Small Business Networking; Network Your Way To Success!

Small business networking is hugely important for all small businesses. Most people recognise that in for small business success, it’s not just about what you know – it’s who you know. One of the best ways of generating new business is through networking. For small businesses the return on your investment (ROI) can be huge. However, it is important that you know how to make the most of networking opportunities. 

By having a commitment to constantly improving your network of contacts you can expect benefits such as gaining access to an informal ‘board’ of advisers offering years of business experience, developing valuable business relationships, exchanging your management skills and ideas with peers and picking up valuable hints and tips on avoiding business roadblocks and common mistakes.

If you’ve just received an invitation to attend an event where there will be a lot of networking going on, here are some useful tips that can help you get much greater and longer lasting business value from it.  

Have a genuine liking for people
Good networkers are normally people who like reaching out to other people. It is important to have an interest in others and be willing to learn about their business, their industry and the challenges they face.

Get to know the organisers
Every networking event has been organised by somebody who knows the attendees and their backgrounds. Find out who it is and speak to them before the event. They can identify the movers and shakers in the crowd and help you meet them.

Get into groups that make up your target market
The groups you choose to be in (keeping in mind that most business owners or managers can’t afford the time to be in more than two or three groups) need to be lively, vibrant and relevant to you.

Contribute to these groups in practical ways
If you are in a group solely for what you can get out of it, it will become obvious and unappealing to other members. You need to contribute in some way, show that you can get things done efficiently and become an active member of the group. 

Go out of your way to help
When you are talking with individuals, and the occasion arises, offer to help. On a particular occasion, the conversation may turn to problems with marketing services; if you happen to know a local marketing agency (hmm…SMEketing?!) who provides outstanding service, offer to provide their contact details. It’s a small act on your part, but it can mean much to both the marketing agency you are referring (SMEketing we hope!) and to whom you are making the referral to.

Look for groups within groups
Most networking events have their groups, people who know each other and meet regularly at these gatherings. It may seem hard to break into one of these groups but think of the advantages – meet one and you’ve met them all! If you know that someone is a member of one of these groups you can have an informal chat and ask them to provide an introduction to the other members.

Have something to say
Be ready with something to say when you’re introduced to someone new. They’ll want to know a bit about your business and how it is performing. Prepare a brief elevator pitch about 30 seconds long, which presents your details and is both informative and interesting. Rehearse it so it sounds natural when you deliver it.

Show interest in others
If you’re talking with a potential customer, try and keep the conversation on them and gather information you can use after the event. Show interest in them and offer to send them some information about your business. Even if they’re not immediately interested they’ll usually accept out of politeness.

Don’t forget your business cards!
One of the most important networking tools is the business card. You literally cannot afford to be without one at these events, so come prepared with a quantity of well designed cards.

Circulate!
Don’t monopolise anyone’s time.  After all, they didn’t attend just to meet you.  Get to know them and then move on. 

Look for the loners
Not everyone is gregarious and outgoing and there will always be people at networking events who look lost. It is a good chance for you to introduce yourself and see if they might want to have a conversation. You can be doubly supportive and introduce them to others you know in the room. Be enthusiastic and you’ll be seen as someone who gets things done.

The follow-up (this is probably the most important parts of networking)
You meet a lot of people at networking events and it is sometimes hard a week later to remember exactly what was said to any particular person. Collect business cards from everyone you meet and if you’ve made a commitment to do something after the event, make a note on that business card as soon as your conversation is over. Never rely on memory alone, and be sure to follow up within a couple of days before the lead gets stale or you’ve been forgotten.

When you meet someone whom you want to develop a relationship with for the first time, follow up soon afterwards.  Meet for a coffee or forward a relevant newspaper article that may interest them. Similarly, if you offer to provide information, be sure to follow up. Being reliable and becoming known as reliable is an essential ingredient when developing a network.

If you want to start networking, but aren’t sure where to start, get in touch.  We can help put together a list of local events for you as well as an action plan to ensure networking success!

1 Comment May 1, 2009

Small Business Branding, Logo and Corporate Identity – What’s the Difference?

Okay small business owners, I have some questions for you here:

1. How many of you reading this, know what your logo is? (I’m really hoping you’re nodding along, safe in the knowledge that you know what your logo is! I’ll be scared if  you don’t, unless you’re just starting a new business and haven’t had a logo created yet…in which case, get in touch, we’d love to help!)
2. Great, number 2, how many of you know the difference between your logo and your corporate identity? (From our experience, approximately 60-70% of people reading will know) 
3. And finally, how many of you understand the difference between your corporate identity and your brand? (this is the biggy – and I’m assuming that some of you might not be 100% sure of the answer here…)

It is really is important for your small business, that you understand not only the differences between these key elements, but also how they work together to form the overall impression of who your company (or personal brand) is… So here’s a quick and easy guide to the differences and how they all work together:

Logo: It is rare that a company, even the smallest of small businesses, doesn’t have a logo, even if it’s a simple word, mark or symbol that someone internally has created to serve as your identifier. A logo can be made up of a different parts, which may or may not always be used together; the word mark, a logo symbol, a tagline.

Corporate Identity: These are the elements of your small business’s graphic/identity/visual language, and are usually, but not always, devised from the elements that make up your logo. If you have worked with an marketing agency (such as SMEketing) to develop your corporate identity, you must ensure that they provide you with a manual, commonly known as the Brand Guidelines  (also called a brand manual) as part of the package. This will guide you, your team and suppliers, as to how to correctly utilise your corporate identity. It safeguards your investment in your brand and prevents it from being diluted.

Your corporate identity is made up of symbols, textures, colours, images, photography style and fonts. If you’d like to see an example of some brand guidelines get in touch with us and we can send you some examples of ones we’ve created for past clients.

And all of these elements come together visually in your marketing material (business cards, stationery, website, brochures, forms, email marketing, signage, advertisements, vehicles, etc) to express your corporate identity. A strong corporate identity is one that maintains a consistent use of the elements to achieve quick recognition by a potential client when they come in contact with a marketing piece.

Brand: A lot of people will tell you that your brand IS your corporate identity, however it is much much more than that. A Brand is the sum of ALL parts that make up a company. It includes your logo, your corporate identity, and any and all of the follow elements:

• your company name
• your company culture
• what customers have come to expect from an interaction experience with your company
• team uniforms
• company policies
• tone of how your written content is delivered
• corporate identity
• logo
• tagline
• word of mouth advertising (how your current clients & suppliers talk about you when they refer you)
• partner relationships
• sponsorships
• the space you work in
• and many more..

To summarise, your brand is what people come to expect from your company, whether it be from seeing an advert in a magazine, to ordering a product online, to interacting with a team member over the phone or in person, and so on. And with any great brand these elements are always consistent and congruent.

Developing and maintaining a corporate brand is essential in modern business. SMEketing can work with you and your small business to develop your brand and carry it through all your marketing efforts.

Speak to us about logo design, company stationary, website design, copywriting and more. See our Services page for a full list of marketing solutions we provide.

Our small business marketing agency is based in Hampshire and service all of Hampshire, as well as Wiltshire, Dorset and Surrey, Sussex and Berkshire (and of course the Isle of Wight – in fact it’s so lovely over there we’d welcome the excuse to visit!).

2 Comments April 6, 2009