EXPERIMENTAL NETWORKING: A Top Trend to Embrace in 2024

By experimenting, professionals can learn to better optimize and greater monetize their networking activities.

I recently had one of our members reach out to me to ask for help with LinkedIn.

He complained he wasn’t building professional relationships or getting any kind of traction on the platform.

I asked if he implemented a strategy or designed a system for LinkedIn.

He replied he had but it wasn’t working.

I learned that he invested in a course from a LinkedIn Influencer who gave detailed instructions on how succeed on LinkedIn.

Still, he saw no improvement.

I then asked how closely he followed the course instructions.

“Well”, he replied, “As best I could. The course instructor had advised spending several hours a day on the platform - curating ideas, following others, tagging, commenting, and posting new content.”

“Ok”, I replied, “How much time did you actually spend on LinkedIn?”

“On a good day, a half-hour,” was his embarrassed response, “but on most days, less than five minutes.”

“Forget the course”, I advised, “and try experimental networking.”

Then there was my friend Aaron.

He became discouraged because, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t generate referrals or even appointments through his networking efforts.

Each week, he presented at events and introduced himself to others which produced … nothing.

He was told by his peers that his introductions and pitches were bland and “grown stale”.

I told him to mix things up.

I suggested he try new strategies, different venues, alternative approaches, and more advanced networking methods.

Then, I recommended he implement the following process to ensure his experiments were successful:

• Collect relevant data
• Track the results
• Select the best options
• Implement new strategies

So, he experimented.

He introduced new ideas, fresh perspectives, and exciting visuals into his networking.

After a month of testing and various iterations, he began generating referrals and booking out his meetings weeks in advance.

Experimenting can be that simple.

Other times, a more complex approach to experimenting may be warranted, especially if metrics and analytics are important to your experimental networking strategy.

Experimental Networking

Experimentation in marketing with methods like A/B testing and CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) has been around for years.

But for networking?

Not so much.

The first step is to get into “thinking in experiments” and having an experimentation mindset for networking.

Networking experiments could include:

• At networking events, try different variations of your introductions or presentations. Track which ones get you the most appointments.
• With online networking, try mixing up your content, following different connections, using new tools/features, and exploring new online activities (like sharing, commenting, messaging, etc). Track which ones result in the most engagement.
• For virtual networking, try various backgrounds, taglines, tools, and chat interactions. Use the Zoom surveys and advanced polls to collect the data to determine which ones worked best.

My Networking Experiments

Every month, I try to run different networking experiments to see which ones are the most effective. For example:

• I ran a 100-day social networking experiment where I posted for 3+ months on several social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and others to see what worked and what didn’t for me. You can see my results here.
• For my professional networking experiments, I’ve tried dozens of variations of content in my LinkedIn connection requests, direct messages, posts, and comments. I found A/B testing works great for networking on LinkedIn!
• With my business networking experiments, I tested new structures, methods, and tools to create the optimum networking experience for connecting professionals. Some of my more unorthodox methods were the most effective, like the “lightning round” that was used during our in-person events and implementing Zoom advanced polls to connect professionals on our virtual meetings.

The bottom line is there is no set networking formula that works for everyone.

Experiment to see what works for you.

Happy experimenting!

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