7 Ways Networking Can Improve Your Content Marketing

1. Establish a social media presence

Decide first, with whom you would consider networking. Consider who might be able to assist you in growing your company. Then, find out which social media platforms these individuals frequent. LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram are the most popular corporate social networking platforms, but each industry is different. Examine the websites where other businesses might frequently be engaged. Also, go around on different websites to see what kind of activity is going on that is relevant to your industry.

Create a business and/or personal social media presence for one or two sites to begin with. As you gain experience, you can add more sites. Begin by inviting people you already know, such as family, friends, community members, coworkers, business contacts, and clients, to connect with your page.

2. Maintain proper etiquette

Being professional and responding diplomatically to criticism are important aspects of good online networking etiquette. "This is a chance to be a decent person and not whine," adds O'Shea. "Complainers are not the type of individuals with whom anyone wants to do business."

3. Look for new content ideas

When I'm stuck for content ideas, I'll go to Quora and see what digital marketing-related questions are trending, then produce a blog post answering one of those questions. At networking events, you can develop content in the same way you can on Quora, but with your other participants instead of Quora commentators.

Take note of the questions that other participants ask about your firm or sector, as well as the dialogues that ensue. Keep in mind that they are likely to be some of the same themes that your potential internet clients are interested in. After the networking event, jot down some notes about questions that came up repeatedly or particularly interesting talks you had, and utilize them to inspire new content for your firm.

4. Make contact with interviewees

You've definitely met someone in your field who has untapped depths of knowledge on a certain professional issue or a fantastic narrative to tell about their professional journey. Why not contact them again to ask if you can conduct an interview with them for a blog piece, a short video, or a podcast episode? Interviewing industry professionals is a wonderful method to generate authoritative material and gain new perspectives on industry issues. It's also an excellent method to develop a professional relationship—your interview topic is far more likely to remember you after you create material for them than if you merely chatted briefly at a networking event.

5. Make contact with people who could be interested in sharing your content

If you're investing time and effort into creating amazing content for your business, you should also promote it to ensure that the correct audience sees it. And having other industry bloggers and media relations on your side makes content promotion a lot easier. Get to know people who write for magazines that commonly publish the type of content you make, and they might be willing to share some of your best work with their audience—or perhaps allow you to submit an article to a popular website.

Remember that, like with all elements of networking, this should be a two-way street. Don't just ask for a social share or a guest article because it will benefit your business—show your peers how this type of transaction may benefit both of you.

6. Use live events to generate content

You're sitting on a goldmine of possible marketing content if you're hosting or even just attending a huge networking event. At the very least, you can produce a blog post or a press release summarizing the event's most essential lessons. You can film or record a speaker's presentation or workshop and use it as a video or podcast if you've invited them or if someone from your company is giving it.

7. While networking, learn content marketing lessons

Content marketing and networking have a lot in common. One thing I've learned from networking that I've found particularly effective in content marketing is to give to people rather than worrying about "what's in it for me." If you start every conversation by asking for a favor, you're not going to build many meaningful professional contacts. In the same way, if you try to utilize a "hard sell" technique in content aimed at those who are just starting their investigation, you risk alienating potential buyers.\

Build a relationship by first offering to help: for example, you could share a relevant blog article from someone you met at a networking event or write your own how-to guide to walk potential clients through a task that they're having problems with. When you invest the time to establish trust with your network connections, they are more inclined to offer assistance, and when you invest the time to build trust with potential customers, they are more likely to progress past the research phase and complete a purchase.