Why networking wins digital marketing roles
The best roles and the best clients in digital marketing often go to someone a decision-maker already knows. Early in a career, your CV does most of the talking, while the people who win those roles arrive with an introduction. The best time to start collecting introductions of your own is now.
Networking is how you get them: building relationships that bring you learning, clients and projects. Below: the channels worth your time, how to prepare and follow up, the tools that keep a network organised, and how to handle the awkward parts.
Where young marketers find networking opportunities
Your time is limited, so pick the channels that match your goal. Two or three are plenty for most people.
| Channel | Best for | Effort | How to use it well |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry events | Face-to-face time with senior people | High | Research attendees beforehand |
| Visible expertise, warm introductions | Medium | Comment thoughtfully before you connect | |
| X (formerly Twitter) | Following live industry debate | Low to medium | Reply with substance |
| Online communities | Peer learning on Slack, Reddit, Facebook groups | Medium | Answer questions before asking them |
| Meetup | Small local groups on one topic | Medium | Go regularly so faces become familiar |
| Eventbrite | Conferences and workshops of any size | Medium | Filter by topic, try in-person and virtual |
Conferences, webinars and workshops give you the most direct access to senior people. If you are based in Spain, our guide to B2B trade shows in Valencia lists events worth a day out of the office. Online channels reward consistency: a thoughtful LinkedIn comment can start a conversation with someone in Tokyo, and a regular presence in one Slack community beats occasional visits to ten.
Meetup suits small local groups around one interest, and Eventbrite larger conferences and workshops. Once you know a group, consider hosting an event yourself: organisers meet everyone.
Build a personal brand people remember
People look you up before they reply to you. What they find decides whether the conversation happens, so a deliberate online presence is what turns you from another face in the crowd into a voice people recognise.
A LinkedIn profile that tells a story
Treat your LinkedIn profile as a career narrative. Describe projects with tangible results, use the keywords your target network searches for, and make it clear what you bring. Our guide on writing about your professional background covers the wording in detail.
A home base you control
A personal website is the one place where you set the terms. Use it to show how you think as well as what you did: case studies, a short blog fed by a few blog post ideas, a portfolio that brings the work to life.
A voice worth following
Sharing other people's content makes you visible; saying something useful makes you memorable. Offer considered views on what your industry is debating, share lessons from what worked and what you would do differently, and create material that answers the questions your network actually has. The shift from participant to contributor is what makes people seek you out, a theme we explore in our piece on the human creator economy.
Networking tips that work in person and online
Networking pays off in what happens after the first meeting. The four steps below work whether the first contact is a handshake or a LinkedIn message.
Prepare before every event
Preparation is what turns small talk into a conversation someone remembers. Look through attendee lists, company news and LinkedIn profiles, and know what you want to learn from each person. If you know they have just launched a project, or share your interest in sustainable marketing, you have something real to talk about.
Start conversations naturally
People warm to a genuine opening. Join with something useful to say: a relevant question, a mutual connection, a comment on the speaker's argument. The aim is a dialogue both of you want to continue.
Follow up within 24 hours
A day later, they still remember you clearly, so that is the moment to write. Within 24 hours, send a personal message that refers to something specific from your conversation, and connect on LinkedIn.
Keep adding value
Share insights that match their interests, congratulate them on achievements, and introduce them to people they should know. People help those who helped them first, so be the person who adds value consistently, in the quiet months as well as the busy ones.
Digital tools that keep a network organised
A network you keep track of keeps growing. A few tools keep every contact warm and every conversation on record.
| Tool | What it does for networking |
|---|---|
| LinkedIn Sales Navigator | Advanced search for decision-makers, lead suggestions, alerts on job changes and company news |
| BIGContacts | Contact management with email marketing automation |
| Nimble | Relationship-focused CRM that connects to your email and social accounts |
| Dex | Personal CRM that syncs contact details from LinkedIn profiles |
Whichever CRM you choose, look for contact tagging, interaction history and reminders, so you can see at a glance who is due a message after six months. Social media sync saves hours of manual updating.
Work through the awkward moments
Start small when you feel shy
Most people at a networking event feel at least slightly awkward, which works in your favour: a friendly question is usually welcome. Start online if face-to-face feels hard, set a small target such as two conversations per event, and remember that listening well counts as much as talking.
Move on when replies go quiet
Some messages get a reply and some connections lead somewhere, on their own timing. Treat silence as information about timing, and move on to the next opportunity.
Build relationships that last for years
Twenty LinkedIn connections who would take your call are worth more than a thousand who would only scroll past. Engage regularly through comments, shares and messages. The people who help you most in five years are often the ones you kept in touch with just to stay in touch.
Where to start this week
Networking is a habit that rewards patience and genuine effort. Pick one channel from the table, prepare for one event or conversation, and follow up within a day. Then do it again next week.
If you are building a career in multilingual digital marketing and want to see how we work with clients and collaborators, read about how we work or tell us what you are working on.
