You’ve been brainstorming ideas for your blog posts and your social media accounts. You’ve got what feels like hundreds of ideas flowing through your head, but none of them feel right. Something is missing in your business that’s stopping you, and you’re just not sure what it is. You’re just stuck.
Does that sound about right?
No matter what business you’re in, you’re full of ideas. Still, you’re constantly feeling stuck on figuring out what your readers actually want to know or what information/product you have that will be the solution to their problems.
I’m going to let you in on a secret recipe that’s the key to having a successful business— are you ready for it?
Networking.
Talking and connecting with people — whether they are in your industry or another industry — is the key to building your business.
I know what you’re thinking, it can’t be that simple, but it is. To create content based on your readers’ interests, you have to ask them what they want.
How Do You Start Networking?
In a digital age, connecting with people sits a little differently than it used to. So, how exactly does networking for writers work? It depends on where you’re looking for your input.
Are you conversing with people online? Join social media networks, groups with readers looking to solve the problems you have answers to, groups with other writers — the internet is your playground.
Sometimes, especially since working behind screens for so long, we forget how to build our networks with our audiences away from the screen.
Get to know people in your community. Be open to starting new conversations with new people. All it takes is coffee and conversation to really start solving others’ problems and learning what people really want to hear.
My advice? Meet someone new once a week. Chat with them online or meet up for lunch.
You’ll be amazed by how much you can learn from meeting a new face. In fact, this is one of my favorite ways to learn about problems that exist to potential readers and clients — by talking them out.
These twenty-minute coffee chats or lunch “dates” can not only help you build long-lasting relationships, but you’ll get a clear picture of what’s important to like-minded people who are likely looking for the information you have to offer.
Understanding The Importance of Networking And How it Can Take You From Feeling Stuck to Feeling Confident
Every aspect of your business is vital to you, but do you know precisely how to reach your ideal clients and find out what’s important to them? If you’re not talking with people, you probably don’t. And that’s why you’re feeling stuck.
To stop feeling overwhelmed, unsure and stuck, what you need to know about your target audience is:
- What do your clients already know
- What do they want to know
- What’s important to your readers
This is why networking is so important — it gives you, the business owner, insights into exactly what your readers want to know and how you can create the answer to all of their problems.
By networking, you’re setting yourself up for success. No more wasting time trying to get unstuck without really knowing what your following wants or needs. No more playing mind reader; you’ve found the facts and can focus on providing more value in their lives.
The benefits of networking don’t stop there, though. Networking allows you to create a cushion for the future. Now, through connecting with those inside and outside of your industry, you’re opening up a support system where you can…
- Collaborate
- Brainstorm
- Increase visibility
- Build a referral network
… to fall back on anytime you start to feel stuck on what direction your business should be heading in next.
Paint a Clear Picture of What You Do
Connecting with potential clients both online and in-person can not only help you grow your network and build potential referrals — but you also learn what makes people tick.
By being open to building your networks, you gain the ability to get to know people, what they like and what they don’t; you learn how people think and how you can draw them into what you have to offer.
Your network helps you paint a clear picture of exactly how you can get out of the rut you feel stuck in. By building your network and talking with more and more people, it becomes easier to get new ideas for your business processes — maybe something that worked for one of your connections will work for you too.
The more you talk with people (whether or not they’re really your perfect client), you’ll begin to see a difference in how easy it is for you to talk about your business — hello enhanced elevator speech — and refining exactly what it is you do and don’t do in your business.
The pieces will start to connect themselves, and you’ll begin to start seeing the bigger picture of your business more and more clearly the more you talk with people.
By trying new things, meeting new people, and openly talking about what you do in your business, learning what your target audience looks like and how you can easily reach them will start to map itself out with very little effort.
Just like the best way to learn new things is to simply dive in, the best way to get unstuck is to stop focusing on what’s standing in your way. Talking to new people will give you new ideas so that you’re focused on things you can do instead of obsessing over things that aren’t working.
Get Unstuck and Create Your Circle
Even if you don’t find your ideal client through the networking you’ve done, you’re opening up doors. You gain a circle of creatives and business owners that support each other through future endeavors. You may also meet people who don’t fit into that circle and that’s okay, too.
Not every connection will lead to a long-lasting relationship, but here’s the thing — you never know where the seeds you plant will take you AND it takes you out of your comfort zone and into your business and what really matters to your potential clients.
Networking helps you create positive habits that set your business’s tone, making it easier to connect with readers, create copy that hits their pain points, solve their problems, and keep them coming back for more.
Have You Had Networking Success or Does Your Strategy Need Some Help?
Your networking strategy is one of your biggest tools to success. However, it’s not always easy to introduce your business (your baby) to the world.
But I assure you, once you learn how to network and learn the right strategies, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to talk with new people about your business.
You don’t have to figure it out alone. Set up a coffee chat with me and we’ll see what ideas arise… Schedule here. I can’t wait to chat with you!
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