We may not be able to head to our favourite spots to catch up with friends, family & colleagues, but we can still stay in touch online.
We asked our networking guru (and Business Development Manager), Suzanne Watson, to give us her top tips for staying in touch with people whilst we all have to physically stay away. It’s easier than you may think!
Staying Connected 💻
If you had asked me about social media 6 years ago I would have said no, it’s not for me! I do what I have to for work on Twitter but that’s it.
I would say it’s just for people to post photos on of their tea – how ironic that at the moment it is actually this, with all the lockdown baking and cooking photos people are sharing!
It was my friends who persuaded me to join Facebook so they could tag me in all of the photos of us out and about on our travels. So, I decided to give it a go!
More than ever social media has become important for every business, but also us as individuals.
Here are a few of my top tips to staying connected and keeping in touch with people during lockdown…
Engage ✏
Each day, take some time to scroll through your social channel feeds to like, share and comment on people’s posts. Let them know you’re here taking interest!
I’m engaging with our partners, seeing how they’re getting on and what they’re up to. It’s always nice to keep the conversation flowing.
Don’t be silent 🤐
There may not be a lot to shout about at the moment, but you need to still have a presence and keep your brand visible.
A big part of my role is partner facing, networking etc. and I am really keen to keep these relationships going. So, between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, make sure you share what you’re up to and your plans for the future – this will enable a digital presence, keeping you at the front of people’s mind, albeit virtually.
A picture paints a thousand words 🖼
Images work really well on social and really catch people’s attention. People are missing familiarity, so sharing photos will allow you to remember all the good times.
Positivity is key 😁
The world is a pretty scary place right now, so people take to social media for an escape. I’m engaging with our partners either by phone, email or via social media, as well as receiving a lot of personal direct messages. I have industry contacts, colleagues and friends from nearly thirty years working in this industry, and over the last few weeks I really feel like I’ve developed my communication skills to better listen to people. Sometimes, just a chat or moral support is appreciated by everyone.
Staying positive and giving people the personal touch online really goes a long way – it’s helping to keep me stay positive too!
Industry groups 👫
Social media is full of great groups you can join and get involved with! Some I’m a member of on Facebook include:
- Liverpool Hospitality Exchange
- Business Development and Sales Group Liverpool
- The Delegate Wranglers
It’s good to talk 📢
Life seems to revolve around Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams and other such platforms these past few weeks! We’re all having to adapt quickly to this new way of working, but don’t forget the art of conversation and just take a few minutes for pleasantries before heading straight to the agenda – it’ll be appreciated by everyone.
Show the love 💙
Lots of people are furloughed or sadly finding themselves unemployed at the moment, so sharing things like vacancies and webinars, as well as signposting to channels with grants or information is giving people some hope and positivity for the future and emphasises the importance of maintaining personal connections. If I can play a small part in that then I am doing my job well.
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