Marketing Happy Hour - Hate Networking? Here’s How to Build Connections That Open Doors

Episode Date: March 27, 2025

Solo Episode - Networking doesn’t have to feel awkward, forced, or transactional. In this episode, I’m breaking down how to build meaningful connections that actually lead to opportunities—without feeling weird about it. Whether you're a corporate marketer, an entrepreneur, or just starting out, I’ll share practical networking strategies you can use today.Key Takeaways:// Networking starts before the connection request. Engage with people’s content to get on their radar before reaching out.// Make your outreach personal. Reference something specific to show genuine interest.// Your network is your greatest asset. Whether you’re in a 9-5 or self-employed, exposure is everything.// Focus on building relationships, not transactions. Offer value and be intentional with your connections.// Challenge: Take 3 small networking actions this week! Creative People’s LinkedIn Networking Framework: See the video____Say hi! DM me on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - I can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠Join our FREE Open Jobs group on LinkedIn: ⁠Join now⁠Get the latest from MHH, straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our email list!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow MHH on Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Welcome to Marketing Happy Hour. I'm Cassie, consultant, podcaster, and your host. Every Thursday, you'll hear episodes packed with insights from brand leaders on an array of topics from crafting effective marketing strategies and hitting career goals to building leadership skills and launching your own business. Inspired by those unfiltered happy hour combos with peers, this show is all about practical, empowering chats to support your professional journey. So grab your favorite drink and let's get to the episode. Hey, welcome back to Marketing Happy Hour. It's another solo episode. It's been a minute since I have done one of these. This is something that I am not super used to. I don't do a lot of these.

And so I am still getting used to kind of this format, but it's kind of fun to share what's been on my mind and just chat with you directly. I don't know. It's just something kind of different. And ironically, I already recorded this whole entire episode and I looked down like three quarters of the way into recording and realized that my recorder died. So this is the second go of this episode, which is great because I already did a practice round. Like I'm not going into this cold, which is awesome. So hopefully you enjoy it. Hopefully you like this topic. We're talking about networking. Networking is one of my favorite things ever. If you know me, you know that I love networking. And with that, we're going to talk about using LinkedIn for networking and just how to use it to land clients, to land work opportunities,

to step into your next role. And I believe truly that relationships are such a key pivotal factor to career growth and they're becoming ever important just for applying for jobs and just getting to the next step in your career. And so we'll talk through some tips and your questions that you submitted from Instagram, which I always love hearing to kind of what's on your mind as well. But a little personal update first before we get into it. I turned 30 hearing too, kind of what's on your mind as well. But a little personal update first before we get into it. I turned 30 this week, which is so insane. It's going to take me a minute to wrap my head around that. I'm not going to lie, like leading into turning 30, I was not looking forward to it. I'm still not sure how I feel about it. I was a little bit sad

about leaving my 20s behind. And it's kind of like this, I don't know, is rebirth like too strong of a word? But it's like this new phase of life. It's a new chapter. It's a new decade, right? So like, it's just weird. I don't know. It's different. I don't think I like it yet.

Check back with me in like a few weeks and see how I feel. But I'm doing a lot of reflection. I'm doing a lot of thinking about what's next in life. And I think that's part of the thing that has not been fun for me is just like really thinking through where I'm at currently and am I on the right path and like what's next. And I'm trying to kind of balance personally forward thinking while also just remaining in this space that I'm trying to kind of balance personally forward thinking while also just remaining in this space that I'm in right now. And knowing that where I am right this minute is for a reason, but I also have goals and

I have desires and things I'm working towards and this purpose that I want to fulfill and this path that I want to take and kind of what that looks like. So not to get too deep, but just wanted to share personally kind of what I'm thinking through. And if you're 30 or you recently turned 30, I'm just curious how you're juggling it. Like, let me know. Like, do you feel the same way as me? Am I the only one? I don't know. But anyways, let's get into today's topic, a little less deep of a topic here. So again, I think when we think about networking, it kind of feels pretty forced and fake and transactional a lot of times. But I will tell you that if done correctly, if approached in more of

a humanized way, so thinking about networking as building friendships, right? Like how would you treat a friend? How would you talk to a friend? Obviously certain network connections, you wouldn't just be like, yo, bud, like blah, blah, blah, blah. Like you're not going to talk to a hiring manager like that. However, thinking about like if you were approached from a friend, how would you want to be seen? How would you want to be talked to and cared for and kind of reciprocating that with the people that you were reaching out to? For me, again, a lot of my career opportunities have come from networking. From the moment I stepped out of college, a lot of opportunities came from the people that I knew and the relationships that I was building.

It's a great way to land freelance work and consulting gigs and collaborations and new job opportunities. And with the power of technology, with LinkedIn literally at our fingertips, it makes it so much easier while also not being awkward. Like networking does not have to be awkward at all. So today specifically, we're going to dive into how to network strategically, how to make genuine connections, like I mentioned a second ago, and how to build relationships that actually lead to opportunities. And with that too, as I mentioned earlier, I'm going to be answering your questions from Instagram and we're going to just dive in right now. So first question I

received on Instagram is if you're afraid to reach out personally, how do you approach a new connection? So this is a great question because initiating a conversation with someone you don't know can feel awkward. Like I completely get it. It's still weird for me, especially in person, but there's ways to make it feel less awkward. And here's the thing, like people love talking about themselves. That's not a bad thing. People enjoy it. So they don't mind sharing and answering questions that you have one asked most of the time.

So especially if approached in the right way. So here's how to make it a little bit easier. Again, for a brand new connection you've never chatted with before. Step one, look for a warm lead if you have one. So do you have someone currently in your network that knows that person that's connected to them? Can they introduce you? And this is in person. This is on LinkedIn. You can scroll through your LinkedIn connections and see if anyone is connected to them that you

could maybe ask for a warm introduction. So I would recommend starting there because it makes it feel a lot less icky. The second step is to, if you do not have a warm lead, to make your initial outreach to that person personal and relatable. So no generic, hey, I'd love to connect. Instead, reference something specific, maybe an article that they wrote a project that they worked on or a talk that they gave this is whether you're reaching out via email via LinkedIn or even if you are meeting someone in person for the first time and you know you have something you can pull out and reference this especially works with conferences that you're attending or opportunities where you know who's going to be present,

you can maybe be intentional about who you plan to connect with at those events and making sure you have specific things to reference there. This is more for online engagement. Make that initial connection short and casual. So something like, hey, name, I saw your recent post on XYZ topic and loved your perspective. I'm your name, I saw your recent post on XYZ topic and loved your perspective. I'm your name, A, your role, and I'd love to connect and learn more about your work. So very straightforward, very simple, and it's short and sweet and direct, which is great.

And just overall, again, the key with this, reaching out to someone who you don't know is just be relatable, be human. Don't be weird. Don't overthink it. Like it's not that difficult. And please don't sell someone on the first connection request. Just don't do that. You can stand out very easily on the platform by simply just not doing that.

So the platform meaning LinkedIn, I should say. Instagram question number two, any advice on networking for people just starting out in the industry? So I think about this, whether you are new in your career or you're pivoting industries and you're new in your industry. So a lot of times when you're in that position, you feel like networking is intimidating because you don't feel like you have a lot of experience to offer or to talk about or to share. I promise you, you have something to share. You are at a unique role, a unique space that is different from other people. You can speak to that specific experience, even if you have six months, for example,

in your role. Maybe there's referencing from college that you can make or things that you're learning in your studies or internships. You have something to share, I promise you. So first of all, go into it with confidence and think about what you could potentially offer to other people. And I think just overall having this approach of networking isn't just about what you can get but what you can give as well. And so remembering that, yes, there are things that we want to get out of networking, but thinking about first giving and offering and providing something is going to help strengthen that connection with other people. I would

recommend if you are new in your industry or your field, start out with people just a couple levels above you. They get it. They were in your space recently. They understand the position that you are currently in. And so those insights are a lot more fresh and they can maybe offer some ideas or solutions for you to get to that next step that you're looking to get to. So some ways to make networking work for you if you are, again, new in your industry or space. Number one, be a sponge. So some ways to make networking work for you if you are again new in your industry or space. Number one, be a sponge. So instead of trying to prove yourself and feeling like you have to prove something, focus on what can you get from other people. Ask intentional questions. Desire to learn about their story. Learn about what they're learning. So soak all of it up and engage thoughtfully.

Number two is join communities. Are there communities in your city that you can join with marketers? Are there LinkedIn groups that you can join, Slack channels? Are there events that you can go to? Put yourself in rooms where conversations are already happening that you can interject in versus feeling like you have to be the one to spark conversations from scratch. And then number three, again, offer value. Don't be afraid to share insights and your perspective and your skills. Think about articles that you're reading. Is there something that you can offer to someone in a conversation? I think being a sponge outside of networking too is going to help with this because as you're reading about things or collecting information in podcasts, don't be afraid to reference those learnings in those conversations that you're having. Offer something.

Even if it's not your own personal story, offer something that you're reading in the marketing world or from somewhere else that you can offer up. Those kind of small gestures really help to build relationships. Instagram question number three, any LinkedIn networking tips? So we've talked a lot about networking on LinkedIn already, but I want to kind of dive into this specifically because LinkedIn is such a powerful place for building connections. And I highly recommend if you are not actively using LinkedIn as a platform, number one, make sure your profile is built out. This could be a whole nother episode in and of itself, but making sure that there's keywords

up there. You're telling your story on your profile, pop on there occasionally and put a post out there, share your story, share what you're working on. But overall, use it as a tool to get connected with the people in the spaces that you want to be in. I want to reference a really incredible framework that I learned from creative people. They did this awesome Instagram series recently where they talked about the way to actually connect with people on the platform. And I want to share this with you because it is absolutely genius. So if you want to get hired or noticed, here's the move. This is what they shared on their posts. So number one, follow the person first. So whether it's a recruiter,

a leader at your target company that you want to work for, follow the person on LinkedIn first. Don't connect just yet. Get familiar with what they post, read, learn about their experience, and then step two, start engaging with them. So again, you're still not connected with them. Start engaging. Like, comment on their posts, get on their radar in a genuine way. And when they see your name pop up a few times, your eventual connection request won't feel super random. So do that for a bit. And then number three, when you are ready to connect, you're going to personalize your connection request with something specific like this. So no, hey, I'd love to connect and hitting

send, go a little bit deeper. So hey, name, call them out by their first name. I've been following your posts and loved your take on XYZ topics. So reference one of their posts. I'd love to connect and continue learning from you. Simple, easy, straight to the point. And so that will often kind of spark a conversation from there and help with those first steps of building a connection with them. And then eventually down the road, as you strengthen that connection, you check in regularly, you continue commenting on their content. You can maybe ask for a discovery call or a chat in person or whatever. So start there. Genius love that framework so much and it just makes it overall natural and strategic and effective. I would not recommend on LinkedIn or even on email just blindly connecting with people.

Really get intentional about the networking that you're doing and also the networking that you are building on the platform. So don't just accept every connection. Make sure you're intentional about that community that you are creating on LinkedIn. Final takeaway on this topic is, again, networking does not have to feel awkward or transactional it's about building real relationships over time whether you're in a nine-to-five or working for yourself exposure is everything getting in front of the right people is everything being recommendable for roles and for opportunities is everything and that starts with really connecting with people

really learning about who they are and what they do and what they're working on. So I want to leave you with kind of one challenge for this coming week. Step one, send one thoughtful connection request on LinkedIn to someone that you've been following for a long time. So utilize creative people's framework that I mentioned a moment ago. Follow up with one person already in your network that you're connected with. So who is someone that you have not touched base with in a while? Shoot them a message about something that you read that they may relate to or enjoy or give them kudos on a recent achievement, see how they're doing, etc.

Number three is engage with two industry posts. So pop on the platform, engage with a couple people, maybe follow that new person, the first new person for the first time and start engaging with their content and start sharing about yourself. We can also start our network by inviting inbound leads into our own world. And that starts by putting your story and your insights out there. So don't be afraid to start sharing, even if it's one to two times a week. Don't be afraid to do that. Overall, just small intentional actions add up. Your next big opportunity could literally start from a conversation you begin today. And so I want to

encourage you, it's not too late to start. If this episode helped, send it to a friend who needs some networking advice. If you also have any other tips that you have learned along the way, I'd love to hear from you. Shoot me a message on LinkedIn or Instagram. All of the channels are linked below. And that's it. That is my networking advice for this week. I have another solo episode planned for the coming week. So if there's also something that you want to hear about coming up, please let me know. But I hope you have an excellent day. Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate you being here and just taking the time to hear what I have to say,

hear what our guests have to say. And again, if there's anything that you want to hear coming up or an industry that you want to hear from or a specific professional out there, you want to hear their story, let me know. I'm always taking requests and would love to invite some new people on. Thank you so much for listening and I'll see you next time on Marketing Happy Hour. Thank you so much for tuning into this week's episode. If you enjoyed this conversation, I would love your feedback. And if you're ready to take things to the next level, sign up for my weekly newsletter in the show notes. You'll get weekly career and marketing insights straight to your inbox. And if you have an idea for a future Marketing Happy Hour episode,

shoot me an email. Hello at marketinghappyhr.com. Thank you again, and I'll see you next Thursday.