The Power of Networking
How to Build Connections and Grow Your Creative Business
The internet has given people access to 4.9 billion individuals who have access to it. All it takes is one piece of content to be spread to the right corner for the right person to see it, reach out to you, and pay you for the value you have to offer. While the internet makes it easier to find people, it’s important to note that networking is still crucial, even for creative businesses.
Networking – the act of connecting with individuals with the aim of exchanging information, contacts, and skills to help advance personal or business objectives – is the pillar of many people’s digital success. To break into the social media game and sustain growth, it’s important to network consistently and strategically with people who share your interests.
In the past, opportunities were limited to those who worked hard for them. You had to go to school, get good grades, apply to a prestigious college that may require you to change geographic location, and be “extroverted” enough to network your way up the ladder until you meet someone with the perfect opportunity. Now, with the internet, the power is in your hands to create opportunities, but the key is to network effectively.
The Power of the DM DMs, or direct messages, are a powerful way to get in front of anyone on the internet, especially if you don’t have an audience yet. Freelancers understand this for landing clients, but what about building a leverage-able audience along the way so you aren’t left with nothing when you decide to pivot? DMs are how you network, grow, and get eyes on your content as a beginner or whenever you want to get more traffic to your content.
However, most people are terrible at sending DMs. The key is to approach DMs tactically, especially when reaching out to a big account that gets dozens of DMs an hour and probably doesn’t check them all. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and think about how you can stand out from the sea of terrible DMs that don’t provide any value before asking for something in return.
7 Steps to Relationship-Building Networking
This process is a foundational concept that will guarantee growth for any creative business. Knowing how to communicate and DM another person that you want to connect with will open up opportunities to paid work, social leverage, and meeting high-level people. The following are seven steps to building genuine relationships in the DMs
Find someone you’d like to network with, and consume their content until you’re up to date with everything they’re putting out into the world. You should know their values, what they stand for, what they’ve accomplished, and what they’re working on currently.
Make a list of what you like about the person you’d like to network with, what you’ve learned from them, and what values you share. This will be the basis of your initial message.
Reach out with your message. Start with something personal, like “Hey, I loved your recent video where you talked about XYZ. I’ve been following you for a while now, and I really appreciate the value you provide. It’s inspired me to start my own creative business, and I’d love to chat with you about your experience and learn more about what you do.”
Keep it brief. Don’t send a long block of text that takes too much time to read, especially if the sentences aren’t spaced out.
Provide value before asking for anything in return. Offer to share their content, ask if there’s anything you can help them with, or provide your own unique insight.
Be patient. You may not receive a response immediately, or at all. If you don’t hear back after a few days, try sending a follow up message
