Overwhelmed with networking tasks and doubly short on time? Try these quick and easy tips to implement online networking strategies to build even stronger relationships.
With all the interest lately in social networking, I'm finding that a lot of people are confused and overwhelmed with how to make time for this newfangled activity. I’ve had people tell me that they receive invitations all the time to become “friends” or to “link up” and they are choosing to ignore, rather than accept the invitations because they just don’t know what to do or how much time to invest in these new online activities. Bottom line they want to know: is this a good use of my time?
The short answer is a resounding YES, this is a good use of your time.
Online social networking is an important part of your branding and of your online “footprint”. When people “Google” you (and you know that they are doing it … you’ve probably Googled them as well) you want to have some online real estate that shows that you are an active, viable business. Online social networks give you that kind of real estate, so it would be helpful to your business for you to spend a little time each day if possible to claim more Internet real estate as your own.
To start making an impact in your social networking arenas, I'm recommending some easy two-minute drills that you can do online to improve your connections with your network.
These ideas assume that you already have a profile on LinkedIn, Facebook, My Space, Biznik, Zoodango, or any of the multitude of other Social Media sites out there on the internet. If you are on more than one of these (and you should be) just pick one to focus on for now. Put two minutes on your calendar for each day for a week and then get busy with some of these two-minute drills.
If you can make the time each day to devote two minutes to social networking in this way, you'll find that pretty soon you can easily do 5 minutes a day. In 5 minutes a day, you can double the number of people you impact with these quick, simple, and painless strategies.
When you get the hang of one social network, it will be time to add one more. Start the process all over again. Just pick one thing that you enjoy doing for yourself and your network and you'll find that people will notice your efforts at making them feel important.
And that's what building relationships is all about. You make yourself memorable by making other people feel noticed and appreciated. And won’t you be glad that you made the time to do just that! Will you accept the challenge? Go make a difference in the online lives of 5 people you know this week. I'd love to hear back on how these two-minute strategies are working for you.
Zita Gustin helps business people realize the many opportunities presented through social contact (whether online or face 2 face) to spread the word about their businesses.
www.thesavvynetworker.com provides many tips and ideas for GREAT connections.
Learn more about the author, Zita Gustin.
After asking a similar question on Biznik about online social networking, I received some great suggestions. The common theme was find a way to add value to others.
I think your comments here not only help the new online social networker to this, but also offers practical advice for those of us with multiple accounts. By spending quality focused time on the sites, you get a stronger and more meaningful network.
Great post, Zita! Keep writing more like this!
HAHA. C'mon, somebody had to do it.
Seriously, though, what I love about your articles, Zita is not only that they're interesting and useful, but that you take actionable items and cut them up for us into bite-sized chunks that are easily doable. Thanks again for the great tips.
Zita, great examples of how to reduce monumental into do-able. Thanks!
Thank you for giving us an easy, efficient way to navigate the daunting world of social media. I often find myself spending far more time on these sites than I would like with less than thrilling results. I'm going to start utilizing these action steps to better manage my time.
A question for future articles...it's become clear to me that, although it's acceptable to have more than one specialty in business, it's necessary to market them to different niches. How can you maintain this "dual identity" in online social networks when you're connected to "friends" of both niches?
Leslie,
You crack me up! I can always count on you to add wonderful humor. By the way, since you are a power Twitter user, how about writing an article for all of us on the Business applications for Twitter?
And thank you for your comment, "you take actionable items and cut them up for us into bite-sized chunks that are easily doable." I find that a lot of people struggle with Social Media and Social Networking because they make it "TOO" big to handle. I like to show people that taken in small steps, participation in the Online Social Networking world, is not only doable but easily managed as well!
Sukie,
Thank you for your question. I'll ponder that and get back to you with a longer response. For now, the quick answers that pop to mind are these:
Facebook allows you to have only 1 profile BUT once you have your profile, you can have as many business pages as you want and that is a great way to showcase your different areas of expertise. I'll put that on my list of future articles and will alert you to it once I've got it done.
On sites like Biznik and NING, each member has their own blogging space and that's also a great place to share your different areas of expertise.
Sukie, I wanted to offer you my Congratulations on being the Emerging Leader Finalist from our local chapter of eWomenNetwork and I wish you great success as you compete in Dallas in July for the Emerging Leader of the Year Award!
This is excellent advice, Zita! So often when you are just starting out, you can be so overwhelmed.
I have just recently made the time to regularly visit other people's blogs, and even comment on one of their posts in my own blog, with a link back to their blog. Besides the good will created, the cross-promotion can help both bloggers. I even got a comment on one of my blog posts from James Chartrand from, Men with Pens, one of my 'blogging heroes." He actually thanked me for the link.
I truly believe that "good begets more good," and your article supports that.
I'd love a quote from you (with a link) in one of my upcoming marketing e-tips, with your permission.
The online social networking is a newer area for me. It was good to find out I was doing some things already. Your suggestions and ideas offer real help with practical ways to make this a more manageable arena to develop.
Thanks much!
@Judy,
Thank you for your comments and kudos to you for already being in action on some of these ideas. Commenting on other people's blogs is a fabulously easy way to raise your own online profile and your results bear that out! So few people leave comments these days because so many of us receive our blog info through RSS feeds. It only takes a couple of minutes to follow back to the original blog and leave a post and even better, as you noted, to post about another person's blog on your blog and leave them a link. Since so few do it, this is a great way to stand out from the crowd and get noticed!
I'd love to provide you with a quote and a link for one of your upcoming marketing e-tips!
@Nancy - You are welcome! I hope that you continue to find easy ways to implement your online social networking strategies. If you have questions, please feel free to ask and I'll do my best to get you the answers you are looking for!
HA! I've far surpassed the 5 minutes. I'm now a full addict of blogs and social networking. I'm excited to set up my NING account next. How do you suggest managing all the blogs and blog contacts? Thanks!
Thank you, Zita, for making this part of my business seem doable, and for pointing out it's value. I'm finding it's a full time job just to read emails from affiliates, let alone set up memberships in the many network groups. I'm one of those who has put to the side various invitations to link-in, affiliate, and be a friend! I finally took the plunge with Biznik, and look forward to making great connections.
Hi Angie,
I keep a notebook (small spiral bound - like pocket sized) right next to my monitor screen. In that notebook, I keep a list of the blogs that I like to comment on and each week I make sure to visit each of those blogs at least once.
I have a friend who keeps her list in an excel spread sheet and that works very well for her.
The blogs that I am most active on, I receive updates from by subscribing to their feed via email and that way I really stay on top of what's going on in my own blog sphere.
I have a presence on Biznik, LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Zoodango, 3 Private NING sites, and about 8 open NING sites. I maintain my Biznik site daily, my LinkedIn site about 2 to 3 times a week, Facebook about 2 times a week, MySpace about 1 time a month. The private NING sites, I usually visit daily and the open NING sites ... I visit weekly or monthly depending on which ones they are.
All of this depends on how much sleep I want to get because most of the time, I'm doing my online stuff late at night and into the wee hours of the morning!
WOW! you are busy! Thank you for the detailed response. I keep a list of favorite blogs in my bookmarks as well as on my blog but I do love Excel, so I might give that a whirl soon.
ahhhh… sleep, that's what we do when we're on vacation right?!
Thanks again!
Hi Zita, Great suggestions but for those of us who "freeze" at the volume and rapidity of the new networking/blogging technology, wouldn't it be a great idea for someone to offer their services as an internet consultant? This would ideally be someone who can guide someone (like me) to the right areas of the various networking sites we have signed up for so we can get used to navigating each one. I'd also love to have someone who searches all the blogs that I deem relevant to my business and send me the lkinks so I can post comments more efficiently instead of "slogging through the blogging" to find appropriate and relevant topics.
Wonderful article, thanks very much! I've found myself participating in more and more online networks, and really have no idea what do do with them! Your article provides great ideas about how to really connect with all those folks that I'm supposedly "connected" to!
Thanks!
Thank you so much, Zita! Having the time to engage in online networking is always a dilemma for me. I know I should be taking advantage of the contacts I make but I'm admittedly time management challenged. Having some specific, bite-sized suggestions helps me tremendously in overcoming that challenge. This is the first post of yours that I've read but you can bet I'll be going back to check out your other contributions.
@Anna,
I will be offering classes beginning in August on just these things. Please stay tuned.
My business SMART Focus Strategies does just what you are asking for. The acronym SMART stands for Social Media and Relationship Training and the Focus part helps people focus in on building the right relationships within the most powerful Social Media sites for you and for your business.
As for the "slogging through the blogging" there are many, many, many virtual assistants all over the world that will help you with that task.
If you have read The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss, you'll recognize his outsourcing strategy and you can put it to great use for yourself. If you have not read The 4-Hour Workweek ... hurry to your nearest book store and grab your copy. I read it in one day. Awesome book!
@Melinda - One of the things that can be overwhelming is just what you mentioned here, "I've found myself participating in more and more online networks, and really have no idea what to do with them!"
There are thousands of online social networking sites and groups that you can get involved with. However, quantity is always trumped by quality. I would suggest that you look at the quality of your connections and spend the greatest amount of what is always limited time on the sites where you can truly make an impact in your ability to give value to others in that network.
I would encourage you to take a look at which areas you can whittle the list down so that you can really focus in on your efforts and the impact you can make for yourself and for others. Once you've got that under control ... then you can add more.
@Paige -
You are not alone. Having the time and making the time is always a challenge in all aspects of our businesses. It comes down to what is important to move you toward your business goals. Taking on Social Media and Social Networking in bite sizes allows you time to get used to it, make it part of your routine, and to find what/where works best for you.
I'm glad that you found this article helpful and look forward to providing more info for you through my other articles.
Zita:
I love your article for the practicality and clear cut steps. I chuckle, though, because very little can really get done in 2 minutes in my case. Each online screen leads to another connection and so on and so on.
In fact I arrived at your article from the Biznik email of articles, then I started to read comments, now I'm leaving one... and it's 5 minutes later! I do love connecting, so... this is time well spent.
The cool thing is I am more of an "offline" networking girl and all the same tips apply! Help others to feel seen, appreciated and promoted. Being generous and modeling how you would like others to be in relationship with you is very powerful. You are reminding me that when I'm teaching my How to Love Networking workshops, I can widen the scope to include online practices. Thanks!
Zita, Great article, with very helpful and practical advise. It is a little overwhelming to add another task to the to do list, but this certainly breaks it down into bit sized chunks. Thanks
Gail,
You are so right about "falling down the rabbit hole" of the internet. It is so easy to start off in one direction and then end up somewhere else entirely AND to discover that you have also just spent an hour following that loose ball of thread.
What I try to share with people (and this is probably a great idea for another article) is how to manage their time when they are online.
There are times I find myself wanting to follow that bright shiny object that has just grabbed my attention ... but I've learned to say "no" to myself and remind myself what task I am on and to evaluate whether or not I really have the time to get off track.
It takes a huge amount of self discipline to do this ... because bright shiny things are so much fun to chase after!
You are so right that many online practices are just mirrors of great offline networking practices!
I love the title of your workshops and would like to learn more about what you do. I'll go check out your profile and perhaps we can link up! As a matter of fact, I'll go do that right now. Ooops, another bright, shiny object! ;->
Hi Zita, Thanks for the great tips. Although I do many of these activities already, now I've got a couple more to add to my to-do list that I'm sure will generate positive results.
I guess that means I now need to spend 5 minutes a day with this instead of two. :-)
Best, Stacy
Hi Stacy! You are welcome, and I'm glad that you found a couple of tips that you'll find useful. I know that you are a power networker both online and offline so I am humbled to know that my tips impact those just starting out with Social Networking as well as those who have been at it for quite some time.
And, I know that you more than likely are already spending more than 5 minutes a day to build and strengthen your already abundant connections! I appreciate your humor .. as always!
Best to you as well!
Zita
Thanks for the concise advice. Its hard not to feel overwhelmed online. I keep asking "where is my assistant?" hopefully I will remember your tips. Are there classes that teach this stuff ? Can my assistant attend? There is so much to know.
Danielle,
Thank you for your comments. I know that August seems months away right now... but please stay tuned as I will begin offering classes in August on this topic.
The easy way to feel less overwhelmed is to be more focused on where you are spending your time. You can start right there, right now.
Take a look at where you are currently spending your online time. Make a list.
Now take that list and put a number next to each location in order of enjoyment for you. If you are going to spend time on online social networking, it may as well be where you enjoy the interaction.
Now take that same list and put a number next to each location in the order in which you are most able to be of service to the people you are networking with in that Social Networking arena.
If you take those two variables and pick the top 3 in each category, that will give you a quick and easy (though simplified) way to decide where to spend your time online.
I hope that helps!
Zita
Zita,
I love your writing style and your picture is outrageous -- it gets us all to ask ourselves, "What is she pointing to?"
Do you have a book out there? I'd love to see a collection of your ideas in a download format. Let me know if you need my help in this regard. It's what I love to do for others--help them use their E-books for sharing what they know and what they're still learning as entrepreneurs.
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for your comments. I'm usually pointing people toward the important things that really matter to them ... and that it can be a fun journey to be on!
Tara Gimmer of Tara Gimmer Photography http://www.taragimmer.com did my business photo's and she is an awesome photographer ... mainly because she captures your true essence on film!
I love your idea about ebooks. I am working on several books right now. Let's connect. I'll send you a message through Biznik!
Thanks,
Zita
Zita, Just the initial article alone was an impressive bit of information, but the responses and your follow-ups have turned this into one impressive thread.
I love the idea about scheduling different blogs/sites for different days, but still was feeling somewhat overwhelmed. What I discovered is that I was just putting too much time into any one blog/site, and that, in no time, I was burning almost an entire morning on blogs.
Now it's an Outlook alert saying "Okay, buddy, time to move on!", which I have to obey regardless of where I think I'm at.
I also love the idea of tracking blogs and find that I'm jotting down notes to follow up on during the next visit.
You have restored belief in my ability to blog constructively and productively. Thank you, Zita!
Best regards, Edgar
Edgar,
Thank you for your kind comments!
That's a very productive idea with the Outlook alert. I have a little timer that I keep just below the monitor screen so I can clearly see it.
When it's time for me on my schedule to do my online networking at the various sites, I set the timer for the allotted time and then I get busy. I know that when the timer rings, it's time for me to stop.
It is too easy to just keep going and ignore other tasks that may not be as much fun or as desirable. And the timer helps me to be aware of my time.
My friends all know me as the queen of the timer. I carry several timers with me at all times in my purse, in my briefcase, on my desk. It's the #1 way that I know of to help me stay on track and manage my time.
Hi Zita,
Thank you for the lovely article! I've been debabting having a Facebook and MySpace account for awhile because I don't want any mixture of business with personal life and I have many friends who use both sites for staying in touch. So my question for you is, How do you have a business oriented site on Facebook or MySpace and nicely let friends/acquaintances know that they may not do or say anything that is not professional/business related? I am a Realtor and meet a lot of people without knowing their backgrounds and therefore there is a bit of a safety isssue that wanders around also...any advice? Thanks so much!!
Excellent, easily digestible tidbits to counteract the claims, "But I'm too busy to network!"
Especially the blog commenting part. It's too easy to be a passive reader and not a contributor.
Great tips, Zita. I'm new to the whole social marketing gig and I appreciate your easy to read and detailed wisdom.
Thanks so much!
I'm taking two points to the bank...taking things in TIMED Mouse-Size Bites and sorting my projects, resources and people by Value Addability!
What a great article, I dont have alot of time at the computer and this has given me some great compact use of the time that I do have. Thank you for the tips
Another pass through this, and I'm still picking up gems. RSS feeds: I know what they are but just haven't Been there done that...yet. Great time saver though.
Thanks again!
Hi Zita,
I learned a lot about how to use SNS. Now, I just spend a few minutes every day online networking, post comments, and write up a short article. Thank you always!
Hello Zita,
Thank you for the great way to look at Social Networking. I am one of those people that do more face-to-face connections, because that is what I have done for so long. I am gradually developing a new routine to do more networking on line and you have given me great ideas and tools to make it easier to develop a new habit. You are a great networking talent and a great teacher. Thanks
Hi! I liked your article and want to use your suggestions to improve my social networking skills. I have been using it to some extent and think it should improve my relationships with my friends and associates. I want to mention this site I stumbled across that I liked to save me time.http://hellotxt.com/dashboard You can send your post across several of your social sites at the same time. Please let me know what you think of it. Mike T
Zita,
I am a builder and am always pressed for time. I started down the web networking road a month or more ago but with commuting off Vashon to job sites I have ignored the sites I am on badly as of late. I am going to take your advice and spend my two minutes each morning before hitting the road. Whats two more minutes of sleep anyway?
Thanks for a great article.
Bob
Zita, I too am impressed (as is Edgar) with your article, but even more by your detailed & thougthful replies to questions. You are certainly walking the talk.... and I'm glad to know you and have you in my circle of influence. And as Leslie said... keep up the good work & keep em coming! ;) Dani p.s. August isn't far at all..Danielle shall we carpool?
Zita, Thanks for the article. I am new to online networking and this was a helpful bit of training on how to make the most of it.
Hi Zita,
Let me being by saying Woooo. This to me has been like an intervention. I am about to start online marketing to my site so yes it has been an intervention. I am one of those people who leave comments like "Nice" "Good" (shame on me) Your ideas are really really good.
Thanks for your wisdom.
Hi Zita, me again
Just one quick question what are your best bet for online marketing advertising sites or advertising search engine. So I could increase my traffic.
Thank you for your time.
Thanks again.
Hi Zita,
Very helpful information you've given me. I love how you tell it in an easy to understand and always interesting way.
Thanks!
Really enjoyed your article, Zita. I keep promising myself that I'll become more active and efficient with my online networking and your tips will certainly help. Great idea about the Google Alerts. I'd already set up one to "big brother" myself (wanted to know if my hard work was paying off), but yours is a much better use of that tool. Thanks!
Dear Zita. Thanks so much for the "new stuff!" It is rare these days to learn new, effective tips and you've got 'em. Will give these a "go." Appreciate you taking the time to put this feature together!
Hi, Zita,
Thank you for dialing down the panic many of us feel with the demands of social networking. But I still feel that much of online networking is simply to raise Google ratings... leaving us to often wade through an onslaught of narcissistic posts rather than contributions of value.
Thank you for the tips on getting through social media tasks within 2 minutes. This is very helpful to avoid anyone getting lost in the sea of constat social updates. It still seems very applicable today.
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