The promise of social media is that we can connect with thousands of people (or more) with a few clicks. But we can quickly lose ourselves in meaningless metrics like number of followers and “impression” stats. If your goal is networking, challenge yourself to ignore the numbers and focus on making meaningful connections with real people. If you simply must count something to feel like you’re making progress, track altruistic activities like times you’ve offered to help someone new, or the number of meaningful introductions you’ve made.
Set a Networking Goal
Take a moment to consider what you want to accomplish. The way you approach networking will depend on your goals. If you seek to move up in your current field, build your brand and network accordingly. Someone looking for a career change may need to start by laying foundations in a new industry. If you’ve recently been laid off, focus first on building a network that can help you in your job search. For those starting a new business, look for potential customers, collaboration partners, providers of professional services, and even some of your “competitors.”