Face-to-face networking is well and truly back in business. Still intermingled with the odd zoom online event but, nothing takes the place of a tangible handshake, or the facial expressions felt when making human connections and developing relationships within a professional business field.
Networking is probably one of the most important types of marketing activity you will ever do. People deal with people and attendance at a networking event plays a pivotal role in the overall marketing mix of your business. However, consistency is key here to help form long-lasting relationships that will over time become a good source of business referrals.
Networking events are a great way to meet potential customers, gain useful knowledge and insight into your industry, and to boost your business visibility. It is not enough just to turn up though: you need to go prepared with an array of marketing tools; otherwise, you may find that you could lose out on important contacts and potential customers.
So, what are the best-printed marketing tools to be at your disposal:
- Business Cards
- To do list Note Pad
- Flyers and Leaflets
- Mini-Calendars – Desk Top Style
- Folders and Brochures
Don’t underestimate the power of the business card – small, easy to handle, and work in perfect conjunction with social media profiles, your website, and online presence – if designed and printed in the right way they are the ultimate attention grabber. You never know who you will meet at the event, even if you don’t have things in common or an ultimate need for one another’s products or services but, their colleagues and contacts might. Even in today’s ever-growing digital marketplace, there’s still genuine value in a face-to-face conversation and if you’re trying to make an impression then a business card can help you stand out from the barrage of faceless emails. Plus, without one, there is that awkward time spent swapping numbers or email addresses that could be better spent having an actual conversation (the information is all nicely printed and enclosed in that card).
Easy pick up: Flyers and leaflets – In addition to the business card scenario addressed above, you may wish to consider high-quality printed leaflets and flyers to hand out or leave on display at these events. The aim of which is to give more detail on your product or service offer and use as a ‘leave behind’ to remind people of what you do, planting a seed for future communications.
How to make the most out of networking:
- Set a monthly annual budget – just as you would for any other form of marketing
- Select events you’d like to attend and schedule other activities around them – balancing other lead generation activities is a good way to compare ROI
- Be selective of events – be mindful of picking those with like-minded people and those that can connect with your target audience not necessarily in the room
- Tell individuals what you do but don’t sell
- People love to talk, so ask questions – build rapport and ultimately find out if they are someone you might like to do future business with
- Follow up on all connections either by connecting on social media or sending an email.
We’d love to discuss your requirements further and provide you with the toolkit to take on the world of networking
Call the team on 0161 477 6645 or email hello@paragonprinting.co.uk