As a small business owner it can be hard to know what areas of marketing you should invest your budget in to get a good return on your investment.
Networking is something that is often forgotten or dismissed far too easily. Networking meetings can often be quite informal met ups, or more formal sit down events where they have guest speakers. The idea of a networking group or meeting is to allow people to share ideas and possibly even make new contacts that they may call upon in the future as well as giving everyone some all-important time to socialise.
Networking is not always about getting a deal there and then but building up relationships for the future and promoting your business brand. Often you may not get a lot of initial business from networking, but you may find that weeks or months later, you are contacted by someone from a networking group you attended.
When attending a networking meeting always ensure you have your business cards with you and try and show people examples of work you have done. This will mean that you can already get your foot in the door should they require your services later on down the line as they already know what it is you do.