You’re looking for ways to build your professional network. How can you leverage social media?

1 Choose the right platforms

Not all social media platforms are the same when it comes to professional networking; some are better for exhibiting your work, while others are great for interacting with peers and experts, or learning and staying informed. Depending on your goals and preferences, you may want to focus on one or more of the following platforms. LinkedIn is the most popular choice for professional networking, allowing you to create a profile that shows off your skills, experience, education, and achievements. You can also join groups, follow companies and influencers, share articles and updates, and send messages to potential contacts. Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that helps you stay up-to-date with the latest trends in quality management. Hashtags, mentions, and retweets enable you to join conversations and boost your visibility. Facebook is usually used for personal and social purposes but it can also be a great tool for professional networking if you join relevant groups, pages, and events. You can also use Facebook to share your work, ask questions, provide feedback, and connect with other quality management professionals. YouTube is a video-sharing platform that allows you to demonstrate your quality management skills, projects, and accomplishments through videos. You can also watch videos from other quality management professionals and subscribe to channels that offer useful information and tips.

3 Build and maintain relationships

The essence of professional networking is building and maintaining relationships with people who can help you grow and succeed in your quality management career. To do this on social media, you should follow and connect with those who share your goals, interests, and values. This can include peers, mentors, leaders, experts, or influencers in your field. You should also engage with your contacts by liking, commenting, sharing, and replying to their posts. Show your appreciation, support, curiosity, and feedback. Additionally, provide value to your contacts by sharing useful and relevant content related to quality management such as articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars. Reach out to them by sending personalized and respectful messages introducing yourself and explaining your purpose. Ask for advice, referrals, or collaborations while avoiding spamming or selling. Finally, follow up with your contacts by keeping in touch and acknowledging their achievements. Remember their names, birthdays, and important events. Thank them for their help and offer your help in return.

4 Showcase your expertise

To attract and impress potential contacts on social media, it's best to showcase your expertise in quality management. You can do this by creating and sharing original content that demonstrates your skills, knowledge, and experience. This can be in the form of blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, case studies, or presentations. Participating in online events related to quality management is another way to showcase your insights, questions, and feedback. Joining and contributing to online communities focused on quality management topics is also a great way to share your opinions, tips, and best practices. Finally, display any credentials you have that validate your quality management skills and knowledge on your profiles or posts.

5 Learn and improve

Social media is not only a place to network and showcase your expertise, but also a great resource for learning and improving your quality management skills and knowledge. You can follow and learn from quality management experts, influencers, thought leaders, or organizations that offer valuable insights, resources, and trends in your field. Additionally, you can seek and accept feedback from contacts, peers, mentors, or experts on your work, skills, or performance. Moreover, you can explore and experiment with new ideas, tools, methods, or approaches in quality management using social media tools. Furthermore, you can keep learning and updating your quality management skills and knowledge by accessing online courses, books, podcasts, or articles available on social media platforms or linked from them.