ZaaBiz Blog

Networking is a must-have buzz word at the moment for small businesses. It is to a small business what multi-million dollar tv advertising is to a large corporate firms. It is THE way to get a business name in the open market place or to THE way to allow those with whom you interact to gain familiarity with your brand.

How many ways do you connect with people?

Yet networking remains an under utilised marketing tool for many engaged in business. Whilst one statistic suggests that around 70% of small businesses in Australia still do not have a website, the statistics for networking are more difficult to analyse. For starters everyone has a social network at least and no doubt those in your social network would know about your business. However, if this were the only networking done by a small business it could only be described as ineffective.

Not only should a business owner actively promote their business through the networks they are already part of, they should actively seek new networks in which to promote their brand. This can be through face-to-face interaction, ‘traditional’ forms of advertising and through online business networking. Online business networking is perhaps the most efficient way of promoting a brand through networking. You are able to easily reach many more people than you are via face-to-face networking and it can be done at your computer during some ‘down-time’ at work. Of course it should online networking should not replace other forms of networking altogether, it is important to commence with an online networking strategy promptly to maximise the benefits of this key tool for your business!

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