How to leverage your network

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You’ve done everything right – you’ve joined your local PR/Communications professional association, you attend industry events regularly, you have social networks devoted to building your reputation. It pays off – you’ve slowly built yourself a network of professionals in the field, whether it be in-person or online. Now that you have those connections, how do you keep them and how can you leverage them in a mutually beneficial way?

Maintain your professional network:

  • Keep a little black book: or an organized contacts list, whichever you prefer. Keep track of your connections’ positions, their companies and industries, and their contact info if you’ve ever received it. Trust me, you’ll lose their business card at some point.
  • Keep in touch: communicate regularly with your network. If you met someone at an event, follow them on Twitter and let them know it was great conversing with them. Retweet or reply to their tweets to stay relevant.
  • Be a source of information: use your social networks and other online platforms to share industry-relevant, timely and/or insightful information. If you give your connections something they’re interested in, you’re more memorable to them.

Leverage your professional network:

  • Know what you’re asking for: if you plan to call on your connections for a good word, don’t waste their time. While you should still be polite and respectful, ensure that you’re clear with your expectations for them.
  • Get to know your people’s people: it’s good to meet new people, but it’s great to gain access to the people they know. When speaking to a PR/Communications practitioner, tell them your interests in the field and ask if they could recommend 2-3 you should speak to about that further. Remember, this person is putting his or her name on the line for you if they do so, so conduct yourself professionally and respectfully.
  • Return the favour: for every favour you ask of someone, it’s courteous to return it at one point or another.
  • Say thank you: always, always follow up after a meeting with someone and thank them for their time. PR/Communications professionals are very busy, and their time is valuable.

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