Louda and Marcine
Networking events are great for any small business. You have the opportunity to represent yourself and your business to a highly targeted audience that is paying attention.
We recommend attending networking events to get your chops and learn how to quickly and effectively describe your business. You’re forced to come up with that brilliant 1 to 2 sentence description of what you do. Talk to people like they have no clue. Don’t get too tied up in technical verbiage or legal jargon ((wink wink)). Most of all, be honest and be authentic. People can smell a sales pitch from a mile away.
Since DynaMedia SF is a young company, we attend a lot of networking events. EcoTuesday is one of our favorites, because it’s fun, and it provides a direct link to the sustainability community. After everyone gets settled in, a mic is passed around so everyone can announce who they are and what they do, and then we’re all turned loose to mingle. Everyone attends–clean tech innovators, students, thought leaders in sustainability, artists, and voyeurs alike. You are expected to bring your business cards, so don’t feel shy about handing them out gratuitously.
Go online and search for your local networking events. Check them all out, they’re usually free. Some may charge a fee, but networking improves your company’s visibility, so think about including these events in your marketing budget.
January 8, 2009 at 5:47 am |
[...] Talk to people: Online networking is important for businesses of all sizes. However, you should never underestimate the value of face-to-face conversation. It’s a major way of learning about how others are marketing and through which channels they do it. [...]