Networking

Networking describes the deliberate building and care of professional relationships. The aim is to support each other with knowledge, referrals, leads and experience. Networking happens both in person at events, fairs or industry meetups and online through platforms such as LinkedIn or Xing.

How a sustainable network grows

Sustainable networks grow over time and rest on trust. People who regularly share useful content, introduce contacts to each other and pay attention to others build a stable network step by step. Pure card collecting or connection hoarding without substance fades away, because without giving there is no taking.

Which channels matter

Important offline channels include trade shows, conferences, associations and industry meet ups. Online, professional networks such as LinkedIn and Xing dominate, complemented by topical communities, Mastodon instances, Discord servers or closed Slack spaces. In every channel clear professional positioning beats self promotion.

In day to day B2B

In day to day B2B work networking often delivers the first touchpoints for later sales conversations and complements classic direct marketing channels. Content built up through networking ties in well with direct marketing via email lists or lead campaigns, so reach, reputation and concrete deals reinforce each other.