Smarter, Faster, Cheaper: Non-Boring, Fluff-Free Strategies for Marketing and Promoting Your Business

Chapter 11. Expanding Your Network: The Art of Digital Schmoozing

Digital schmoozing: my favorite phrase. Call it networking, relationship building, whatever you want. The bottom line is that your ability to network online and form real relationships is being smarter, faster, cheaper. And please don't confuse schmoozing with being fake—because that doesn't work online or off.

If you are creating online content and looking to build a community, you have to get active on social media in your niche. Share both others' and your own content. Ask and answer questions. Connect with relevant people. Listen.

It isn't rocket science; it is human nature. Your community is made up of humans, not robots. The more one-to-one connections you make—and the more people to whom you offer value—the better off you'll be. A simple way to think of this is an ongoing 24/7 dialogue. A dialogue that mixes sharing interesting content, small talk, and more. It doesn't mean you need to be monitoring social media sites 24/7, but it does mean that the more effort you put in, the more results you will get out.

So is networking also marketing? You better believe it is. Being able to market yourself and your business in the digital world is one of the most overlooked aspects of effective marketing. Relationship building, expanding your network, and marketing and promoting go hand-in-hand-in hand. This isn't a revolutionary concept by any means—yet somehow, many people are, well, pretty bad at it. Why?

Simple. While ...