Do Yourself a Favor, Network.

November 3, 2010 at 1:02 am · Filed under public relations and tagged: how to pitch to bloggers, network, PR, professional, public relations, relationship, social media, trends, twitter

Last week, I participated in the #u30Pro Twitter chat. This is a chat filled with professionals under the age of thirty. A lot of these individuals are savvy social media gurus mixed with a side of public relations and various communications personalities. The hot topic of the night was, drumroll please.. Networking! The big topics that were discussed were the “Do’s and Don’ts,” of networking events and the “How-to’s.” I received a lot of insight and opinions on the subject.

It seems the most important aspect of networking is the drive behind it. If an individual is not comfortable with putting him or herself out there, then more than likely a networking event is not going to be beneficial for them. Luckily for the shy guys, there are ways to ease the anxiety ahead of time:

1. Network online. See who will be attending this event; break the ice online before you have to meet in person.
2. Bring a friend with you. I do not suggest this, because the point of networking is to meet new people, but this may help you relax.
3. Practice. As corny as this sounds, practice what you want to say. Go over conversation staters, so when it comes times for the real deal, you are ready!

Easier said than done, right? Some of you may be willing to break out of your shell and network, but don’t truly understand the benefits of this act. A blog called the Made Manual highlighted the Top 10 benefits of networking. A few of my favorite perks that were mentioned are: Being active,skills, reputation and support. These are just a couple of benefits that could send one up the career ladder thanks to the power of networking.

To all the social Sallies out there, remember to keep in mind, networking is a two way street. You need to give to get and vice versa. Do not swamp the conversation with your ego, check it at the door. Engage with your new contact and find out about them! Maybe you have a mutual contact, or the same interests. You want a genuine relationship so you can each use each other in the future. London HR Connection wrote a good post about the networking relationships one can make internally and externally not only for an individual, but for an organization.

So aside from all of the benefits that come from networking, why is this important to a person in PR? One word: Relationship. Most people will say contacts, but to me this just means this person is someone you met once and have not kept in touch with since. Networking needs to be more than that in order to be useful for a PR professional. These relationships can be lifesavers in the future. For example: Say you meet the head of a local publication. Years down the road if you stayed in contact and transformed that business card into a professional relationship, you could call on this person to help you publish your client’s news, while everyone else’s pitches go into the garbage.

If Baz Luhrmann wrote his hit, “Everybody’s Free” (To Wear Sunscreen) today, I think he offer his one tip that everyone should network! The ways of the world are changing, and with that you must too. So, Network, use Twitter and look up events in your city online. It is never too soon to get yourself out there! If you don’t, someone else will.

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