We know you have a lot going on. Juggling your work schedule, home life, and personal time can get a little overwhelming at times. We’re pretty close to figuring out this whole cloning thing to spread out the workload, but in the meantime… let’s consider how you are managing your time!

In addition to all of your regular work tasks, meetings, and special projects, don’t forget to put in some time on your networking strategy. These are some of my favorite tips (which you can transfer over to other areas, too!).

  1. Batch your time. In case you haven’t heard, batching is a time-management strategy that maximizes your concentration and efficiency by grouping similar activities together. This is a great strategy for smaller, maintenance-type tasks, such as social media, email marketing, and blogging. In regards to networking, batch together projects like uploading data from new business cards, reaching out to new leads, and creating a new email blast or newsletter.
  2. Set aside 1-2 time blocks on your calendar each week for networking meetings. You can send out a template invitation and, with the pre-scheduled time blocks, you don’t to stress over your schedule week to week. Remember, it’s important to invite EVERYONE for coffee! Most people won’t accept, but for those who do, you and your schedule will be prepared to make it a priority!
  3. Develop a recurring marketing drip campaign to maximize the value of your networking time. Sending a monthly email with valuable information will not only keep you top of mind with everyone you’ve met, but will put your contact info front and center. When they decide they need your services or they refer you, they will know how to find you quickly. One of my favorite tools to streamline this process is MailChimp – if you haven’t tried it, explore their options today!

When things get busy, networking is one of the first things to take a back seat. However, with a solid plan and regular interaction with your networking strategy, it’ll be easy to keep things running smoothly regardless of how busy you are otherwise.

Boost your networking reach with Nashville Locals! We have some great events coming up!

For more networking tips, check out my past blogs:

Networking – More Than Growing Your Lead List

Networking 101: Developing Your Referral Partner Pipeline

Bring the Right Materials to Your Next Networking Event

Networking Anywhere, Anytime, With Anyone.