Lessons Learned From Online Networking

Over the past few weeks Maria has been attending numerous virtual events all over Scotland, talking about Mesomorphic and the growing digital economy in Shetland. Here are some of the lessons she's learned about virtual networking.

• 16 June 2020
• By Maria Bell
•  Discussion Point

In 2017 I published a blog post sharing my top tips for networking solo, following my first trip to Turing Fest in Edinburgh.

If you have been following me on LinkedIn over the past few weeks, you will know that I have been attending virtual events all over Scotland and accompanying my LinkedIn posts with my new talking point - the Mesomorphic mug.

I covered the importance of having a talking point in the first blog and here are some additional lessons I’ve learned over the past few weeks.

1 - Expand your pitch. Looking back, my introduction pitch was pretty much focused on my target audience. Whilst this is not a bad thing, generally the audience attending online sessions tend to be much wider than those you will meet at conferences. Expanding your pitch will ensure you don’t alienate half of the attendees.

2 - Think in 3D. This was a bit of a lightbulb moment for me following a conversation I had with one of my new connections. Take a piece of paper and put your target audience in the centre. Next step is to brainstorm the industries and roles who will work with your target audience and make sure you include these in your networking.

3 - Be our guest! With there now being so many different events out there, if someone offers you the opportunity to be a guest at their networking session I strongly recommend that you consider it. Remember you could be only one conversation away from your golden opportunity.

4 - Bring Your Own Food. For me, mini quiches used to be one of the highlights of face to face networking. Mainly because it stopped my stomach from doing all the talking, but also because it also provided me with another talking point. A quick word of advice, if you do decide to bring snacks learn keyboard shortcuts for your platforms for efficient muting.

5 - Streamline your detail sharing process. Whether it’s updating your LinkedIn profile URL to something more memorable, or investing in a digital business card it’s important that you can share your contact details confidently and quickly. I tend to have my LinkedIn profile and a short summary in a text file open next to whichever platform I am using so I can quickly copy across my information into the chatbox.

What tip would you share with someone who is new to online networking? Let us know, either by using the form below or send us an email to contact@mesomorphic.co.uk