By Judith Lee

September always feels like a time of renewal to me. This feeling most likely dates from my own school days, and from my years as a parent with a child in school. So much possibility! The beginning of a new school year.

That’s why it feels right to take stock now of how your marketing is going for 2016. Specifically, how is your networking going? If you slowed it down during the summer (I know I did), it’s time to step it up again. In fact, I’d urge you to create a networking plan for the rest of the year and on into 2017.

I’ve blogged before about the importance of good, old fashioned business networking, specifically encouraging young business professionals to improve their face-to-face networking skills in order to advance their careers. This is just as important for established business professionals.

So that networking plan – you can set it up like a mini-marketing plan. Start with some goals and objectives such as:

• Meet 10 new business people every month
• Make one-on-one appointments with at least 3 of them
• Renew your acquaintance via conversation and email with 5 business people you already know
• Write 2 business proposals a month as a direct result of networking

Now, identify your networking opportunities. If you sell to businesses, I recommend Chambers of Commerce, direct referral groups, business networks that include people in your target market. If you are selling directly to consumers, also consider health fairs, community events, charity fundraisers, and consumer expos.

Yes, it sounds like a lot, and of course, you can’t do it all. Decide how much time each week you need to devote to networking to achieve your goals. Based on that decision, decide how many events you will attend in a month. And be sure to allow time in your schedule for following up afterwards.

Now it’s a matter of looking at the opportunities out there. Most organizations publicize their events on their website, so that’s a good place to start. Remember, if you aren’t finding the exact opportunities you need, you can always create an event(s) of your own.

Just like a marketing plan, a networking plan will give some order to the chaos, and provide you with a basis for evaluating your networking efforts over time. Keep it as a living document, and it will serve you well.

I still love digital marketing, social media, and email marketing as vehicles to connect with your customers and increase your market visibility. But in my experience, they cannot replace a handshake, a smile, or an in-person dialogue.

After all, you are your brand! How you look, what you say and what you do are powerful messages that resonate strongly in this highly digital age. People are hungrier than ever for person-to-person contact – so feed it!

Be sure to Like us on Facebook , and you can join my live-stream broadcast on this topic in your newsfeed at 12 pm tomorrow.  Please watch my live-stream at 12 pm EST on Monday, Sept. 12