Women Grow Business

“I ain’t no BP”

You may think, “my business is no BP – there’s no way I would ever be caught in the midst of a PR disaster.”

While your crisis may not capture the attention of world leaders (we certainly hope not!), it’s a fact that small businesses can be impacted by events that attract significant negative attention.

Image: LadyDragonflyCC’s Flickstream, Creative Commons

Here are just a few worst-case scenarios that can (and have) hit small businesses:

• One of your employees, while running an errand for you in your company-branded car, is texting while driving and hits a school bus full of children.
• Your company hosts or sponsors an event that’s open to the public, and a fight breaks out among attendees.
• Due to an error by the production company, your business releases a product with a major defect.
• The company handling your online sales has a security breach, potentially putting your customers’ information at risk.

Whether the potential risks for your company include the above or something different, PR practitioners live by the motto, “hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.”

The difference between a brief blip of attention, and a full-on “feeding frenzy” of negative media coverage that lasts for several days (or more), is often due to the company’s reaction in the first 24 hours.

What to do

1. React quickly.

Years ago (before the 24-hour, up-to-the-minute news cycle), you could take a bit of time formulating the best response to a crisis.

Today, especially with social media allowing stories to spread in mere minutes, silence is simply not an option.

It’s important to note that today we often see a crisis of negative sentiment build online first, and then get picked up by traditional media.

Even if your first, short-term response is simply, “we’re currently gathering all the facts and will be issuing a statement shortly,” it’s important to show you care by being responsive when you first learn of the crisis event.

2. Always tell the truth.

While some folks mistakenly believe that PR pros are professional liars, nothing could be further from the truth.

It’s our job to protect an organization’s reputation, and nothing ruins this more quickly than getting caught spreading falsehoods – we know this well.

In fact, it came to light that Toyota’s top U.S. PR executive urged the automaker to inform the public of defects earlier this year.

Of course, just as our moms told us, complete honesty is simply the best policy and the only way to maintain credibility.

But beyond that, it’s also the way to prevent staying in the headlines for multiple days after your crisis occurs. Companies that only cop to part of a story are just asking for reporters to find out the other half on their own.

When it comes to painful situations and admissions, it’s like ripping off a bandaid – get it over with quickly!

3. Consult a lawyer when needed, but don’t listen to them for PR advice

In the case of the texting employee above, you could be facing litigation. In that case, as in others, you would definitely want to speak with your lawyer before making a public statement.

However, as Tiger Woods could tell you, a statement that is short on facts, skirts the truth and is full of lawyer-speak simply doesn’t ring true to the public.

If your community feels you’re being disingenuous, they can turn on you quickly. It’s important that any statements have a human quality, for example comments such as “our hearts go out to the families” or “our customers are our number one priority, and we value the trust they put in us” must ring true.

You may want to bring in a professional PR consultant with expertise in crisis communications to help you; many are available as “hired guns” to help in unpredicted situations.

Crisis Planning

When the white hot spotlight of negative attention is on your company, even the coolest heads tend to enter reactive mode and make mistakes.

How can you avoid “Chicken Little” syndrome when the chips are down? Develop a Crisis Communications Handbook.

A Crisis Communications Handbook for your business helps ensure you will follow the above guidelines by thinking through the possible scenarios in advance, when you’re calm.

Identify what kinds of events could potentially bring negative attention to your business, and then lay out specifics on how it will be handled.

Among them:

• Try to imagine the most knee-knocking questions that could come your way, and then craft how you would respond in a Q&A document.
• Think about the many different ways people access information these days, and identify who on your team will update the Web site, social media networks, etc.
• What if one of these key point people goes on vacation? Make sure each of the responsible parties in the crisis plan has a backup person.

Many organizations never have to face a PR crisis, but are you willing to bet your business on it?

A crisis planning document is like insurance – you hope you never need it, but you’ve got it just in case.

More from:

• Valerie Maltoni on applying risk communication principles to a social media crisis
• A wealth of crisis commentary from Jim Lukaszewski

Kellye Crane is an accomplished, award-winning communicator with more than 20 years of experience in strategic public relations, social media, and marketing communications. An in-demand speaker, Kellye addresses the intersection of social media and PR on her Solo PR Pro blog, which serves as a resource for those working as independent consultants — and those who’d like to be. She’s frequently listed as one of the top 100 PR pros to follow on Twitter.

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1-2-3, 1-2-3

Building a relationship with the media is a dance, and just like a good dance partner you can’t step on their toes.

Image: southie3′s Flickrstream, Creative Commons

If you want to Salsa and the media wants to Waltz, you’re going to have some problems (and look ridiculous).

That’s why research is so important. It’s not that hard to figure out what will interest the media outlet; it usually just takes a visit to their website.

And once you know what they want — and more importantly what they don’t — you can say to yourself, either, “No, pitching them will be a waste of both their time and mine,” or “I think I have something that will really pique their interest — I need to get started on my pitch.”

Don’t stretch it though; if it’s not a fit, it’s not fit.

So when you email or phone the media, treat them like you would if you were asking someone to dance.

(No matter what you think though, you’re not Patrick Swayze from Dirty Dancing and the media’s not Baby. It’s the reverse!  Remember, Baby volunteered to be of service. Play your cards right, and they’ll be showing you the time of your life.)

So be respectful and ask whether or not it’s a good time for them to talk, if it’s a good time to pitch them; and if it’s not, let them know when you’re available to continue the conversation.

But before you even pick up the phone make sure you’re clear on what you have to offer and how it’s relevant to this specific outlet’s needs.

Remember: when you can add new, fresh and creative perspectives, angles and ideas to a news story you’ll dramatically increase your chances of grabbing the media’s attention, ensuring a callback and most likely a media placement.

Building relationships with the media to grow your business is all about being of service without being a nuisance.

You have to give the media what they want and we’ve learned time and time again: if you make the media’s job easier, they’ll pay attention to you.

Once you make your pitch, don’t badger the media about whether they received a particular news item you sent them. It’s OK to make one phone call or email to remind them and offer further assistance, but the last thing overworked reporters want to do is to spend time talking with publicity seekers to follow up on where their request stands.

If you’re a pest, the media might just put Baby in a corner.

More from Women Grow Business:

• Michelle on standing out and swooping in
• Inbound marketing: old beverage, new bottle, says Lori Saitz
• Mayra Ruiz on PR drivel

Twenty-year PR Veteran and Chief Creative Officer of Wasabi Publicity, Michelle Tennant Nicholson has seen PR transition from typewriters to Twitter. Called a five-star publicist by Good Morning America’s Mable Chan, Michelle specializes in international PR working regularly with the likes of Oprah, Larry King, BBC, The Today Show and all major media. Recently she secured a Dr. Phil placement for a client within eight hours of signing the contract. Contact her at PR blog http://www.StorytellerToTheMedia.com where she teaches tips from the trade.

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It’s no secret

that I think the media is the best channel for getting the word out about your business. It takes a lot of work, a lot of digging in, research, dealing with rejection — you name it — but it all boils down to one thing:

Delivering your message to the world.

Image: popculturegeek.com‘s Flickrstream, Creative Commons

Today, the media use the Internet as their primary tool for finding experts, so having a strategic online presence is an essential vehicle in the delivery process.

Luckily with social networks like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook, it’s much easier to deliver your message than ever before.

Remember, social media is a two-way street — not only can the media and potential clients find you; you can use it to find out what trending topics are grabbing hold of your target market’s — and media’s — attention.

Tailor your pitches to what’s hot so journalists can see how indispensable you are.

Here’s a run down of a few popular social media sites and how you can use them to boost your PR campaign:

Twitter is a great way to learn sound bites because you’re forced to communicate to others with no more than 140 characters.

The best way to use this tool in your media outreach is to monitor breaking news from CNN, USA Today and trade media. They’re always tweeting, so see what they’re talking about and craft your pitches from that.

LinkedIn is primarily a social media tool for business, and the best feature on it is the conversation.

Once you update your status, browse the professional conversations and groups in your industry and see what they’re talking about.

Watch the hottest topics. Pluck one idea from the conversations, add your own opinion/tips and voila, instant media pitch!

Facebook is what most people use for personal updates and networking.

That’s great, but don’t forget to join the fan clubs of your favorite media. Plus, create your own page so others can become fans of your business.

Constantly add videos, updates and photos and invite media to join you on Facebook, too.

YouTube is one of the best ways for search engines to find you online.

Start your own channel and remember to keep your branding consistent with your online press kit, public website and all your social media profiles.

Take the content from your pitches, by-lined articles and online press kit and turn them into short videos and upload them. Soon, the media will find you because these videos will deliver your message online in ways words alone just can’t.

Take special care crafting the video titles and the descriptions so they include all important search words connected to your brand.

That way, when media use search engines with the search terms you’re using, they’ll find you “by accident” much more often.

And then there are all the other new sites we don’t even know about yet.

Every day new tools arrive online and it can be hard to keep up with the latest and greatest innovations, but keep your eye on the tech trends in the news.

If there is a new Facebook, Twitter or YouTube you’ll want to be one of the first with your profile there. New sites work very hard to promote their members, so updating your social networking sites or blogging for other sites are all good ways to keep your Internet profile searchable and thus, make it easier to use the Internet and social media sites to gain publicity.

More from:

• Michelle on from typewriters to Twitter: how the Internet changed publicity
• Elijah Young on how to discover what’s trending on Facebook (Social Media Examiner)
• ReadWriteBiz reviews how Green Aisle uses social media to drive business

20-year PR Veteran and Chief Creative Officer of Wasabi Publicity, Michelle Tennant Nicholson’s seen PR transition from typewriters to Twitter. Called a five-star publicist by Good Morning America’s Mable Chan, Michelle specializes in international PR working regularly with the likes of Oprah, Larry King, BBC, The Today Show and all major media. Recently she secured a Dr. Phil placement for a client within eight hours of signing the contract. Contact her at Storyteller to the Media where she teaches tips from the trade.

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In all major cities and smaller markets across the U.S., news reporters, editors and producers are planning their coverage for the day, the hour, or in the case of weeklies and magazines, weeks or months ahead. The old news cycle in which newspaper reporters filed their stories for the next day’s paper is history.

Now those same reporters and editors are planning what Web updates they will make throughout the day to stories already underway, as well as which stories they will roll out online and which ones will wait for the next print edition.

The best reporters have a knack for pumping out major scoops and material suited for the front page.

Since editors decide where stories appear in print and online editions, the reporter will try to meet and hopefully exceed her editor’s expectations. This little scenario is played out countless times each day in newsrooms across America.

From newspapers to local TV stations to CNN and FOX, everyone is watching the Google headlines to see what other media have already covered. Editors and producers brainstorm to find new, unexplored and compelling story angles and reaction from their audience.

The traditional media venues (hard copy, broadcast) feed traffic to their own websites, and the websites drive viewer/reader/listener traffic back to the print and broadcasts.

News cycle overdrive

This sped up 24-hour news cycle means that media of all kinds are looking for sources and experts every hour of every day on the breaking news they cover, from hard news about the economy, crime and war to features in entertainment, health, politics, religion, relationships…every topic!

And that means there are more opportunities than ever for you to get your business or expertise covered by the media.

Remember, in the media everyone is always watching what the others are doing.

TV stations read newspapers.

Newspapers watch TV and listen to radio.

Everyone keeps their Web browsers and Google search terms constantly updated to see what’s new, what’s breaking and what are the gaps that provide opportunities for fresh coverage.

While all media want to get the big scoop, they also all know the art of repackaging stories with new angles, such as local tie-ins or expert commentary, to give their audience something “newsy” even for stories that are being recycled through their 10th or 12th news cycle.

Good coverage in one venue begets more good coverage.

Image: noeffred’s Flickrstream, Creative Commons

Look for those reporter blogs, email addresses and other entry points, such as public feedback forums on media websites. Editors often monitor their forums to gauge reaction and look for new angles.

Send the reporter an email or leave them a voice mail (chances a busy reporter will pick up the phone are increasingly rare) with a tempting hint of how you can add to their story.

Remember they are running around like crazy trying to feed this 24-hour news cycle so don’t get upset if they don’t get back in touch with you on the first or even the second story.

Be polite, be persistent and most of all, provide the reporter with valuable content.

In doing so, you will build long-term relationships and lay the groundwork for future coverage, cooperation and empowerment.

More from:

• Regular contributor Kellye Crane on how to make your news exciting
• Danielle Cyr on building relationships
• Responding to media leads by Joan Stewart.

20-year PR Veteran and Chief Creative Officer of Wasabi Publicity, Michelle Tennant Nicholson’s seen PR transition from typewriters to Twitter. Called a five-star publicist by Good Morning America’s Mable Chan, Michelle specializes in international PR working regularly with the likes of Oprah, Larry King, BBC, The Today Show and all major media. Recently she secured a Dr. Phil placement for a client within eight hours of signing the contract. Contact her at PR blog http://www.StorytellerToTheMedia.com where she teaches tips from the trade.

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Of All the Nerve!

I was attending a networking event and handed out my business card to another attendee who had asked for it. No problem. We said good bye and went our separate ways.

Two days later I was receiving emails from that very person – and they were the kind that I didn’t need – or want. Feeling angry, and slightly violated, I sent a polite email asking to be removed from the list.

Why? It wasn’t the quality or the marketing tactics of that business, it was because the content, product or service didn’t meet my needs.

(Truth be told, I sometimes stay on these types of mailing lists because promote services or products I do use. It’s an inherent risk with interruption marketing tactics.)

New Rules Needed

Permission based marketing has become extremely commonplace, thanks mostly to social networking and the ease of finding information about potential clients on the internet. Growth is good, but as the way we market changes, so do the rules.

But what are those rules?

How do you receive permission from new contacts so you can send them marketing emails or place them on your newsletter list?

What should you include, and not include, in these messages?

Where are the boundaries?

Image: Roo Reynolds, Creative Commons

Permission Granted

The great guru of marketing, Seth Godin, coined the phrase permission marketing to describe the new age of electronic advertising. This simple term defined an entirely new method of marketing: consumers chose the advertisers, not the other way around.

Permission based marketing can be an excellent tool for conducting a campaign designed to target one specific audience.

The problem, and annoyance, occurs when permission-based marketers forget that one tiny detail: the consumer’s permission!

Getting this permission has become easier with the advent of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter – and businesses of all shapes and sizes have taken notice. Ford Motor Company kicked off a campaign that asked interested consumers to click the “Like” button on the company’s Facebook page for the chance to win a new car.

Talk about incentive.

Doing It the Right Way

So how can you use permission marketing to build an audience while not annoying anyone? The first thing you have to consider, whether you’re handing someone a business card or creating a website, is that you have to ask their permission.

It doesn’t have to be awkward or tense, a simple question will suffice. “Thanks for the card. Do you mind if I send you a link to my [insert marketing tool here]?” or “I think my website could help you out, would you mind if I send you a link?”

What Is Your Message Worth?

Once you receive their permission, there’s another hurdle: what you send to that audience has to have some kind of value to it. That’s the least we can do as marketers.

Coupons and giveaways are one form of value, but audiences expect to receive information that can help them in their daily lives.

They want to know “What’s in it for me?” Blogs, white papers, links to reliable resources – this is the type of value that audiences appreciate.

In order for that information to be valuable, you have to know that you’ve earned the attention and consent of your audience.

You need to learn what their hot buttons are – and how to push them correctly. Otherwise, you’re left with a database full of people who will completely ignore your marketing message.

Talk About It

So what do you prefer: a message blasted out to millions of potential consumers who receive it whether they like it or not? Or, a permission-based campaign that speaks to a smaller audience who has opted in?

What has worked for your business?

More from:

• Editor Shonali Burke, who also hates being put on unsolicited email lists
• Your permission questions answered from CampaignMonitor

Regular contributor Terri Holley is the owner of Creative Blog Solutions and a social media strategist, plus a certified life/business coach. A forward-thinker and relationship-centric gal, Terri supports small businesses who understand the value of using social technologies to build deeper relationships with prospects and customers.

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A great time was had last week on the Twitter chat with Beth Schillaci, one of the top 50 female bloggers and Founder and President of villageWorks Communications.

(That’s Beth getting ready for the chat, by the way; thanks to our own Shashi Bellamkonda for the great photo).

Beth shared her top tips to help business owners and entrepreneurs understand how blogging can help their business.  She also touched on what makes a blog post effective and how it can help tie your efforts on Facebook and Twitter together by being the “hub” of information about you and your company.  A recap of the chat can be found on Beth’s blog MarketingRoadHouse.com.

During the chat, it was announced that five Network Solutions blog hosting packages were being given away,  and we have winners!

Congratulations to: Shyam S. (@brandbull), Pam Bennett (@lotajune2), CB Whittemore (@CBWhittemore),  Jennifer Gerlock (@MommaMania) and Chris Keiff (@ckeiff)! You’ll be getting your coupons shortly!

We want to thank everyone who joined the conversation. And a special thanks to Beth and her “supervisor,” Little J, as well as a shout out to @newpr, @BenCookNS, @shashib for joining in the fun!

We’ll be giving you a “heads-up” on the next one coming in July, date TBD at this time.

More from:

• Me (!) on three questions to ask – and answer – when starting a Twitter chat
• How to get great SEO results with your small business blog from Grow Smart Business
• Deborah Ager tells you how to integrate your internet marketing tools for powerful results

Shonali Burke is editor of Women Grow Business and one of the country’s leading business communicators, who was named to PRWeek’s inaugural top “40 Under 40″ list of US-based PR professionals. She specializes in creating and implementing integrated (online and off), results-based, measurable communication programs for clients both large and small at Shonali Burke Consulting. An accredited business communicator, she is also Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Communications program and active in the local communications community as President of IABC/DC Metro. Talk to her via her blog, Waxing UnLyrical or Twitter.

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One of our regular contributors, Melanie Spring (pictured above at this past Saturday’s #wgbiz boot camp), is holding a special class for CEOs on strategic marketing. Here’s the 4-1-1 in Melanie’s words:

America runs on entrepreneurs. Those small businesses are made up of people with passion, excitement and drive.

Most business owners know how to sell their products or services but have not put together a focused marketing plan.

CEOMKT is setup to help business owners with their strategic marketing through websites, marketing materials, networking, social media, and other outlets.

CEOMKT 301 is based in Bethesda, Md., and is focused on helping Maryland CEO’s market. This class is open to business owners only and is limited to 8 attendees to encourage one-on-one interaction. Jem Bahaijoub of ImaginePR & Melanie Spring of Sisarina will be facilitating.

When: Tuesday, June 29, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m., includes lunch

Where: Sisarina HQ

Register: http://ceomkt301.eventbrite.com

If you saw Melanie in action at the Women Grow Business Boot Camp (photo: Shashi Bellamkonda (cc) www.shashi.name | Social Media Swami | www.networksolutions.com), you know she’s got tons of smarts to offer. So if you’re interested, sign up quickly!

Shonali Burke is editor of Women Grow Business and one of the country’s leading business communicators, who was named to PRWeek’s inaugural top “40 Under 40″ list of US-based PR professionals. She specializes in creating and implementing integrated (online and off), results-based, measurable communication programs for clients both large and small at Shonali Burke Consulting. An accredited business communicator, she is also Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Communications program and active in the local communications community as President of IABC/DC Metro. Talk to her via her blog, Waxing UnLyrical or Twitter.

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Thinking of starting a blog? You don’t want to be “Lenny,” do you?

This will be a great resource for you; the upcoming Smallvolution Twitterchat on June 24 with Beth Schillaci, President and Founder of VillageWorks. Beth will share her learnings and expertise on how to blog effectively to market your small business.

Beth shares why she joined Network Solutions’ Smallvolution here:

Interested? Here’s what you need to do:

Log in to Twitter on June 24, from 1-2:30 pm ET, and simply follow/participate in the conversation using the #smallvolution hashtag. The easiest way is for you to participate via the dedicated chat room on Tweetchat.

Hope to see you there!

More:

• How College Admission Counselors is creating a Smallvolution (from Grow Smart Business, our brother blog)
• Deborah Ager on integrating your Internet marketing tools for powerful results

Image: HubSpot, Creative Commons

Shonali Burke is editor of Women Grow Business and one of the country’s leading business communicators, who was named to PRWeek’s inaugural top “40 Under 40″ list of US-based PR professionals. She specializes in creating and implementing integrated (online and off), results-based, measurable communication programs for clients both large and small at Shonali Burke Consulting. An accredited business communicator, she is also Adjunct Faculty at Johns Hopkins University’s M.A. in Communications program and active in the local communications community as President of IABC/DC Metro. Talk to her via her blog, Waxing UnLyrical or Twitter.

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If you want the media — and potential clients — knocking on your door, you have to ask yourself, What makes me unique?

So what is it? How do you differ from the competition? What can you offer your customers — and the media — that your competition can’t?

Take my client and Yum Yum Dishes founder Tracy Adler for example.

“When I was pregnant with my second child I would often sit down for a quick bite and eat a WHOLE bag of chips in one sitting. I was definitely setting a bad example for Elliot (my first child) on portion control. But ‘Hey,’ I was pregnant.

Then I had an idea…

I came up with Yum Yum Dishes — a 4-piece ceramic dish set that would train children on the right portion sizes. It wouldn’t be hard to get Elliot on the program — he had no choice — but I knew there were other parents out there that wanted an easy way to train their children on what was and wasn’t a healthy-sized portion.

I had one problem: How would I let the world know about Yum Yum Dishes?”

Tracy’s problem wasn’t that hard to solve.

She became clear early on about what made her unique and whom she wanted to help. You know she could have joined the masses of “weight loss experts,” but she would have gotten lost in a sea of dietary supplements, workout regimes and “mind over fatter” gimmicks.

So amidst millions of “weight loss experts” out there, Tracy became a “portion control expert.”

Sure, her product can help people lose weight. But Tracy isn’t obese — and she never has been. She’s one of the fittest people I know. And she’s committed to helping people (especially children) prevent obesity by controlling their meal portions.

Her target market is composed of mothers — especially those who are concerned with teaching their children healthy eating habits and healthy portion control.

So how do you know if you’re unique?

Google!

Google your name, Google your brand, Google what you think is unique about you.

See what competition is out there for the way you’re currently positioning yourself. Think there’s more competition out there among “weight loss experts” than there is for “portion control experts?” You bet. About 7.6 million more!

Once you’ve gotten an idea of who your “competition” is, dig in a bit deeper. Are you currently attracting your ideal client? Or are you attracting clients that aren’t on your “wish list?”

What messages resonate with your ideal client?  What problems do they have?  What solutions do you offer?

Figuring all this out will help you stand out and position yourself to swoop in for the coverage.

More from:

• Regular contributor Kellye Crane, who asks, “So what? How to make your news exciting”
• Molly Heintz on how explosions became commonplace in kids’ branding
• PR and the Ninja Turtles by Mike Schaffer

Image: Jon Smith, Creative Commons

Twenty-year PR veteran Michelle Tennant Nicholson is Chief Creative Officer of Wasabi Publicity and co-founder of www.PitchRate.com, a free media tool that connects journalists, publicists, and experts.  Called a five-star publicist by Good Morning America’s Mable Chan, Michelle specializes in international PR, working regularly with the likes of Oprah, Larry King, BBC, The Today Show and other major media. Contact her at PR blog http://www.StorytellerToTheMedia.com where she teaches tips from the trade.

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Clients: Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

Small business owners often discuss finding new clients and the process of networking. “How do you get new clients?” I’m asked again and again. Over the years, I’ve discovered enjoyable ways to expand my business.

While you can attend a number of networking events in the area, such as a DC Web Women lunch or a Women Grow Business bootcamp, you don’t have to wait for someone else to take the lead. You can organize your own events or meetings.

Here are three ways to create networking opportunities:

Create a Networking Event

If you are organized and enjoy putting together an event, then this option might be for you.

Consider the following: Do you want to create a monthly event? What kind of people do you want to attend?

Considering those questions will help you uncover your goals.

When you place yourself at the center of an event, everyone will remember you. Most likely, they will be grateful to you for spending the time and energy to gather the group together.

Tweetups

If you are an avid Twitter user, or even if you’re just starting out, you may have messaged back and forth with people you’ve never had the chance to meet in person. A Tweetup, an in-person gathering of Twitter users, offers a way to turn virtual connections into real connections.

One inventive Tweetup organizer invited people on a progressive tour of bakeries in the DC area. The attendees met at a central location. Then, at each bakery, the attendees tasted cupcakes, chatted, and walked together to the next location.

Image: Kat Johnston/Sanura Sakai, Creative Commons

Recently, I co-organized a Women Grow Business Tweetup. Several WGB bloggers and small business owners met in real life and developed stronger connections as a result.

With someone I met at the WGB Tweetup, I am creating a workshop focused on creativity and entrepreneurship.

What I love best about networking is the potential, possibilities, and ideas generated when many minds come together.

Meet for Coffee

Over time, networking for business blends with gathering with friends. If you have a project idea or want to reconnect with someone, invite someone for coffee. Coffee works well for those who might not have time for a two-hour lunch.

Th0se are just a few ways you can create networking opportunities that you can then convert into business. What can you add?

More from Women Grow Business on networking and business:

• Jen Consalvo’s Lessons from Austin
• Terri Holley asks, “Got Trust?”
• Melanie Spring on offline transparency and grounding your business

Regular contributor Deborah Ager is principal at ClickWisdom, LLC, which helps organizations attract and keep their ideal customers using paid search, social media, search engine optimization, and email marketing. She’s a Google AdWords Certified Professional and has managed $1.5 million spends in paid search while achieving target opt-in rates. Read a Maryland search engine optimization success story and sign up for free internet marketing tips; you can also connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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