The Do's and Don'ts of Social Networking

I have been a prolific social networker since 2008. Networking is the life-blood of my business and the advent of social media has been a godsend to me as the Director of a small business. I have learned through trial and error how to get the most out of sites like LinkedIn, and with over 140,000 followers I must be doing something right!   Social Networking can be an amazing tool if used correctly, but it is also a bit of a minefield. I know quite a few professionals who just don’t bother, not because they don’t see the value in it, but because they are not sure how to do it properly. 

I was asked to do a paper on the subject of the do’s and don’ts of social networking and thought I would share it with my network – I hope you find it useful!

Social networking is a phenomenal way to enrich your professional life. If used properly it can be a great tool to win business, market your company and yourself as an individual, get that new role, or just a great way to stay in touch with market trends and learn from other leaders out there. However, I have witnessed many people get it wrong which can have a really negative impact on your professional status. Here are some guidelines to help you with your social networking journey.

DO:

·        Conduct yourself online as you would in person. Remain professional at all times and be aware that anything you “like” will show up on the feed of anyone who is connected with you.

·        Get into the habit of social networking daily. Online networking is part and parcel of most professionals daily working life, if you are not getting involved daily, chances are you are missing out.

·        Remember that networking works best when used to build meaningful, productive and long-term relationships.

·        Use on-line networking to facilitate in-person meetings and networking opportunities. Technology is brilliant but should never replace that personal touch. Nothing can replace the value that comes from meeting people face to face.

·        Keep in mind that networking is about give and take. If you want to connect with someone and benefit from that connection, they will inevitably want the same from you.

DON’T:

·        Fall into the trap of “quantity over quality”. Too many professionals see online networking sites as an opportunity to mass-market. The issue with this is that it’s obvious what you are doing, and professionals don’t like it. Being spammed feels very different to being approached with a targeted, relevant and meaningful email.

·        Connect to just anyone.  Your network is most powerful when it consists of likeminded individuals with similar interests, goals and experience. If you connect to everyone and anyone you will find your time is taken up browsing irrelevant information which wastes your time and gets you nowhere.

·        Be too picky. It’s a balancing act between not connecting to everyone but also ensuring you connect to enough people for social networking to be effective. 

·        Become lazy. I know many individuals who have replaced good old face to face meetings with sitting behind a desk all day communicating via technology. 

·        Get involved in online arguments / comment on inappropriate content. It WILL be seen by all of your connections.

Traditional networking sites are fantastic if you keep this best practice in mind, however the way they are set up means it’s all too easy to make mistakes. I have discovered a new app which actually supports and reinforces best practise through how it works. It is called Shapr and I came across it when doing some research into alternatives to the standard sites.

Shapr works in the same way as Tinder, except its aim is to foster professional, not personal relationships. You enter a number of topics that you are interested in and are “matched” with professionals who have the same interests and who are in a relevant location. You then receive 15 matches a day to swipe through. If you both swipe “yes” then you are agreeing to network and build a business relationship.

I love it because it’s encouraging all the good practises I have listed above – mindfulness in networking, building meaningful and long term relationships, and making social networking a part of your everyday working routine. Most importantly for me, it promotes the importance of meeting people off-line, actively encouraging this rather than increasing the risk of not bothering at all. The apps intention is to get you actually meeting your matches face to face, not just accepting a connection online.

You can sign up to the app by following the link https://m.onelink.me/dd96b0bb or go to the apps store on your phone.

It is great to have an opportunity to engage with individuals who have a mutual interest and understand that the premise of the app is to meet, so there is no room for confusion or cross-purposes.  

For me, social networking is most effective when employing a number of methods and I find that Shapr supports my LinkedIn activity and enhances it. 

I hope you have found these tips useful! Happy networking everyone!