One of the most powerful, and proven business strategies of all time is the system of networking and building relationships.

Building and maintaining a successful business is not something that can be done alone. There are many different elements that have to come together when growing a business, and those different elements will require you to seek outside help most of the time.


Networking also becomes of major importance when you want to generate new business. In order for people to buy your service or products, they first need to know they exist.
By building a strong and diverse network you make it more likely for people who may need to use your service to be able to find you.

If people who are within your network have actually used your company or service before, they may even recommend you to the people in their network, thus giving you a potential for new customers.

Networking Online

Our business generation is extremely lucky in that we have the Internet to aid us in our networking campaigns. We now have access to potential colleagues and customers from all over the world, and all just a mouse click away.
There are some very good websites that are designed specifically for bringing business professionals together in the name of networking. The biggest, best and most successful is LinkedIn.

What is LinkedIn?

Although primarily LinkedIn is a business-networking site, it is actually much more than that. There is a search function that can help you reconnect with old friends or colleagues that may have moved on.
If you are looking for new business then you can advertise your service within your profile, so that anyone who happens to be looking for your type of service can find you.

Lastly there is a great question and answer section that allows you to ask a specific business question. Fellow professionals who wish to pass on advice and help will then answer that question. This part of LinkedIn alone is a hidden goldmine because you could brand yourself as the expert in your niche.
This feature has been responsible for the birth of many successful partnerships.

Get Involved or Get Left Behind

I don’t think anyone can really put together a valid argument against the importance of networking as part of your marketing strategy.  A little over two years ago I stated otherwise, but I swallow the humble pill right here, right now, because back then I was burned out, and overwhelmed with the sheer amount of social networking sites.

Today, most people who are researching a business, or looking for a specific type of professional will be looking for them online. That is why your business can no longer get away with ignoring sites such as  

LinkedIn.
If your business does not have a profile, you can bet that some of your strongest and most dangerous competitors will.

As the online community gravitates even more toward social and business networking, it will soon become impossible to do business successfully without some form of networking strategy.

LinkedIn makes the whole process easy, even if you have little or no experience building a profile online. Millions of people are using the site to actively network with fellow professionals. Are you?