The Frick and Frack of Blogging and Networking

I blame master blogger Seth Godin for my preoccupation with keeping score. (Godin issued a challenge at the beginning of the current year, asking “What did you ship in 2010?”, with “shipping” meaning accomplishment).  Well, Seth, when it comes to “shipping” network meetings, by my count, I’ve attended no fewer than 43 so far this calendar year.

As a professional ghost blogger and corporate blogging trainer, you might suggest my time would’ve been better spent in front of my computer blogging rather than running around to all those meetings!

The point, of course, is not to accumulate networking belt notches, but to learn what’s goin’ on.  What are people thinking?  What’s the talk?  What’s happening in different industries?  Who’s a player? Who’s not but has interesting views on things?  All those tidbits and threads find their way into sessions where I offer business blogging help, and into blog posts – those I write for my Say It For You blog and those where I’m an “invisible” freelance SEO writer helping drive online traffic for various client companies.

When someone you meet is telling you about their business, find out what “best practices” they use to run their business efficiently and ethically.  In your blog post, quote them, linking back to their website (this tactic is itself a form of use your blog as a networking tool!) and then show how one of those best practices is applied in your business.

Remember back in junior high English when we learned about similes, things that are “like” something else?  You’ve talked with someone at a networking meeting and she’s told you about some new device or strategy used in her business.  In your blog, tell how that device or strategy is a parallel to something your business uses.

At networking meetings, keep your ears open for “hot topics” – what are people worried about, happy about, or wanting to do something about – NOW!  If you can hit those hot buttons in your blog, sharing concerns and demonstrating that your service or product can be part of the solution – bingo!

This all goes back to the inspirational story about the young man who worked so hard felling trees he neglected to sharpen his axe.  In-person networking is nothing more than keeping your thinking sharp.  That, in turn, will be reflected in your “sharp”, up-to-date and interest-engaging business blog writing!