What
It’s important to spend a little bit of time each week or month to keep your network engaged - whether through direct outreach, social, networking or community.
Why
Remember that your new business pipeline only stays topped up, if you’re continuing to engage with your network.
As it’s unlikely that people will have a suitable project when you contact them, keeping your network engaged across a number of channels, helps you stay front of mind for when a project does crop up.
If you’ve already developed a strategy for engaging your network, spend some time investing in that work.
If you’ve not yet developed an approach, spend some time this month to identify your target audiences, ways of reaching them, and any tactics for getting in front of them.
How
1/ Identify your target audiences - who are you looking to engage with, what job titles, sectors or types of businesses are you looking to work with? Create a long list of potential contacts who you might want to engage with, or update your lists with clients and collaborators you’ve met in the past few months.
2/ Identify your channels - what are the best ways to reach your target audiences, and what is the best way to use those channels? Is it regular social content, is it a phone call, or arrange a coffee or a meeting?
3/ Develop your messaging and content - what do you want to say to your target audiences? What are you looking to achieve - being visible, or actively finding work?
4/ Update your CRM - even if you’re just keeping track of your efforts in a notebook or similar, keep track of who you’ve spoken to, what they might be looking for, and any notes as to helping you convert your conversation into work.
