5 Networking Event Tips for Introverts
Being an introvert is a networking strength!
Photo by Canva Studio from Pexels
What do you do if the mere mention of networking makes you cringe?
Know that you’re not alone. Up to half of Americans are introverts, according to Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.
As someone who used to struggle with social anxiety, here are six tips that have helped me go from being too intimidated to ask where the ladies’ room is to establishing long-lasting professional relationships.
Networking is essential for thriving in your career and no matter who you are these networking tips for introverts will help!
1. Get to the networking event early.
Picture two scenarios: In the first, you arrive midway through a large networking event to find a room full of people deep in conversation. In the second, you’re one of the first people to arrive, so you meet the hosts, who then introduce you to the other few people there. An introvert might like the anonymity of blending into the crowd in the first scenario, but the second offers a less stressful opportunity to connect.
When you arrive early to an event, you’re less frazzled and can get the lay of the land. You’re also more likely to meet the organizers, who will serve as great contacts. They’ll want to see people mingling at their event, so they’ll be apt to introduce you to others. Even if the hosts don’t personally introduce you, it’s easier to enter a small group than to break into a larger one. That small group is probably looking for a new person to meet—and that person is you!
2. Give yourself permission not to talk to the entire room.
There’s usually at least one person in the crowd who makes it their mission to meet every single person in the room. Sometimes these people are social butterflies who are eager to truly connect with people and may even help introduce you to other people in the process. Usually, though, they’re more like vultures, circling the perimeter and then “preying” on people by interrupting conversations to talk about themselves.
Focus on introducing yourself to the people you actually want to meet. It’s more valuable to make genuine connections with four people who will remember you and what you can offer as a colleague than it is to meet forty people who won’t remember you at all. People you’ve had authentic conversations with will be more invested in helping you achieve your career goals.
3. Use the buddy system.
An extroverted wing-woman can offer support and help introduce you to new people. Just make sure you don’t latch on to this person. Instead, occasionally check in on each other. Let them know what type of people you’re hoping to meet. If they happen to encounter someone in that position or with that opening, they know to introduce you.
If you decide to fly solo at an event, you can still work the buddy system. Once you’ve established a connection with someone who may also be attending alone, you can take turns introducing each other to new people. This makes introductions much more natural. It also allows you to potentially double the amount of people you meet.
4. Don’t worry about talking about yourself.
It may sound counterintuitive to focus on someone else when networking, but shifting your focus to the person you’re talking with has psychological and business benefits. Asking the other person what their needs allows you to build a rapport, and by listening to their answers, you’ll be able to discern how your skill set can best help their business. It’s a win–win. They no longer have to use their imagination to figure out if your cold-pitch matches their business needs. Instead, you’ll be able to offer them the solution they’ve been looking for because you’ve actually listened to their needs.
5. Get the other person’s business card.
Ever meet someone whose sole goal seems to be to get rid of every last one of their business cards? Anyone who does this is the human equivalent of a pop-up ad: intrusive and insincere. Only once you’ve established a meaningful connection with someone should you exchange business cards.
Flatter others by asking for their cards. This not only ensures you can keep the conversation going afterward, it also means that when you follow up, you come across as confident, proactive, and organized. This allows you to operate from your position of strength: from your quiet home, you’ll be able to take your time as you write an email to your new contact. Drop them a line letting them know you enjoyed the conversation, bringing up something you talked about together. Then, let them know if there’s a specific way you can offer help, before making your polite request—whether it’s to meet for coffee or if they could introduce you to their hiring manager for the job opening they’d mentioned.
Being an introvert is a networking strength!
Stephanie Nikolopoulos is the coauthor, with Paul Maher Jr., of Burning Furiously Beautiful. For more information, visit: StephanieNikolopoulos.com.
This post was published on March 2, 2019, and has since been updated.
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#Trending: So Here are the 8 Social Media Tips You Really Need
Do this is you want to build your brand.
We’ve entered the digital age of Keeping Up with the Content Joneses. Brands and media alike are saturating social media platforms with higher and higher volumes of content, rolling with the punches of algorithm shifts and new platform functionalities. The year is 2017 and spoiler alert: the content competition is fierce.
There are 500 million tweets sent per day (#covfefe), and 300 hours of video content uploaded to YouTube every minute. Almost 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every day. And Instagram? Don't even get us started. There are over 60 million new pics uploaded daily, generating over 1.6 billion (YES, billion) likes per day. Are you experiencing sensory overload yet?
If a primary objective of your social media strategy is engaging with your target audience, how do you get their eyeballs on your content to begin with? It’s a volatile world out there, and we’re here to help you cut through the content clutter with these quick & dirty tips for building a better brand presence on social. Whether your brand is pushing products, or you’re a blogger promoting your content (or yourself), consider the following:
1. Identify each channel’s purpose based on your target audience’s social behavior.
What social platforms are actually important to your target consumer? It’s critical to identify these platforms, and even more so, the content that performs well on these platforms. The spray-and-pray method (translation: posting the exact same content across all social platforms without any tailoring for the specific platform) just doesn’t cut it anymore. The end goal is to communicate to your audience in their native social language on platforms that naturally engage with. For example, the content you your brand creates and shares on Pinterest does not serve the same function on Twitter. Successful content on Pinterest is aspirational and functional, with DIYs and recipes ranking amongst the visual platform’s most engaged with content. Hashtags do not serve a purpose on Pinterest, and, in fact, they are discouraged against. Transition to Twitter and there is a very different landscape. Not only is there a 140 character limit, but images shared are presented horizontally in the newsfeed and hashtags serve a much more functional conversational purpose. Successful content on Twitter is breaking news and statistics.
"The only similarity between the two platforms is that they are both excellent traffic drivers, but the consumer journey could not be more different."
2. Integrate a social strategy and content plan into your brand’s overarching digital ecosystem.
Once you land on where you will be talking to your audience socially, map out how social media fits into your brand’s overall digital ecosystem experience. Make sure your website is optimized for social (if your site is not optimized for mobile, you’re missing the action), and think about cross-platform promotion if you are starting any new channels and you have established other existing presences.
3. Think socially, and less about your brand.
The internet runs off of content. In order to be efficient, your content needs to stand out because it’s clever, fun, and sharable. Successful viral content appeals to universal feelings and relates to human relationships. If you want people to share your content, give them a reason to tag their friend or share the asset with another social connection. Brands making mistakes on social are too narrowly focused on owned brand messaging, so much so that they miss opportunities to use social to be truly, well, social. By nature, social media is reactive and provides cultural commentary. Tapping into the social trends of each platform will undoubtedly lead to more double-taps on your content. For a spectrum of brand examples doing this well, look no further than MR PORTER, Taco Bell, and Lowe’s for inspiration.
"By nature, social media is reactive and provides cultural commentary."
4. Create a cohesive look and feel to owned channels and all content.
Could your content be mistaken for another brand’s? If so, rethink how you communicate visually on social. On top of everyday content, it’s important to keep a consistent DNA across channels - whether it be through profile pictures, cover photos, tone of voice, color, theme, etc. Consistency builds credibility in the world of social.
5. Create a plan to create content.
Content is king. Content is the strongest tool you have to grow your audience organically, so create a plan to create. This can take shape in the form of monthly content calendars and agreed upon approval workflows. Always be planning for the month ahead, and leave placeholders in your calendar for any reactive or responsive cultural content. The takeaway here is to not push content out for the sake of crossing it off a to-do list. If content is your currency, make sure the value of it mirrors that of your brand’s.
"Content is the strongest tool you have to grow your audience organically, so create a plan to create."
7. Identify partnerships and content distribution opportunities.
If you’re launching new social presences (i.e. Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, etc), consider how you are going to get eyeballs on your brand and its message via editorial and influencer partnerships. Not only can you lean on partnerships for content creation, but you can leverage the power of their engaged audiences when they share meaningful, authentic content on behalf of your brand.
8. Implement paid support.
It’s no secret that the big platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have transitioned to a pay-to-play model. If you have the budget to do so, it’s worth investing in hyper targeted campaigns such as content engagement, fan acquisition, or web traffic drivers. These bigger platforms now have targeting and campaign flight capabilities that resemble traditional media buys, and implementing a social spend is a powerful way to guarantee reach within your target demographic.
And there you have it, folks. Now get out there, create meaningful content, and we hope to see you #trending soon.
Dana Kelly is a content strategist by trade and subscribes to the notion that life, lifestyle, and the left coast are what matter most. The California native spends most of her days at Mistress, and has a deep love for words, wine, and great in-flight entertainment.
Do It For The Gram: Tips For The Best Instagram Feed
For a lot of us, Instagram can be our weapon of choice when it comes to dominating the social media game. Unlike Twitter and Facebook, it is one of the social media channels where you can express yourself or your brand creatively and really put best foot forward when it comes to building a great aesthetic.
The Creative Class
For a lot of us, Instagram can be our weapon of choice when it comes to dominating the social media game. Unlike Twitter and Facebook, it is one of the social media channels where you can express yourself or your brand creatively and really put best foot forward when it comes to building a great aesthetic.
To gather a bit of inspiration, we end up following some amazing Instagrammers in hopes of following their creative footsteps, but how do some brands and Instagrammers maintain some of the freshest looking feeds that you can scroll through forever? We've taken some notes from some of our favorite Instagrammers, and took note at what really makes a perfectly-produced Instagram.
Choose Your Floor
@jaclynrjohnson
@airbnb
@rosaalyn_
This is your foundation and your destination. Where do you want to be in your post? A minimalistic warehouse with concrete floors? A 5 star hotel bathroom with marble counters? A coffee shop with beautiful blue tile? Keep your eyes peeled on the floor because that can be one of the best assets to your photo when shooting from above.
Add Texture
@feralcreature
@bashpartygoods
Have a variety of textures and fabrics on hand to add dimension - be it fur (or faux-fur) , turkish towels, decorative pillows, lace...the list goes on. For food styling, feel free to scatter a few crumbs around the food to make it feel more natural, and adding some dish towels or utensils helps too! Don't be afraid to get messy!
Lighting Is Key
@takubeats
@jess_hannah
Lighting is by far the most important aspect of your photo. Always shoot your subject near a window, door, or even outside where there is an abundance of natural light. Sometimes, it helps to crawl to the corners of the house below the windows to get the best lit areas. And for the best lighting during the day? Make sure to take advantage of the golden hour before sunset for some of the dreamiest natural lighting.
Give some props to your props
@daniirey
@bonnietsang
@orionvanessa
Throw in some plants, leaves, gems, magazines, candles, etc.. It always pays to stock up on trendy Instagrammable props to make your feed more beautifully composed. Plus, more props means more stuff to add to an amazing flatlay!
Use your iPhone's focus
By holding your finger down on the screen until a white box appears. Use this to center in on a focal point. Then slide your finger up and down to adjust the exposure (hint - it's easier to correct over exposed photos than underexposed).
Landscape vs. square photo
@jess_hannah
@monicamoraru
If you want your feed to be consistent, make sure to either stick to filling the entire square on your posts, or doing landscape with white borders on the top and bottom. Whatever you choose, make sure it looks thoughtfully planned out and composed, and not like you just threw up a photo on your feed because you had to. (Patterns are key!) However, with Instagram's amazing new update released this week: you can post landscape photos without it ruining your entire feed if you use the entire frame! Huzzah!
Color Palette
@amy_stone
@vanessacesario_
Some of the best Instagram feeds done an impeccable job at using the same color palatte, and not having any off-theme colors throw off their feed. Sticking to two to three dominant colors on your feed will make your Instagram much more alluring, which will definitely rack in the likes and the follows from people who will be inspired by your feed.