5 strategies to help you maintain professional connections
Connect with your audience
By Discover Magazine | Published: 3 / 06 / 2020
The current situation we are facing with COVID-19 is truly unprecedented. At the same time, we understand that it’s more important than ever to stay connected with our audiences. With remote working becoming the norm, enabled by a whole host of digital tools, it is easier to network and continue to build and develop new contacts.
Here are five strategies to help you maintain professional connections now:
1 – Be authentic, engaging and relevant
It’s important to step out of your comfort zone to connect with people now. Utilize the spare time while in self-isolation effectively.
Reaching out to existing and new contacts on LinkedIn and other social media tools is also a great time to post your own thoughts and create more visibility for yourself.
Lay the foundation for strategic future growth when the pandemic comes to an end.
Always be authentic, engaging, relevant and sharing.
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2 – Choose the best platforms
Identify one primary platform to network and maintain basic social media etiquette. Stay away from sensitive religious or political posts.
What platforms are you currently using? Are they the most appropriate or effective for the current environment?
Is there any channel you’re missing? This may be the right time to consider adding some channels you haven’t been utilizing yet.
What kinds of messages are you sending? This may be an ideal moment to test your messaging to see what is resonating best.
Be mindful of tone. Many people are facing financial, physical and emotional hardships. Be sensitive to this fact and convey your messages with care.
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3 – Be sure you are relevant
Carefully consider the effect your messages can have on your audiences. The right message at the right time can lead to lasting goodwill beyond the pandemic.
Review your current messaging: Does it still make sense? Could they be considered irrelevant or insensitive during this time?
Think about which content will benefit others as they are practicing social distancing.
Focus promotions on relevant needs. For instance, you could post useful content related to working from at home.
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4- Quality content
Create and share quality content. Whether it’s writing a unique post on LinkedIn or sharing the latest industry updates, people need your expertise more than ever.
The more quality content you post, the greater your visibility and the easier it is for you to stay top-of-mind with your peers.
Remind your audiences of your value, show that you care: these messages don’t have to be promotional; they can be encouraging or informative.
Share a narrative of what you are doing for your customers and the community during this time. Audiences will remember this, long after things go back to normal.
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5 – Set yourself up for success — now and later
Optimize the user experience with all digital touchpoints — the more intuitive, simple and streamlined, the more they will appreciate the value you offer.
Look for ways to stay top-of-mind with relevant messages that makes people look forward to connecting with you in the future.
Keep the momentum strong. Every message you send should provide value to your connections or customers, especially now.
Your industry won’t be in this state forever, so make sure that you are implementing the right strategies now. Make use of the many digital tools that can help you create rich connections.
GOOGLE and FACEBOOK SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES
Google’s Support for Small Businesses
Google announced they will provide $340 million in Google Ads credits available to all small- and medium-sized businesses with active accounts over the past year. Credit notifications will appear in their Google Ads accounts and can be used at any point until the end of 2020 across our advertising platforms. Learn more about Google’s initiatives here.
Facebook’s Support for Small Businesses
Facebook is offering $100M in cash grants and ad credits for up to 30,000 eligible small businesses in over 30 countries where we operate. Details here.
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