The digital age has allowed our address books to expand immensely. We can reach out and connect with almost anyone online, and since 80% of senior decision makers have a social presence, making certain connections can launch you higher in the business world. Making contact has mutated from the traditional face-to-face technique and is no longer simply about adding contacts to your Rolodex so you can dig them out one day. It is now about how you contact them. There are a few tips and tricks to making this digital networking work for you.
Making it Work For You
Just because you haven’t met in person, does not mean that you haven’t already made a first impression. We have the tools to thoroughly research people before we choose to, or choose not to, contact them. Spend the time researching who works for what company, who has similar interests, or who you could benefit from establishing a relationship with. However, this goes both ways. So make sure every thing that can be found online about you lives up to how you want to sell yourself. Spend the time making all your social media profiles true to who and what you are. Consistency is key.
Manners Matter
Only 7% of communication is truly passed on through the written word, while 93% depends on non-verbal body language, inflection, tone, and eye contact; all of which digital communication lacks. Don’t let hiding behind a computer screen affect how you approach your contacts. Remember to always show respect and decency to your recipients. Re-read your messages and allow an appropriate amount of time to pass before re-trying if you failed to receive a response. Once a two-way conversation has been established, you are ready to move forward.
Keep It Hot
The key to not letting a connection fizzle is keeping in touch. This lets the person know you value them and your relationship. An easy way of doing this is sending them articles, blog posts, photos, websites, or product information that they might be interested in. Or funny cat videos, those are always a hit.
Making it Work for Your Business
So far this entry has been geared towards individual people, but how do businesses benefit from digital contact? A great place to start is by following these guidelines and making sure you are building up positive digital connections for your business. Make sure to also extend some of these practices towards your customers; for example, opening up a two-way conversation with them is a great way to increase customer retention. By building a strong relationship with your customer base, you will generate higher customer satisfaction, a higher retention rate and, since that will transform into an advertisement that money can’t buy: word of mouth (or mouse) recommendations, you will build up your client base!
Whether you are an individual person looking to launch yourself higher in the business world, or a business looking to continuously increase its success, how you make contact, and utilize contacts, in the digital era will determine whether your online presence helps or hinders you.