How one question transformed my business

LinkedIn - Business Networking

Certain people complain time spent on social networks is largely a waste of time, that small business owners should be concentrating on real (offline) networking to build up contacts and business.

I believe that used wrongly social networking can be a drain of your time with no obvious benefits. However if used correctly as part of your wider marketing strategy they can help in positioning yourself as an industry expert as well as being an aid in promoting your business to a wider group of people.

Although im a huge supporter of Twitter the network that helped transform my freelancing career was LinkedIn.

The LinkedIn Effect

One evening in January 2008 i received a question on LinkedIn from Leo Babauta (one of my connections) asking if any of his contacts were available to design the cover and layout of an e-book he had written which was due to go on sale. I didn’t have much experience designing e-books but i thought i would reply hoping my other portfolio items would show my graphic design experience as a whole. I sent a reply that evening with a brief overview of my experience along with a link to my portfolio.

In all honesty i didn’t think i would hear back (as e-book design was not my speciality) however a few weeks later i received an email from Leo. He explained although he had chosen someone else to design the e-book, he was very impressed with my portfolio and asked if i would like to design and develop a new website he was working on called Web Warrior Tools with this partner in the project – Glen Stansberry. After i had collected the necessary information i quoted for the project and once accepted we began work in mid February.

It was an amazing project to work on, Leo and Glen were an absolute pleasure to work with. We collaborated well together and the final result was both a very successful launch and website.

Shortly after finishing work on Web Warrior Tools, Glen and Leo referred me onto Muhammad Saleem, one of the top Diggers and social media mavens, along with Jay White, creator of Dumb Little Man, an amazing life and productivity blog both of whom have also sent me referrals since working together. I have just finished a new project with Mu and am in discussions to start another project with both Jay and Glen. Which shows the connections i have made have been long-lasting.

Business Benefits

In answering one question i have had the privledge to work with some of the top experts in their niches, this has had a hugely positive effect on my freelancing. Although i had carved out a successful freelance career before this, the contacts i have made since working with Leo and Glen have been invaluable.

The work i did on Web Warriors also made me realise WordPress theming was both lucrative and enjoyable and i decided to re-focus my services with WordPress at the forefront. Focusing on blog design and development has since been one of the best marketing and freelancing decisions i have made, and stands as the backbone of my services today.

The Take Away

I will be the first to admit i am not the model to use for LinkedIn as i don’t do as much as i probably should, however by building my network before i needed it, i was there to answer a question that ultimately opened up a niche of clientele that otherwise i would not have had access to.

Of course this doesn’t mean spending every waking hour on LinkedIn (or indeed any other online network) or spamming people you don’t know with endless connection requests. Simply put, use LinkedIn to identify relationships between people you know and people you want to know and look for opportunities to show (and share) your expertise.

Keep in mind though, the time you spend on these networks should have an end purpose and shouldn’t come at the expense of other marketing or indeed your work.

Helpful Resources on LinkedIn

Have you any similar experiences with other networking sites, or do you think social networking really is a waste of time, i would love to hear your thoughts on this!

Photo by Mario Sundar

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is owner of the small but perfectly formed web design studio Postscript5, in Northern Ireland. To keep up to date with the latest designalicious content, then please consider subscribing.