Actionable Marketing Guide – How To Network When The Heat Is On

Published: Mon, 08/06/18

Dear ,

As we enter August, New York City is at its steamy, humid best. Each step forward on the grey concrete sidewalks takes effort.

Residents and tourists alike under-rate that New York City buildings have built up their guard against this mind melting heat in the form of air conditioning. The other day, a colleague’s one condition for lunch was that the restaurant have A/C.

Looking forward to the quiet August peace when most New Yorkers flee the city, she lamented that her summer vacation on the Maine shore was behind her. Yet as a remote worker, my friend could plan some fun me-time into her schedule. And so can you.

Putting staycation time into your schedule increases your happiness. Just anticipating fun activities gives you a positive boost.

What about scheduling some me-time next Wednesday? Just move your lunch hour to later in the day and do something special for yourself. My husband and I sneak off to Brighton beach on the subway.

Or you can just go home, put on loungewear and binge-watch your favorite shows.

Further, this slower summer pace gives you the freedom to re-think how you're living your life. With coworkers on vacation there’s less interrupting your focus so you can better see where you’re putting your efforts. For me, it’s useful to reassess my annual resolutions and do a check on my progress.

As you do this, reach out and network. It helps you to connect with people when they’re more relaxed and willing to breakout of their routine. Secondly, it gives you an opportunity to find out what’s happening and see the world through their eyes.

Although few people talk about it in a business context, it overcomes loneliness. (Want to know more? I suggest reading this piece, Why Is Everyone So Lonely These Days?)

What does this mean for your marketing?

Build your network. I outlined my 15 minute a day approach in this article.

Go contrary to the competition. Use this time to get onto people’s radar. After getting laid off as a result of Citibank’s merger with Travelers, I was in job transition. I used “The 5 O Clock Club” instead of outplacement.

Their 3 keys to networking are useful even when you’re not looking for a job:

Recontact people at least every 3 months.
Increase networking during the summer and Christmas holiday periods. People are more willing to talk then.
Start networking where you have a connection. Until you get to Mr. or Ms. Big at the top move patiently from one person to the next.

Don’t forget followup. Skip bland me-too, one size fits all emails. Take it from me, I get a lot of them. Try hand-written notes; they stand out.

What does networking mean for your business?

In addition to attracting new business, it supports content creation and distribution, especially during the amplification phase.

I should know. I’m deep into preparing for my Content Marketing World presentation on Content Amplification and Distribution. If you’re attending the conference, please join me on Thursday, September 6^th.

Heidi Cohen,
Actionable Marketing Guide

Happy Marketing,
Heidi

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