Marketing in its simplest form is, getting people to know, like and trust you.
If you're reading this, you probably know me. You might like me. Maybe you trust me.
I'd have to work hard to earn your trust.
But it starts by getting people to know you.
How do you get people to "know" you?
Here are 2 popular methods:
- Post every day on social media. People will eventually notice you.
- Run paid ads. This is the fastest way to get people to know you. Not so good to get them to like and trust you – because you're interrupting them.
Another tried and tested method?
Get people to 'know' you through networking events – conferences, meet-up, co-working, etc.
In fact, I started my journey into the business world when I was 18, by first joining a networking group called BNI.
I even made a song about BNI back then. Crazy.
Networking works. The saying it's who you know, not what you know, is true.
Most people suck at networking.
It's easy to spot them. They're the kind of people who go to events as a hunter. Everyone they meet is a potential sale. They furiously give out their name cards.
If you're a hunter, you're limited to the number of people present in an event.
For Underdog Founders Con on 12th Dec, that's 80 people.
Assuming you're great at hunting and have a 5% closing rate, that's 4 customers from an event. Not bad.
But here's how you can go further.
Go from 'hunter' to 'giver'.
While a hunter focuses on getting something, a giver focuses on giving.
Become a giver in your next networking event. Focus on what you can give the people you meet there.
- Maybe it's connecting them to someone.
- Maybe it's sharing a business tip with them.
- Maybe it's sharing your resources with them.
When a person receives something from you, something magical happens.
They'll naturally want to reciprocate that gift.
That's when a referral happens. Thinking back, my best business opportunities originated as referrals.
Here's one of them:
I don't mean for this post to be a pitch to join Underdog Founders Con. The event is not for everyone. But if you agree that networking is a great marketing tool to grow your business, I'd say Underdog Con is one of the best events to practice it.
Otherwise, make sure to follow Daily CMO on Instagram. I'll be sharing a video on how to approach networking and see it as a marketing tool.