How To Build Your Online Networking Strategy (part 1)

It's human nature to develop relationships with people who can get you what you want or can benefit from knowing. The essence of networking is to make people that can contribute to your success aware that they will benefit from knowing you. For professional recruiters this means leaving candidates with an impression that you have a strong awareness of the job market and represent reputable employers. To clients and peers this is reflected in their perception of you as well connected to the labor market. Traditionally recruiters have developed such relationships through one-on-one networking. How can the mass target potential of the Internet enhance your profile?

There are two main components to developing an online networking strategy. The first is to establish an online presence that will reflect positively the image of your firm and second to effectively utilize the Internet as a networking medium. This week we'll discuss how to build an online presence that will get your site bookmarked!

A web site is a virtual storefront. Since the majority of your visitors will see it before they get to know you it not only has to look good but it also has to entice them to contact you. The aim of the site should be to give visitors what they want to know: what you will do for them. Here are some pointers:

• Aim for a clean and simple design. Keep graphics to a minimum and focus on content. How many people keep in touch with you because they like the appearance of your office?
• Keep text short. Too many recruitment sites splatter their home page with paragraphs of company philosophy and history. The Internet has diminished people's patience. Present your information in headline-like fashion. Headlines are more effective at generating attention and raising curiosity both of which will entice your visitors to dig deeper. Hi-lite a few vital facts like the date your firm was established and market focus with hyper-links to pages that provide more in depth information.
• Using bullets to present information is neat in presentation and very effective at getting to the point.
• Keep the tempo up beat! (no explanation needed) Keeping text as short as possible will help.
• Keep it fresh! Free news syndicates can automatically update your site with fresh news on the latest developments in the industries you cater to.
• Become a reference point for information related to the fields in which you do business. Promote publications, associations, salary surveys, e-zines, newsgroups and so on that relate to your firm's areas of specialization.
• Promote your firm's and/or its members' involvement in the professional communities you service (i.e. memberships, affiliations, certifications). Announce company/employee achievements and milestones.
• Have a "New Jobs" or "Hot Jobs" section. I guarantee this will be the most visited page on your site and often the main motivation behind a bookmark to your site!
• Menus that are consistent throughout your site prevent your visitors from feeling like they've lost themselves.
• Make it easy for people to contact you. Provide email addresses, postal information, telephone and fax numbers. Make sure they are easily accessible.

• Develop strong meta tags to enhance search engine placement. What words and phrases would an employer use when searching for candidates (resume, area code, industry types, position titles, acronyms particular to the profession types you deal with, etc.) or a job seeker when searching for contacts and leads?
• Get connected to your community online. Exchange links with web sites where professionals in your field frequent. The more gateways to your site, the more traffic you'll receive.
• Create marketing/promotional partnerships with organizations that provide services that complement your own. When approaching them focus on explaining how such an association will benefit them (i.e. targeted traffic, sales) not you.

Next week's issue will focus on taking a more proactive approach to using the Internet as an effective networking tool. Nelson Abreu