Monthly Archives: July 2011
Why networking is important to your business?
Networking is a powerful tool which can work wonders for your business. It is getting easier to network these days with many online powerful networking sites such as Twitter and LinkedIn.
You need to bear in mind, however, that networking is not about personal chat or bragging about yourself. You need an effective strategy to ensure that networking results in word-of-mouth referrals, which are known to be the most effective marketing tool. At the end of a day most people rely on trusted recommendations for the services they need.
Networking is less costly than traditional marketing, but does not come free. You need to engage your time and effort to make it work for you. Be a proactive rather than a passive networker. Use multiple channels to maximise the outcome of your networking efforts. Become active on Twitter, engaging passionately into discussions and providing professional, high quality advice to build trusted relationships. Offer advice on LinkedIn. Attend local networking events, and once you have a substantial network of business colleagues set up your own event to expand your network even further.
After building your visibility on line and in the local business community, you still need to work on building credibility and trust. Again, this will require time and effort, but will pay off. The most important thing is to excel professionally to the highest standards. Make the quality of your services exceptional, your pricing transparent, ensure excellent communication and exceed customers’ expectations in meeting their needs. Benchmark against your competitors, see what they do and do it better. Also, be realistic and ensure you never under-deliver or over-promise.
Canterbury Tweet-up Free Business Networking Meeting
When and where is the first tweet-up?
The very first Canterbury Tweet-up will be held on Wednesday 7th September from 10 am until noon, at The Millers Arms, Canterbury. Following the successful Whitstable Tweet-up, held at Hotel Continental, Whitstable on the first Thursday of the month, I decided to set up its sister event in Canterbury.
Everyone is welcome, so please come along, bring your business cards and join us for coffee/tea/drink. You are welcome to bring your friends and colleagues with you.
What is a tweet-up?
Tweet-up is an exciting and free networking opportunity for businesses in Kent. Come and have a chat about what you do in a friendly atmosphere. The Millers Arms is a lovely pub so you can even have a bite to eat if you so wish.
In principle, a Tweet-Up is an opportunity for business people who use Twitter to meet face-to-face. You do not need to be on Twitter to join, but it might prompt you to join this exciting and powerful marketing tool in the future. The idea is to have an informal networking meeting once a month, share ideas, and hopefully help each other to become more successful in your business. Let’s bring the East Kent business community together!
How much does it cost?
The event is free, but you will need to pay for your own refreshments.
For more information and to book please hook up with me on Twitter @acgtranslation, email me at aga.gordon(at)acgtranslation.com or give me a ring at 07878 957519.
You can also subscribe to the event on Facebook.
I am looking forward to seeing you there!
About the organizer: Aga Gordon is a business consultant, coach and Polish translator specialising in business, scientific and medical translation. She holds a PhD in chemistry and an MBA, her interests lie chiefly in strategy, creativity, innovation, change and social media marketing.
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