Having a presence on social media has countless benefits including sharing content with potentially all your contacts – worldwide, with one click of a button. If you’ve mastered the art of being social to make contacts, bringing your social media skills to par will help make you a fully rounded ‘socialite’! Here are 5 tips to networking online:

1. Engage in online interests and activities that interest you. Search for bloggers writing content which interests you – and let them know by leaving comments and following their social media platforms. Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook are just a few starting points. The internet has made networking with groups of like-minded people a whole lot easier. Use hashtags to search key words or phrases of interest on social media i.e #LetsDoLunchUrbanGuide for local events or meetings that are likely to attract people with similar interests or passions.

2. Research people you admire or those who hold interesting positions. There has never been an easier way to research, connect, and communicate with prominent (or not-so-prominent) people. Now, you can gather information about people with a simple Google search, or social networks such as LinkedIn. Use it to your advantage to connect with potential contact – and reach out with a message, tweet or comment.

3. Interview your contacts: Arrange an informal meeting with a professional you admire or rekindle a connection with an exiting contact. Ask them questions about their careers and pick their brains for advice and tip. Got a blog? Let them know you’d like to share their tips in a blog post to share with your followers. An informational interview can be coffee after work or a Skype interview. Whatever it ends up being, keep it short, (better to suggest a time frame when arranging the meeting) 20 – 30 mins is usually suitable, but be open to accept however long they can spare even if it’s just 10 mins for a quick coffee. It’s courteous to offer to pick up the bill if you grabbed coffee or lunch (so you might want to suggest somewhere you can afford coffee for two!)

4. Check up on your network regularly. Regularity is key to stability in almost anything. The next time you need something (a job, advice, a blogger) cast a wide net and see what happens. Make a few phone calls or send out an e-mail describing your situation in a friendly tone: “Hey, I’m reviewing a restaurant in Soho, wondered if you’d like to join me and we can have a talk about my new project.” Don’t wait too long to re-connect with your existing networks. And if you do, find a charming way back in.

5. Never keep your networking efforts isolated to the internet. You can establish great connections online, however the most successful networkers are those who take those online connections and translate them into intimate face-to-face relationships. “Let’s do Lunch“, coffee, or drinks, are a great ways to begin establish a face-to-face relationship with people. Remember that you can also invite people to do things related to your interests.

Extracts from www.wikihow.com