Let’s talk about how entrepreneurs and busy people in the flower world (and other various niches) can keep up and use social media and networking to stay connected via strategic networking.

As my Karen French Floral Designs page on Facebook gets closer to 30,000 fans and I’ve become more active on LinkedIn I’ve been exploring different ways to share my passion for flowers. I had the good fortune of meeting Christel Quek who was the lead Content for Twitter across Asia the Middle East and Africa and I was sold, so I started to Tweet. Better late than never right? I also joined the Slideshare community to share some valuable tips on Hospitality, Flowers & Your Brand. Through this amazing online world, I’m creating more and more awareness, attracting more followers and am able to spread my passion for flowers one stem at a time!

Yes, it takes time and you need to make time. But I’m compelled to share some insights because like it or hate it, the internet has changed the way business is done. There’s never been a better time to spread your wings and share your content with your networks.

Building Valuable Networks

But first you need to build those networks. I see people struggling for ‘likes’ on Facebook for their business pages and asking friends to ‘like’ them back. That’s a lazy numbers game and how many are actually really interested in what you do? What is more valuable is to have people who are genuinely interested in what you do so that you can build up a rapport, communicate and share. Building relationships will create more genuine followers and lead to more clients for your business.

Engaging Online
So how do you do that? Well with all of the social media available to all of us now the best way is to start connecting. Whether you’re an artist, a coach, a sportsman or a floral designer like myself, join groups and communities that attract like-minded people. Don’t just ‘like’ posts but comment and share interesting content.

Engaging Offline
The more interactive and engaged you are the higher the chances are of people really understanding what you do. I see people posting and then not acknowledging any of the comments. Think for a moment. What was the last thing you shared? Do you stand out? Are you different? Are you a member of any networking groups? Do you update content on your website, post on a regular basis or are your accounts rarely visited because you're too busy?

Networking offline is just as important as networking online. I see so many people fearing their competition, worried about them seeing and stealing their ideas. My answer to that is simple. If that's what you're worried about you're not differentiating yourself enough.

I don't worry that people will copy what I'm doing because a month from now I'll have moved on and be doing something different. Don't disconnect yourself from your community and become closed. Make the time to share what you know, help others and they will support you. Write articles for magazines, blog, network, and get yourself in front of a crowd.

The Proof Is In The Purchase

I recently published 'Entertain with Flowers and Flair'. Within days, it was purchased online via Amazon from flower lovers in Canada, UK and the U.S. People were writing to me to say they had seen my Author Website and had seen a press release on Broadway World Books World. I hadn't even seen them myself. Online content spreads fast. My publisher showcased the book at the Barcelona Book Fair and I did demos at my book signing in Singapore. Without social media, none of this would have been as big a success as it was and I've been able to get my messages out there at a very low cost compared to traditional methods.

This proves my point about sharing. The more you give, the more you get back. So make the time to connect, share and be passionate about what you do.

LinkedIn, Google, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many other companies have given us the tools to share globally what we do and reach audiences that would have been very difficult to reach just 10 years ago. So take the leap, stop waiting for 'likes' and get proactive. The tools are at your fingertips and there's a whole world out there waiting to discover new things.

With flowery wishes

Karen

Visit the Karen French Floral Designs page to find out more about Karen's work.

_{This post was first published on Karen French Floral Designs Blog and has been reposted on Executive Lifestyle with the permission of the author.}

Did you enjoy this post? Please comment, like and share!