As an independent consultant you will find that you need to network, network and then network some more. For most of the consultants I work with, advertising dollars are tough to come by, and trust and familiarity are key. So, you want to constantly be visible to your potential clients and a picture is worth a thousand words!
Coral Springs Chamber Ribbon Cutting with Ron Renzy and Larry Johnson.
Social media is a great tool for getting seen. I go to many events and try to help out and be friendly. Over time, I have come to know the people that manage and publicize events. It helps to volunteer, too! For my efforts, I was recently included in a few “candid” photos from the Coral Springs Chamber of Commerce on their Facebook page. The photos even made into the local weekly newspaper for the city, and a few people noted that they saw me. Double exposure!
What are other people doing? A colleague of mine loves to do “best tie contests” at events, and he always posts them on his Facebook page. Join the fun! One night I “challenged” him and made it to his page and he kindly tagged me. Now my contacts and his contacts all saw this and gave us both a little exposure. All good fun, professional and part of the never ending need to be out front with the community.
Richard Gerber Tie Contest with Cindy Brief
LinkedIn is another tool. I list my company, but also my “job” as volunteer on the Board of Directors for the St. Laurence Chapel Homeless Shelter. On my anniversary dates, LinkedIn includes me in their emails and lets people congratulate me. This gets my LinkedIn picture in front of my 500+ contacts, and sometimes generates a call. I try to invite everyone I meet at an event to Link-In, and now they will see me. I also spend a little time “endorsing” folks when I can, again helping others but getting my picture shown.
So, you want a little Social Media exposure? You wanna be in pictures? My colleague Richard Gerber loves to quote Woody Allen. “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Now go out and work it with the next 20 percent. Who knows, you may find yourself in pictures!
