How To Expand Your Network

The first thing everybody says about tapping into social media’s potential is that you have to start off by building your network. You start off small with a group comprised by your friends and family members, and then you move on from there.

But what after you’ve established a network?

You have to understand that your network is not just a list of people who are in your contacts group. They are people who can ultimately help you out in one way or another. It’s not enough that you know their names or remember their faces. You have to make the connection more meaningful.

When I say meaningful, I don’t necessarily mean that you start sharing personal stories or bringing them home for the holidays and stuff like that. By meaningful, we mean to make something more out of just being plain acquaintances.

How exactly can you do that?

Reach out to people in your network. Sometimes, something as simple as ‘hello’ or ‘how have you been?’ can show people that you’re interested in taking your relationship (be it business or personal) a notch higher.

If you can, keep the names of the people in your network in mind, that’s good, too. This will come in handy when you’re going to help people in your network out.

Don’t wait for people to start offering you help before you help out. Extend a hand to someone in your community to who might need it. They’ll appreciate your effort and in turn be there to help you when you need it.

Make it a point to keep track of what’s new in the lives of the people in your network. If they have their own social network profiles, it’ll be doubly easier to do so.

Attend offline events and make sure to interact with the other people attending the same function. It’s not all bad to go around saying hi to everybody at the event, but make sure that you concentrate on making deep connections with a handful of people while you’re there.

You have to keep in mind that you’re after quality, not mere quantity. Although a long list of contacts may sway people into thinking that you’re some social media hotshot, it wouldn’t matter if not one of them can vouch for your ability at all.