Part of networking successfully and making sure that your contacts will be there for you, is to make sure that you’re there for them.
That means thinking of ways you can help them any chance you get. Like introducing them to people they should know, sending information that can help with an important goal, and being generous and creative with referrals for new business or job opportunities. Of course, you should be at the point in the relationship when you feel comfortable about making the referral, and have a strong enough bond with the person at the other end to know that the introduction will be well received.
I routinely send thank you notes to my network to express my appreciation, but leveraging social media makes the process even easier.
Here are three easy ways you can build closer relationships with your online network by showing them some love:
1) Acknowledge
Take time to pay attention to what they're doing and contribute when you can. Comment on something they said -- a photo or video they posted, a link they shared -- or answer a question they have.
2) Appreciate
Saying thank you privately is great, but saying it publicly is even better! When someone shares one of your links, pays you a compliment or does something nice for you, giving them
a shout out on Facebook or Twitter gives them exposure to your network and lets everyone know what a great person they are.
3) Advance
Help promote other people by re-tweeting their helpful posts and sharing links to their events and resources. I recommend books, articles, and websites all the time on my Facebook fan page, for example (http://www.facebook.com/aimcbizsolutions)
It doesn't take long to do this. Just take five minutes at the end of the day to go through your Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook stream and find a way to interact with the people you want to build a strong connection with. Build a list on Linkedin, Twitter or Facebook of the top 10 or 20 contacts you want to follow closely and see if there's a way you can acknowledge, appreciate or advance them.
Conventional marketing wisdom says that it takes 7 interactions with someone before they're ready to buy something from you or work with you, but most people stop at 1 or 2. With social networking, interacting with people is so much easier than before, especially if your interactions are centered around THEIR agenda, not YOUR agenda. When you're sharing THEIR posts and THEIR content. When you're commenting on something that THEY brought up. When you interact on a topic that's important to them, that's how you become relevant in their eyes and love becomes more of a two-way street.
