Kim van Vuuren
A warm network consists of people with whom you have had direct contact at one time or another. Think of your family, friends and (former) colleagues, as well as people you have spoken to at an event or from work. If we talk about a business warm network, this includes the companies and people with whom you have had previous contact, for example, as a result of B2B lead generation.
Networking is the way to find new clients and partners, a new job or new assignments. Therefore, it is always important to keep meeting new people and especially to maintain contacts you have made at some point in the past. You can do this by getting in touch regularly. In this blog we will give you some tips to build and maintain a warm business network.
Tip 1: Expand your network
Maintaining a network is obviously only possible if you have a network. Here it is important to set goals for yourself; How many new people do you want to add to your network? What requirements must be met before a person is valuable for you to have in your network? In what time period do you want to do this? And perhaps more importantly; what do you ultimately want to achieve with your network? It is useful to set aside a number of hours per week in your calendar, so that you have time to work actively on this.
Anyone you meet who you think would be valuable to your network or who you think could do something for each other in a professional sense is good to add to your network. So this also means that you don't necessarily have to have ever spoken to each other face-to-face.
Expanding your network can include B2B lead generation and cold acquisition. By approaching your target market directly by phone, you will connect with relevant individuals who may have a connection to your solution or service. You want to stay top of mind with these people, even if the time is not right for further contact. Good reason to invite these people to your business network. You can also expand your network by going to events or by contacting business associates from the past. Everywhere you are, there is a new opportunity to meet people who can be of added value to your network or where you can bring your solution or service to their attention in order to be an addition to their network.
Tip 2: Have regular contact
This is just about the most important tip of all and additionally a tip that is regularly neglected, as it is often thought that the spoils are in when someone is already in your network. To get the goodwill of your network, it is important to stay in the picture and keep reminding them of your existence. This can be a very time-intensive chore, but a valuable one to make time for. For example, it is good to send people who are important to your network a message from time to time with an update from your side, but also so that you yourself stay informed of changes on the other side. In addition, it can't hurt to occasionally have a cup of coffee with important contacts from your network.
Tip 3: LinkedIn automation
As described above, building and keeping your network warm is something that takes a lot of time. Fortunately, today there are all kinds of tools available to automate part of this task. One example is LinkedIn Automation.
LinkedIn automation allows you to automate the sending out of personalized connection requests, for example. You can also set up that the people who accept this connection request will receive a follow-up message after a number of days. A good way to elicit interaction with people you find interesting and to immediately expand your network. Important here; the automation does not take over all the manual work. It is still important, even if you have a part of your outreach automates, set aside enough time in your calendar to pick this up.
Tip 4: Thinking about anniversaries
A small gesture can often have a larger positive impact. Write down anniversaries and other important events in your calendar so that you can congratulate your network when the occasion arises. This not only comes across as thoughtful and spontaneous, but also makes the individuals in your network feel like they matter. Moreover, it is nice to send a small gift with the holidays, for example. In this way you cultivate additional goodwill in your network.
Tip 5: Generate relevant content
Maybe this one is a bit obvious, but being active on social media is a must nowadays. It is the place where people search and find your company or yourself, where they see what you do, what your company is engaged in and what is going on within the company. It is relevant that your followers perceive you as a known knowledge partner and that your content is considered valuable, so that they immediately become curious when you post something new.