Networking is considered one of the most effective ways of
marketing and promoting your business. So what is
Networking? There are various Networking Sites available -
mainly social, some which you may have heard of are those
such as MySpace or Facebook. They are sites which are
designed to help people form relationships through the
internet. These sites are appearing all over the internet
and spreading like wildfire. There are also many other
additional web 2.0 tools such as Podcasts, Webinars, Blogs,
and Video Casts to name a few. All these tools allow us as
individuals or businesses to advertise, promote, inform,
share and educate online.
A majority of the social networking sites have free
accounts - which makes getting started easy. It's
definitely a cost effective way of getting you and your
business out there. Not only are these sites free, but most
other networking tools are also free, such as video,
podcasts, and blogging. With technology, mobile phones and
computers are all feasible when promoting your business.
There is one major pitfall to networking - Time.
Joining, monitoring, and participating, along with inbox
management and the general upkeep of your network is time
consuming and, whilst very effective, can eat into valuable
time in the working day. But all is not lost. A Virtual
Assistant or VA can assist with your networking and time
management. Staying on top of things is made easy when you
have someone handling your account sign-up's, researching
into the most effective places to network, managing profile
completion, groups, contacts and much more. A VA can enable
you to effectively network. Whether you are an expert who
needs more time in the day, or a beginner who has little
knowledge in this area, a Virtual Assistant can make 'all
the difference in the World'.
Acquiring assistance with your networking can mean gaining
all of the benefits without having to find openings in your
calendar to work through every time consuming detail
yourself.
Over time, it's possible to develop a significant network
of contacts, potential clients and colleagues by
outsourcing as little as one or two hours a week to this
project. The more time that is outsourced, the quicker the
results will start to show. It is essential to keep in mind
that it can often take time to see these results when
starting out. There are no 'quick fix' networking
techniques; this strategy provides a long term effect
toward establishing yourself and your business. So although
networking is an excellent way of promoting a company,
product, service or individual, it is not an instant
solution for financial gain, nor will your web site traffic
improve overnight.
So what should you be looking for when outsourcing your
networking tasks?
1) A good VA will first take an interest in your business,
products, services, location, target market, website, and
pretty much any other aspect of information you are able to
provide in order for them to understand exactly what you
are all about.
2) They should offer you a consultation - or at the very
least, a form to complete so that you can convey a clear
picture of your long term goals. Through this, your VA can
then establish what you hope to achieve with networking.
3) They should then research and locate the most beneficial
networking methods, sites and techniques based on the
information you have provided.
4) Finally, a plan or schedule should be formulated and
presented with suggested options, sites and timescales
explaining the choices and benefits of each of these
methods.
5) Once the plan is agreed - it's all systems go, just sit
back and let your VA get to work!
----------------------------------------------------
Michelle Dale is The Managing Director of Virtual Miss
Friday, an experienced Virtual Assistant who assists
businesses and individuals with achieving their
professional goals. Do you want to find out more about
these online business building success strategies? Get your
absolutely FREE Digital Newsletter today!
http://www.virtualmissfriday.co.uk/VMF/library
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