One of the best business lessons I have ever received came from a Spanish class. A Spanish For Business class of course. The professor, who was a former executive for various companies, explained to us the intricacies of business. I was wondering how do companies stand out amidst others who are vying for customers. The professor explained that the way how they get business is by networking.

It was a new concept to me at the time and I knew that he was right because he had over 33 years of experience in the business world despite earning a Bachelors and Master’s Degree in Spanish.

The same can be said today especially with social media. We are in the age of the engagement economy. The old way of doing business, putting out advertisement just to sell something, is long, long gone. The problem is that many businesses are not getting the message.

For example, if they connect with someone on Twitter, the first thing they will do is go straight for the sale, hoping that their new “follower” will accept. In the same way how we get our food heating quickly thanks to the microwave, many are looking for instant results. Most people and businesses do not want to put in the time and effort required to get to know their customers or clients.

I can’t tell you how sick I get whenever someone connects with me on Twitter and then they send me a direct message wanting me to like their Facebook page or buy their product. It gets to the point that where I am afraid to check my direct messages. However, I can’t throw out stones too much because I started out on Twitter with the mentality of just posting my work before I realized that I had to engage with people. So there is hope that many businesses and people will get the message.

I believe they will understand that the same way they gained business before social media was building quality relationships with their prospective customer or clients. If you develop quality relationships online, it becomes easier when you meet each other in person.

Melanie Kania, who is the Enterprise Media Relations Specialist at Baker Hughes, explained to the students from the Sam Houston State chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) that she felt comfortable every time she meets new clients in person for the first time because she knew everything about them due to their connections on LinkedIn.

So for people who have not develop quality relationships on social media or are not on social media, it will be difficult for them to build their network. When they do get the message and wants to start building new connections at networking events, they can follow these five tips below.

  1. Connect With The Right People
    When you connect with the right people, they will go out of their way to help you because they have been in your shoes.
  2. Do Your Research
    You do not want to go into a networking event or any other event for the matter without researching the people you want to connect with. When you ask them questions related to their work or interests, they will remember you because they know that you made the effort to do your research.
  3. Listen
    There is a reason why everyone have two ears and one mouth. If you listen to what people are saying, that will allow you to learn about their work and their pain points. When someone just talk about themselves, they are sending the message that it is all about me. That is a takers mentality and no one wants to be associated with a taker.
  4. Send A Thank You E-mail
    After you made a connection with someone, it is always important to send a thank you e-mail after a networking event. It shows your professionalism. Plus the person took the time out to chat with you. Another idea would be to send a thank you card because not many people do so especially now that we have the internet. It is sending a message to your new connection that you cared enough to take the time out to write a personalized thank you note.Which leads to number five.
  5. Respond Immediately To The Thank You E-mail
    If you receive a thank you e-mail from someone who you met at a networking event, respond as quickly as you can. When you respond two or three days later, you are sending a message saying that you are not important. That type of action could  cost you because they were probably connected to a client you always wanted to work with.

In conclusion, if you want to succeed in your business and career, you must build quality relationships on social media. If you do not, then your competition, who is engaging with their audience, will continue to grow and will leave you in the dust.

Has social media helped you to be a better networker? You can leave your comments below.