Some of my best freelance writing gigs have come from people in my network. These are not necessarily people I have worked with in the past. Rather, they are professionals I have met and kept in touch with over the years.
Here are three tips to successfully grow your network:
- Ask your closest clients and business partners for introductions. If you can get five people to pass your name along to five others you are well on your way to adding to your network. Soon enough you will be able to ask those five for an introduction, so on and so forth. Yes, it takes time to grow your network but in the long run it really pays off.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out to people you don’t know. From time to time I send emails and make calls to people I want to meet. Not because I want to work with them, but just to introduce myself and pick their brain. This is a great way to make new connections without the stress of having to sell your services.
- Anybody can be in your network, not just those in your direct industry. Many freelance writers believe that they can only network with other freelancers – this is not the case. Everybody can be your client. This year alone I have worked with both my real estate agent and dentist. Of course, it is my hopes that they will pass my name along to others in their industry.
If you need help growing your network the three tips above are a great place to start.
I think #2 is a particularly valuable point — it’s scary to reach out and meet people you don’t already need, but it’s much easier to network with such people before you actually need to sell something to them. I’d much rather make friends when I don’t have to worry about seeming like I want something from them.
I have found that most people are happy to take the time out to answer a question or to give a bit of advice. That being said, freelancers always seem to enjoy taking a few minutes to interact with each other by discussing blogs, current working conditions, or the value of having a coffee! 🙂 I think that it helps us keep connected because we often spend a great part of our day in our home office space. It IS nice to meet people and interact with them to see if they are the types of writers or freelancers that you want to spend time networking with.