more important each passing day. Money magazine recently did an article on making connections. They suggested we attend at least one Networking function per week! Whether currently employed, or a student, we need to be out there increasing our network or we will have a hard time getting or keeping a job. WHY?
According to major headhunter research, 40% of new jobs are found by reconnecting with old colleagues or professional recommendation by someone in the firm. This makes economic sense. If I can hire someone who is referred by an existing employee, then Personnel doesn't have to spend time and money to run and ad, nor do they have to hire a recruiting firm.
We see alot about "connections" and social media. But Network building is about not just making the connection, but what we do after we make them. Ongoing dialogue, follow up by eMail, phone calls, actual letters - Christmas cards - whatever real live human contact we make spell much better relationship building than just "let's connect".
I have a few accounts on Twitter. Some are rather small, like @CicerosGhost for instance, which specializes in Cicero the Orator/Statesman from antiquity. Now that account is purely for entertainment purposes, and I don't use it for making "connections" so much as just a way to collect all his sayings and follow those people who appreciate Cicero. I don't actually spend much time trying to connect to those people, although if someone were to respond, I could and would follow up.
But is a response tweet really a connection? Yes and no. In it's simplest definition, a tweet is a connection when directed immediately to someone. But it's also just 140 character communication like a text message. As a matter of fact it is a text message, just sent over the Internet.
Real follow up is made when I can provide some better and more lasting forms of communication. Imagine for a moment, if I had a system where I could actually benefit all of my Twitter followers! Oh goodness, what a system that would be, but sadly it's impossible. People are following for all kinds of reasons, many of them, simply because I follow back. They don't want me to call them, they don't want a "relationship" they simply want to know me on Twitter, follow them back, and that's it.
Other "connections" have been built through cross marketing or better termed: "the symbiotic relationship of the Big 3", meaning Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. I have "connected" on Twitter, then befriended on FB, and finally had invitations to do business with people on LinkedIn. This relationship is made more efficient by the fact that I put my LinkedIn profile on my Twitter Profile Page.
So just connecting on Twitter is great, don't misunderstand me here, but in order to have a real relationship, something more must be done. The use of DM for instance on Twitter is important, we can write something we might not want the rest of the world to know. Getting to know someone by eMail and then chatting with them is a step.
http://facebook.com/ProNetworkBuild
Lonny Dunn Tweets at @PronetworkBuild and and is also an Editor/Author
Top of Blog See All of ProNetworkBuid
Return to Twitter
Lon
Dunn writes on Evan Carmichael as a productivity and efficiency
expert. He wrote and edited The Thesaurus News from 1995 to 2001
with a specialty in Telephony Infastructure Stocks. With over 20
years following the Mobile Industry, Lon helps Companies,
Professionals and Organizations develop Mobile Marketing Strategies
combined with Social Media Strategies to strategically target
specific markets and demographics to rapidly increase revenues. His
most recent book available on Amazon is “How to Use Twitter for
Local Business” with Tips and Mobile Marketing Strategies that
anyone can do themselves. You can download the free “Kindle App
for PC to download the book to your Desktop available on the Kindle
Site:
http://www.amazon.com/How-Twitter-Local-Business-ebook/dp/B007VSR6Y2