4 Tips to Amp Up Your Networking on Social Media

There are some people out there that still believe that social media is just for kids. Those people believe that social media is a complete waste and nothing benficial to your career can come from it. With the advent of sites like ZipRecruiter, Twitter, Instagram and more that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Employers and job seekers connect everyday on sites like ZipRecuiter. Thought leaders and industry experts offer their advice for free everyday on social media sites.

While social media is filled with memes, random comments, and silly videos, it can also be your gateway to advance your career and your business.

It doesn’t matter whether you are looking for good people to grow your business or looking for your next career opportunity, networking will only help reach the right people to achieve your goals.

If you are looking to amp up your network, then using social media is a great way for you to get started on the path to your next opportunity.

1. Figure Out What You Are Interested In and Find Those Experts

If you are interested in computer programming connect with programmers who work at companies you’re interested in like Facebook and Google. If you are interested in aerospace engineering connect with engineers at companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin, or NASA. If you are an aspiring chef, you can connect with great chefs like Gordon Ramsay, Jose Andres, Marge Manzke, or David Chang.

How you might ask? It’s simple.

Just search.

Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and nearly every social media service will allow you search for other users. If you know the names of the people in your desired industry then type them in. If you don’t then you can search for the subjects or titles like “landscaping design” “VP of Architecture” etc. As you find those users connect with them and follow them. Then see who they follow. Most likely you would be interested in those people too.

Connecting with friends of friends of friends is a really great way to deepen your network.  People will connect with you or follow with you simply because you know someone that they follow or vice versa.  This is a great way to get many new social media connections. 

You want to be in tune with your new social media connections, so if they are trying to reach out to others with other mediums, like a blog, Youtubte video channel, or podcast, you should subscribe to those.

Don’t be afraid to connect with a lot of people. While you shouldn’t aggressively follow people on social media, don’t set a limit on yourself. If you’re following ten people, try and follow 50 people. If you are following 100 then try and follow 500. The goal is to grow.

2. Thoughtfully Comment

As you begin to read their tweets and posts on social media, you should start to retweet and comment on their posts. What you will find is that people who you retweet and comment will follow your back.

While it is always best to offer an insightful comments, many times a simple “Congratulations!” or “Great Job” or three heart emojis or three fire emojis will do the trick.

Offering an insightful comment or question, that would be even better.

If you are following a chef, ask them about what technique they used to create their dish. The more insightful questions that you ask, the more you might find that someone will respond.

3. Post & Monitor

As much as you want to see what others are doing and engage, you should be inspired to post on social media as well. If you are a programmer, try posting new pieces of code on GitHub. If you are a chef, post pictures of your food online.

What you might find is that one of those people who are thought leaders in your field might like one of your posts. That’s why you should always keep track of who’s liking and retweeting your posts. Just as we learned earlier that people may follow you if you like and comment on their posts, you should do the same.

4. Be Strategic & Engage

As you get to learn about people and get in tune with what they are doing you can start to approach them.

For instance, if are an aspiring chef and you see that one of the chefs you follow is opening an new restaurant in your area, send them a DM (direct message) or comment on their posts letting them know that you’re interested.

If you are in commercial real estate and you’ve been following one of the top agents online, you could send them a DM and say that you admire the success that they’ve had in this field and you’d like to know if they wouldn’t giving you advice from time to time.

If you see that a computer engineer from Facebook likes some of your posts, then send a direct message to that person and ask them if they know of any openings at Facebook or if they wouldn’t mind recommending you somewhere. This can come in handy if you’ve used a site like ZipRecruiter to apply for a job, since having someone at the company recommend you can increase your chances of getting hired.

Also look for events such as webinars that your connections are hosting. Use every opportunity to make meaningful engagements.

Plus always try and leverage your existing network.  If you find that someone in your existing network is connected to someone that you want an introduction to, don’t be afraid to ask.  Just ask your connection something like this, “I saw online that you are connected with X.  I would really appreciate it if you could introduce us by email or even better in person.  Please let me know.” 

If people see that you are thoughtful, even if you don’t know them the best or very well at all, they would be inclined to make introductions for your on your behalf. 

The moral of the story is that no matter where you are in your business or your career, you can use social media to build up your network and increase your chances for success..

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