Networking is often what turns a small business into a thriving and prosperous business. Last night, I attended a Chamber of Commerce small business networking event, and I was reminded of how important it is to not just attend these events, but to be proactive in your networking strategy to get the most out of your time and effort. Networking success comes with planning and follow up.

CREATE NETWORKING GOALS

What do you want to achieve with your networking efforts? For example, do you want to create partnerships with other business owners? Do you want to broaden awareness of your brand or drive traffic to your website? Do you want to increase credibility? Decide what your goals are and then you can move onto the next step which is to plan how you’re going to achieve your goals.

CHOOSE YOUR TACTICS

Once you have your goals, plan how you’re going to achieve them. This step involves two considerations:

1. How much time do you have to commit to networking?
2. What...