Working remote - but need to start networking for your business? Here are some quick and easy ways to start building your network, from home.
This is a guest post from our friends at Outsite!
What’s the end goal?
Before you go out sending out connection requests, identify what you’re looking for. Say, for example, you have a background in tech and you’re comfortable in finance, but you know that you’ll need a partner for marketing and sales when it comes to your launch. Use this to identify what you’re looking for when networking - this should steer your efforts.
Traditional Networking
If you live in a city like New York, San Francisco or London, traditional offline networking still happens at events. Find the most relevant events for your industry, identify who you’d like to speak to, and make a point of introducing yourself during the event. These events are an excellent opportunity to meet like-minded individuals and expand your network too.
How to use online events for networking
Outside of the offline events, there are occasionally relevant Reddit and Twitter live stream tweets or threads. Getting involved in these conversations allows you to start networking and become a ‘voice’ - all from the comfort of your own home.
Join relevant founder networks
Joining a relevant network is the easiest and fastest way to meet remote workers in similar situations to you.
Best founder networks for entrepreneurs
Accelerators like Y Combinator or TechStars come with the framework of funding and infrastructure for your start-up, whereas Founders Network and Start Up Grind offer more affordable ways to meet other entrepreneurs online and offline.
Angellist is a jobs website which also offers the opportunity to check out profiles (similar to LinkedIn) so you can reach out to people relevant to you. Outsite offers accommodation for remote workers and an online networking platform, allowing you to meet founders and potential team members.
Utilize your social network
If you studied (regardless of when), you already have a potential network you could be reaching out to. Hinge on your most relevant connections from college, previous places of work and friends of friends via LinkedIn. Use the filters to find people from your college or workplace, then reach out to relevant connections from there.
While LinkedIn is the most natural fit for this, Instagram and Twitter are great places to network too.
Find your niche
Drilling down on your niche allows you to meet people and become an authority on your industry. If you’re building software for contactless payments, find these communities on Reddit, Twitter or Quora, and start engaging with leaders in these threads.
How to find niche communities on social media:
1. Go to Reddit, search for the thread relevant to you (it might be finance, app design, etc).
2. Discord and Slack have many smaller, private communities. To find them, search for the keywords ‘discord’ + [your industry]’ on Google.
Offer value
The people you reach out to are likely receiving requests from people every day, so when you reach out, you need to offer something of value. Once you’ve found someone you’d like to reach out to, offer them a fix for something they’re actively working on, or a free trial of your product, lead with that.
Make sure to behave and sound human in your messaging to cut through the other material these people are receiving.
Due diligence
After you’ve met someone new, follow up - whether it’s over LinkedIn, Instagram, email or text. Make sure to include what you can offer them regarding skills or connections within your network, then follow up with any questions you have.
Looking for a way to meet more remote workers - online and offline? Outsite has monthly online events, a community of remote workers and 50 coliving spaces around the world. Become a Member to start meeting people today.
