How Social Media Helps You and Your Business Networking

You signed up for Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and other social networking sites for one main reason: to grow your client base.  But did you know that using social media also helps your professional networking in more ways than one?

First, being online increases your visibility not only among your clients but on your peers as well.  It allows you to interact with a niche group or the whole world at large.  Active participation in social networks also makes you easier to find and gives you an image that your hotel is approachable.

Online networking also creates opportunities for faster and more efficient initial contact with prospective clients and suppliers.  In real world networking, it could take you hours to get contact details of a new cleaning contractor. Now with online, it’s just a matter of seconds.

Another advantage is that social media makes it easy for anyone to find like-minded individuals who may share common interests with you in terms of resort marketing, travel, etc.  You can find people in Twitter lists and Twitter chats, Facebook and LinkedIn groups, blogs and so on. Know what you are passionate about then discover the places other people with the same passion hang out.

And although you may not have all that time to chat, the online world creates opportunities for you to hone your skills as a hotel operator and marketer.  You can join mastermind groups, training, and workshops to find potential partners or to just be informed of the industry’s best practices.

Once you have found the people who match your criteria, you can start having conversations without feeling like you only have to do this for work. Strengthen your online community membership by participating in discussions and events or by just reading and commenting on latest news updates.

Remember: online social networking is like hitting two birds with one stone—it’s work and fun all at the same time.