Have you ever received a message from someone who asked, “do you know anyone who does [insert specific thing]?” Let’s say a film reviewer, for instance. Who would you refer?
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The person you have in mind is most likely the person whose message you recently saw — in their tweets, SMS, emails, Instagram or wherever else you hangout. In such things, recency bias plays a huge role.
Fortunately or unfortunately, this is how business happens in the world. People refer people they remember. So, once you’ve figured out how to talk about yourself boldly, work on staying visible. Here’s what I do:
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I am active on social media. I can’t do more than one platform, so I chose Twitter. If Instagram or Linkedin is your jam, choose that. But post regularly. This doesn’t have to be all about work — make it your own.
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I proactively stay in touch. I ping old clients once in a while, when something reminds me of them. A few days after Covid, I texted many past clients to just check on them. I send people articles they might like or videos they’d enjoy.
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I also make an extra effort to stay in touch with people who have referred me in the past. When someone refers you once and it goes well, they are very likely to refer you again and again.
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I give as much as I can — advice, answers, help, quick presentations, article reviews, small things. Not with the sole intention of staying visible, but it helps.
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I never ignore messages, but you already know that. 😛
The thing is: I don’t do any of this on schedule each day. I’ve always been an extrovert and I have always been comfortable staying visible.
But, you do you. Post only as many updates as you like. Choose only as many platforms as you like. If you prefer email, use that. But don’t hide. Work won’t find you if you dislike being found.