Grow Your Professional Network With Social Media

In today’s digital age, networking takes on a whole new meaning - where your social media profile serves as your virtual business card and your social network offers up a whole different layer of opportunities to connect. In the past five years, connecting on social networking sites has rocketed from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of internet users. Now, instead of connecting at an in-person event, you can reach hundreds, even thousands, of potential connections via social media sites.

There is no denying that it is easier to network online. There's less perceived risk, fewer barriers, and easier access. But you are ultimately sacrificing long-term benefits for upfront convenience when you rely on social media as your primary networking channel.

Social media definitely provides better access than engaging potential connections in a face-to-face manner. If the goal is to develop social skills, build relationships, and grow your career, social media can only be a small part of the picture. You need to get out, mingle, fight through the awkwardness, and network in person.

With so many people now on social media tweeting links and posting selfies and sharing YouTube videos, it can get pretty noisy. Becoming overwhelmed by too many Facebook friends is not at all that uncommon. Over time, we tend to rack up a lot of friends and followers, and that can lead to lots of bloated news feeds with too much content that we are not interested in.

The rise of social media has not changed the fact that successful human beings get even further ahead based on the strength of their networks. In fact, social media gives you the power to connect with people who you would never have the opportunity to converse with in the physical world.

Social media sites, especially the big ones like, Facebook and LinkedIn, are a networker’s dream. LinkedIn in particular allows you to establish a professional network consisting of your connections and your connections’ connections. This automatically linking you to thousands of people in your industry and related ones.

More and more LinkedIn looks like the winning social media tool for business networking. Whether you are trying to grow your reach, find content, explore opportunities or recruit talent, this virtual meeting place is for many the first and last stop.

Before engaging with some new person, get to know them by reviewing their LinkedIn profile. Consider areas of common ground so when you meet them in person you will have a better chance of creating a solid relationship.

The idea of doing business on the golf course seems anachronistic these days, but the reason why the concept became so iconic is because it proved that when colleagues spend personal time together - face to face - more progress can be made. Deals can get done and relationships can deepen, allowing the colleagues to function more effectively off the golf course.

Thoughtful, considerate networking creates lasting sources of information, support and friendship that pay dividends in countless other contexts. Through networking opportunities, you expose yourself to other networking situations and you create miraculous relationships. Your network keeps growing and a system of linkages is created which keeps expanding.

Most successful people realize that business networking is one of the most significant tools for personal and professional development. They have made networking a way of life — and they love it.