Marketing Blog

Dip your toes into local networking

One of the great pleasures of working in Surrey is the easy access to the many vibrant networking communities that support local business.

Initially, it is worth business-to-business clients to try out a few organisations to see which works for them, within the constraints of their business and other commitments.

Every networking organisation is slightly different. Some will focus on a particular geographical area (bestofrichmond, The Richmond Chamber of Commerce etc) whilst others concentrate on a particular interest group, such as kukutana, a recently formed social media cafe. Athena is a woman only networking group whilst the West Thames Branch of the Institute of Directors requires that its members are either directors or partners. If you are targeting a very specific business sector, such as book publishing, it is probably worth becoming a member of the appropriate industry associations.

Once you have settled on a one to two organisations – do keep at it. Business development through networking can be a bit of slow burner. However, as I have found, new business often comes from the most unexpected sources.

See our list of some of local networking organisations