Fine Print

Once back across the ocean, a study on how best to get your feet wet.

In a past life, I was working and living in the United Kingdom, and before that, Brussels, Belgium. During my tenure there, I had developed significant relationships with members of the European press, and through those relationships, I had excelled at getting great coverage for my respective clients. Many of these contacts became colleagues, and these colleagues became friends that I still correspond with as often as I can.

When I decided I was going to make the permanent move back across the pond, I knew how daunting an undertaking creating new relationships in the “New World” could be.

I continue to attend as many networking functions as my time allows and I make it a point to reach out to media here at every given opportunity, appreciating the value of the phrase, “By way of introduction …”

By way of introduction: It’s now that I ask myself, “How many other ‘ways of introduction’ can I utilize to reach out to potential colleagues?”

I latched onto LinkedIn, and was amazed and eerily proud at how much my dear Facebook had grown up. Through LinkedIn, one can professionally network without fear of it being mistaken as a social greeting. LinkedIn is a professional service more so than a place to post vacation pictures, and has a unique method of utilizing the function of ‘mutual friends.’ When adding a newfound contact, there appear two boxes — one to introduce yourself, and another, to have a mutual LinkedIn colleague introduce you. This is not only an instant icebreaker, but an essential tool in social and digital media.

By way of a colleague (Fine Print’s own John Carson), I have since been able to reach out to freelancers I would otherwise have never been able to find — certain reporters defy even the mighty Google. Through social and digital networking and through his own professional experience, John has developed a multitude of relationships with Canadian and international media, and has been gracious enough to extend a hand via LinkedIn introductions. It is clear that from there, the onus is on me to build on that introduction, and prove my value. It’s a challenge I’m more than ready for.

Through my continued work, I have initiated and indeed begun to develop relationships with a wide variety of Canadian media, knowing the importance of solidifying a trust in that business relationship, and will henceforth move forward honing digital and social media to better my clients, and indeed, myself.

Please consider this a case study in making those introductions; not shying away from “mutual friend” opportunities, and engaging new contacts through every social media outlet available. Truly one of the easiest and yet most efficient ways to get your name out there is by, well, getting it out there. A cold call is essential but disappears with a dial tone. An online presence is … ongoing.

~ Sam Amsterdam, Account Coordinator, GCI Canada