We always talk about networking, but we also only focus on physically attending events. If you have been following me, you know I’ve attended way more events this year than I have in past years. I’ve been to New York, Atlanta, Houston, and Dallas all in the past six months.
While I had business of some sort in each of these places, networking was always at the forefront of my mind. Who knew what awesome connections I could make? And with the exception of Houston, I did make new business connections. Houston was more of a family trip anyway, though, but I did write about it for my Bulletin.
Step 1
But let’s not forget networking via email also. I took the time to send and schedule out emails on Labor Day, and one thing I did was researched 20 businesses that I thought would be good partners for the SwagHer brand.
By a good fit, I mean I looked for brands that I thought might interest our current audience and that they might can benefit from knowing about. I love finding Black-owned brands offering household staples that others may not know about.
Step 2
Then I wrote out an email basically telling them who I am and a little about SwagHer Magazine, mentioning some of our biggest accomplishments. I also hyperlinked our website so they could check us out and included our media kit, so they could learn more of our backstory.
From my research, I altered each email a little to show a commonality between my brand and theirs or mentioned something I learned about them or something that I thought would benefit them if they worked with us. (This is the red part in the example below)
Step 3
Next, I mentioned one way that they could partner with us. Now there are lots of ways they could partner with us, but to have a simple call to action, I suggested the one but I also shared my meeting link. Should they ask about others, I would gladly share with them.
The cool thing is even if they meet with me and are not initially sold by my idea, they will still be on my email list where I can nurture them. Thanks Keap! And note, I do not want to add them to my list without their permissio because then they could grow irritated.
Step 4
I closed the email by thanking them for their time.
Email example:
Greetings,
It’s Fancy with SwagHer Magazine, an empowerment and lifestyle publication for Black women that like to keep it real in life and business. SwagHer Magazine’s purpose is to change the way Black women view themselves to rise from marginalized communities and develop a mindset of royalty and wealth while educating them to grow a profitable business to be self-sufficient through positive media and storytelling. Founded in 2010 in Baton Rouge, LA, the magazine has had celebs and powerful figures like Kandi Burrus, Dr. Wendy Osefo, former VP of Lockheed Martin Shan Cooper, David Banner, Crystal Hayslett, and others.
The magazine also advocates for Black mental health. We are currently working on our healing issue and wanted to know if you would like to partner with us as our back cover story sponsor.
You can look over our media kit, and if you would like to set up a call to discuss, you can do so here. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your time.
And there you have it.
Not everyone will respond but if at least 5 respond then I have a response rate of 25%, which I think is good being that they are strangers. .
But also, even if they do not respond, that does not mean they cannot become a member of your community as a Instagram follower, Facebook friend, or Linkedin connection. You never know, so make sure your online presence is up to par.
