Hey, sis! 

Networking and forming kick-ass connections are essential to sharing your brand, expertise, and thought leadership. There are many benefits to networking and building connections that can last you a lifetime. The key is to have a strategy, know your end goal, and manage your relationships to keep up with everyone you contact. When consulting our clients on strategy, we have outlined specific areas for creating a great network.

At TGND Consulting, we consider ourselves “millennial mompreneurs” who are experts at building relationships, creating brand awareness, and strategizing how to show up and be seen. Over the past few years, networking has helped us access mentors, collaborate with partners, and build our authority as thought leaders and figures in our respective industries. With our experience creating a bomb network and establishing connections, we have scaled our business and are on track to hit our first six-figure year. The way to maximize your network (whether small or large) is to create and implement a strategy. 

Networking in public relations ( really in business in general) is vital because it can assist in forming results that can amplify your business and bottom line. Through networking, we connect with people from different industries, and these contacts are always mutually beneficial because we foster relationships that can elevate both parties. 

Here’s a little back story on how networking has impacted the TGND brand. 

Eight years ago, Dwayna moved to Georgia on a mission to create a career in public relations. Through her journey, she realized that starting her own business was what God had intended for her to make. She did not know anyone in Georgia, but what she aspired to do was evident in her goals and mission. By researching and attending media and networking events, Dwayna and Donna were able to develop their business, TGND Consulting®. Through trial and error, Dwayna and Donna quickly learned that when building a professional network, the common mistake people make is attempting to connect with everybody. To avoid that mistake, communicating and sharing similar values and morals created synergy and alignment with women and men that can help expand the vision of TGND Consulting®. Sis, get into these tips below. 

Maximize and Leverage Digital Networking

Utilize social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Facebook Groups. Networking online is less costly but requires time to connect through DM, engagement, and setting up virtual meet-ups. Last year, Dwayna and Donna dedicated their time to one to three networking calls every Friday. Setting ideal days on the calendar each week helped engage with potential partners and allowed them to connect with individuals more intimately.

In-Person Networking Still Works 

With a strategy in mind, in-person networking can be more personable regarding first-hand interactions. We like to tell clients to follow some parameters like these below. 

• Your New Business Best Friend: We all know what happens when you connect with someone who gets it. Everyone needs a work best friend because you want to start building a bond in business for networking.

• Someone In Your Industry: Let’s get past the competition mindset. Meet someone in your industry and share what you’re doing. You can learn much from how someone runs a business and vice versa.

• Someone In A Different Industry: Don’t discount what you can learn from someone in a different industry. You might not provide the same service or product, but business is business. Find out what’s working for the person and share what’s working for you.
• Someone You Can Partner With: Some services and products go hand in hand. Use your imagination and begin a bold conversation about how you could collaborate with someone you know your people would benefit from working with. That means their people would also benefit from everything you have to offer.

Need help with strategy? Connect with us and learn about our strategy sessions. If you want to know more about the public relations industry, you can learn how to become a PR Architect.

Creating your brand story starts by understanding the why behind your expertise. Why begin with having a PR architect? We define a PR architect as a person who plans, designs, and oversees the structure of their brand, image, and public relations initiatives.  Our PR Architect Workshop is a course for mompreneurs and women business owners who aren’t quite ready to invest in a PR firm. Packed with our years of knowledge on creating a magical brand story through PR, the eBook was designed to get your brand story on point.