Online Networking: maintaining contact with people in your professional network in the online sphere. When we hear of the word “networking”, we generally think of meeting people in a group setting, at a conference or at a professional event. However people are getting more busier and the opportunity to meet that contact again soon becomes much harder. Thus the value of online networking proves critical and needs to be given more attention.
Most of your professional contacts will start at a professional event, conference or a meeting. But to maintain that relationship with the contact, one has to stay in touch. These days social media is omnipresent and online communications seems to be the way to go with event reminders, newsletters and such. It has become ever more important to understand how to best maintain the relationship with a person you met at a convention through online communications. Sometimes you can’t meet in person, and most time you are just too busy with your day to day work that does not allow you to devote considerable time to you physically meet contacts. So here’s the solution.
How can you maintain that professional relationship online? At this time of the year (during for the holidays), you can send an online holiday greeting card or just an email wishing your contacts a Happy Holiday. It does not take much time nor expense but a small gesture can mean a lot to the receiver. Also send interesting articles and blogs to the people in your contact who might be interested to read them. If I know someone likes to try Colombian food, I can forward him/her a news piece on a new Colombian restaurant that opened in my neighborhood. Last but not least you can just write an email to a professional contact asking them how they are doing. People are so busy these days that if someone just stops and ask them how they are doing, they will definitely remember you.