We all know how valuable social media is. In fact, most of us have come to rely on it for information. For businesses to be successful in this cluttered market you need to use social media effectively. Just in the last 2 years, marketing and advertising has changed significantly with a huge focus on social media outlets. I’ll leave those specifics to the geniuses at The Silent Partner Marketing. But I will touch on how social media can help you grow in your profession.

Network
Social media is not only great for your business, but it can help you grow professionally. From Twitter to Instagram, you are able to connect and network with people in your industry from around the world. Social media is like a networking event on steroids. There are thousands of people in your industry, you just have to make a move and connect with them.

Say Hello
Research your industry and find fellow experts. For example, if you’re a chiropractor, search for other doctors on Twitter and follow them. Next, reach out to them…send them a tweet, tell them that you read their recent blog or like what they’re doing. From there, you establish a connection. A couple of things can happen.
1) You learn something new.
2) You make a new connection/friend…someone to bounce ideas off of.
3) Your asked to be a guest blogger on their site.
4) You get referrals. Yes, referrals from your competition. If your connection has a friend in your area looking for a chiropractor… who are they going to send their friend to?

Success is Contagious
It’s okay to be friends with the competition. If you’re successful, you want to help others be successful. I’ve connected with other public relations firms and they’ve all been extremely gracious and generous to me.  I have gained a ton of knowledge, received useful tips and have even guest blogged.  We all learn from each other. The more people you know in your industry, the better you’ll be. You can never stop learning.

Take a Chance
One of my Twitter connections, Julie Barnes‘ New Year’s resolutions was to reach out to some of her followers and learn more about them. She emailed her connections and asked them to set up a phone call. When I asked her why she’s doing this, she said that everyone has a story and she wants to hear about them. Pretty neat! It’s like cold calling, but you’re not asking for anyone to buy your product. You just want to hear their story. She says the reaction has been great and the conversations extremely valuable. She never would have connected with that many people if it weren’t for social media. I highly suggest you try it too.

Like anything, its all about how much work you put into it. For many of us, we barely have enough time to get our work done. But, take a couple of minutes a day to connect with industry experts or influencers who matter to you. It will pay off, trust me.