Working remotely is all the rage these days. It’s cheaper, and faster, and some even say it’s more efficient than going into an office.
However, while it may be easy to work from home or travel on business trips, there are some inconveniences to leaving your cubicle behind.
The good news is that there are ways to stay connected to and build relationships with people in your industry—even if you’re not sitting next to them at the office.
I’ve been working remotely for several years now. I’ve found it easy to get stuck in a rut when you’re not surrounded by other people.
However, I discovered several ways to work around that.
If you’re interested in expanding your remote career, here are 20 ways to network when you work remotely:
#1. Stay Up To Date On The Latest Industry News
When people ask me how I started out in my career, I always tell them to read a ton of books.
And while reading books is undoubtedly valuable, it also helps if you know what’s happening in the business world.
Being up-to-date helps you identify new opportunities and get involved with groups that share your interests.
I try to keep up with my favorite blogs because they help me stay informed about what’s happening in my industry.
If you’re not sure where to start, I recommend checking out these blogs:
- The Financial Times
- The Economist
- The Wall Street Journal
Another thing you can do is listen to podcasts.
Podcasts allow listeners great flexibility because they can access them whenever it works best for them—whether at home cooking dinner or during commutes via public transportation.
All these tools will help you keep abreast of technological changes, trends, and new developments in your industry.
They’ll also help you stay informed about what’s happening in your field so you can join conversations with others interested in the same topics.
#2. Attend Virtual Conferences And Webinars
In a remote work environment, you don’t have the luxury of walking down the hall and chatting with your colleagues.
But that doesn’t mean you’re isolated from the rest of the world.
You can still connect with others in your industry by attending virtual conferences and webinars. These events provide a great way to meet people and learn about new trends.
There are many different types of virtual conferences available today. Some focus on specific industries while others cover broader areas like marketing or business development.
You can sign up for webinars through your employer or find them online on websites like Eventbrite.
Virtual conferences are live events held online where attendees can connect with speakers and participants via video chat applications like Skype or Zoom.
If you don’t already have some favorite virtual conference speakers or topics that interest you, check out sites like Meetup for event listings in your area.
#3. Turn On Your Camera During Online Meetings
Meetings are a crucial part of the workday. They’re where you share information, solve problems, decide, and connect with your colleagues.
There are many ways to ensure you don’t feel isolated in a remote work environment.
One way is to use video tools when you meet with people.
It’s crucial to turn on your camera so that people can see you while they’re talking. It helps them connect with you easily until they meet you in person.
#4. Attend Events Related To Your Industry
One of the most important parts of networking is meeting people.
You can find several opportunities online, from virtual conferences to webinars, but the best way to network is in person.
If your industry has conferences, trade shows, or other events scheduled during the year, make sure they’re on your calendar.
This is so you can network and learn from others (and maybe even meet potential clients).
If there aren’t any events scheduled for your specific area of interest, consider attending one for another similar industry.
#5. Join Industry-Specific Slack Groups
Slack is a well-known work tool companies of all sizes and industries use. It’s a great way to connect with your team members and stay up-to-date on what they’re working on.
It can also be helpful for remote workers, who might not have an office to walk in and out of every day.
There are dozens of Slack groups available for different industries and interests — from marketing teams to freelance writers.
Joining these groups can help you find like-minded people who share advice or answer questions.
You can join as many groups as you want, but some are more private than others.
If you’re part of a team, consider joining a Slack group for your industry or field to chat with other people with similar interests.
If there isn’t one already, consider starting one up and inviting anyone who might be interested!
#6. Start A Mastermind Group With Other Remote Professionals
Mastermind groups, or masterminds, are a group of people who come together to help each other achieve personal, professional, and business goals.
The main idea behind a mastermind group is that you’re not just brainstorming and sharing ideas with your peers; you’re also helping them reach their personal goals.
This means the focus of the group is on helping each other succeed.
Mastermind groups are often about specific topics or themes, such as health and wellness, financial planning, or business growth. Each member brings knowledge to the table that can benefit the entire group.
If you’re starting in your career, join one with people who are at least a few years ahead of you. You’ll learn so much from them!
Once you’ve found a good fit for yourself, attend every meeting. And don’t forget: the point is not just going; it’s getting something out of each meeting too.
#7. Subscribe To Industry Newsletters
Reading industry newsletters is a great way to stay up-to-date on what’s going on in your field.
You get a better sense of the trends and developments that shape the future of your work.
This can help you make more informed decisions about where your career might go next.
If you don’t already subscribe to any relevant newsletters, start by doing research online.
You can usually find them by searching for “industry newsletter” or “professional association newsletter” (e.g., “marketing association newsletter”).
If nothing comes up when you search these terms alone, try adding some keywords related to your industry or job function (e.g., “digital marketing manager newsletter”).
#8. Create An Online Presence For Yourself
In a remote work environment, you can be your brand ambassador. Your social media accounts are how you connect with others and share your skills, knowledge, and personality.
On social media, you are what you post: Be thoughtful about what you share on all platforms.
Think about the best way to present yourself to the world.
Pro tip: Always assume the audience is bigger than just the person sitting next to you in the conference room.
Having multiple professional profiles helps you build credibility, establish relationships and gain trust.
The more you’re out there, the more people will see your work — and want to collaborate with you or hire you for their projects.
Here are some tips for creating professional social media accounts:
- Choose a professional name for your account.
This will help people find you when they search for you or your business online. Use your full name or a close variation of it if possible.
- Create a profile photo that represents who you are and what you do.
This could be your business logo or a picture of yourself wearing business attire. It’s critical to ensure the image is professional and appropriate for your industry!
#9. Sign Up To Join LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an excellent tool for remote workers to connect with other professionals. It allows users to create profiles, add connections, and search for jobs.
Users can also join groups and attend events hosted by their company or outside organizations.
A bonus is that it’s free to use and has a large membership base.
Here are four ways that LinkedIn can help you network when you work remotely:
- Use InMail messages to connect with people in your industry who might help you grow your business
- Build connections with people who have common interests or goals so you can collaborate on projects together
- Use the recommendations feature to highlight how others vouch for your skills and abilities
- Invite people from different companies — including competitors — to connect with them on LinkedIn.
This is highly beneficial if they’re relevant contacts for your job search or career growth plans.
#10. Get On Twitter
You can use Twitter to network with your colleagues, but it’s also a great way to network with other professionals in your industry.
Here are some tips for using Twitter to network with colleagues, clients, and customers:
#10.1. Follow Your Company On Twitter
This is a good way to stay up-to-date on upcoming events at work, as well as company news and announcements.
#10.2. Follow Other Employees On Twitter
If they’re in different departments than yours, follow them anyway! You might learn something new about how they do their jobs or how their team functions.
#10.3. Join Twitter Chats
If certain topics come up frequently at work and you want an opportunity to discuss them online, join a Twitter chat on that topic. You’ll be able to share ideas with other people who care about the same things as you do while also getting a valuable insight into how others think about it.
#10.4. Tweet About Topics Related To Your Job
This helps others get an idea of who they’re dealing with when they interact with you. For example, if you’re an entrepreneur, you can tweet about one of your recent projects.
#11. Join Facebook Groups
Facebook groups are a great place to connect with other remote workers and share resources, tips, and tricks. They’re also a good place to ask questions and get feedback on projects.
Search for relevant terms. If there’s a topic that interests you or an industry that you work in, try searching for it on Facebook.
For example, if you’re looking for a Facebook group on marketing automation, search “marketing automation” or “marketing automation tools” on Facebook.
This will reveal results from groups and individuals who may post about the subject frequently in their status updates or comments sections.
Once you’ve joined a group that fits your interests and needs, take part in discussions by posting questions on topics that interest you.
#12. Set Up A Lunchclub Profile
Lunchclub is a place where you can meet new people, exchange ideas and learn new things.
It’s also the perfect place to network with other professionals who are doing similar things as you.
Most importantly, you can connect with individuals who have the experience that can help you grow your business.
If you’re an entrepreneur, freelancer, or work remotely, Lunchclub is a great way to meet people in your industry or find new clients or partners.
Not to mention, you’ll be able to build relationships with like-minded individuals who understand what it’s like to run a business from home.
#13. Keep In Touch With Your Coworkers
In a remote work environment, it’s difficult to keep in touch with coworkers.
You will not run into them at the coffee shop or have lunch together regularly.
This can lead to a certain level of isolation that can affect your productivity, your happiness, and even your health.
To combat this, here are some tips for keeping in touch with your coworkers in a remote work environment:
#13.1. Use Group Chats And Video Calls
These tools make it easy for you to see what everyone’s doing. You can also take part in conversations about projects, deadlines, and other important topics.
Group chats also make it easy to contact someone if you need help with anything.
#13.2. Keep An Eye On Each Other’s Social Media Accounts
If your company uses social media as part of its marketing strategy, then monitoring each other’s accounts makes sense — it’s good business practice!
#14. Volunteer In An Organization In Your Field
Volunteering at a professional organization in your field can help you get valuable experience in your career field while also giving back to the community.
Some companies even offer paid internships or job opportunities through their volunteer programs.
Here are some ways volunteering can help you advance your career:
#14.1. Build Your Resume
Volunteering is great for building up your resume, especially if you’re looking for full-time employment after graduation.
You can also list this volunteer work on applications for jobs within the same company.
Alternatively, you can do the same with other companies that may be interested in hiring someone with those same skills.
#14.2. Gain New Skills
Volunteer work gives you real-world experience doing what you studied in school or want to do on the job.
This allows you to learn new skills and gain knowledge about how things work in the real world before entering the workforce full-time.
#15. Engage With People On Social Media
if you want to succeed in your job and grow your career, it’s important to stay engaged on social media channels.
Here are some strategies for making your social media time more productive:
#15.1. Stay Active On Social Media Channels
The more active you are, the more likely it is that people will notice you—including potential employers and recruiters who might look for candidates they want to connect with.
#15.2. Be Friendly With Everyone
It doesn’t matter whether someone works in the same office as you; being friendly with them is still important.
This is because they could end up being useful to you someday.
After all, you never know when that perfect opportunity will appear when they might need your help or vice versa!
#16. Ask For Introductions From Colleagues And Friends
As a remote worker, you need to ensure that you are visible in the office.
Besides attending meetings in person and making yourself available by phone or email, consider having mutual acquaintances introduce you to people you want to connect with.
This can help you network more easily when you’re not physically present at the office. Here’s how:
- If you know an internal colleague who also knows the person you’re looking to connect with, ask them if they’d be willing to introduce you.
- Ask your friends and family members if they know anyone who works in a field that interests you or has experience in an area where you need help.
#17. Be Proactive About Building Relationships With People
In a remote work environment, you rarely have the benefit of being able to just walk down the hall and ask someone for help when you need it.
That means you need to be proactive about building relationships with your colleagues so that when you need help, they’ll be more apt to offer it.
How do you build those relationships? Here are some guidelines:
Attempt to reach out and connect with people who are interested in what you’re doing — even if it doesn’t benefit them at that moment.
Be intentional about following up after conversations and emails. Take an extra minute or two to follow up.
That way, your colleague will know that their input matters and won’t feel like they wasted time on someone who didn’t care enough to remember what they said.
#18. Create Online Meetups
Online meetups allow you to network with others without having to travel or leave your home.
Even if you don’t have time to attend local networking events or professional conferences, you can connect with other professionals who share similar interests and goals as yourself.
The benefits of online meetups are many:
- You can attend them from any location, which makes it easy to schedule them around your schedule.
- They’re very low-maintenance, so they’re easy to organize and host.
- You’ll be able to connect with more people than if you were having a traditional in-person meeting.
- If you run an online business, it’s also a great way to build relationships with potential customers who have similar interests or goals as you do.
#19. Promote Your Services
You might ask, “How can I promote my service or products to network in a remote work environment?” The answer is simple: you just need to be creative!
Use these tips to promote your services or products in a remote work environment:
19.1. Build a list of potential clients and networkers.
The best way to do this is by asking for recommendations from other people and then following up on them.
19.2. Offer free training or samples of your product or service as an incentive for people to provide referrals.
This will help grow your business at the same time that it builds your network of contacts.
19.3. Take advantage of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote yourself and your business.
By using these tools, you can spread information about your business to thousands of people without hiring recruiters or salespeople.
#20. Engage In Community Forums
Forums are great for networking because they allow you to share your expertise and learn from others at the same time.
You’ll be able to take part in discussions about topics that interest you while also learning about other professionals in the field.
This can be a great way to build relationships with people who may become colleagues or clients later on.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, these tips will help you get started in your remote networking journey. It can be challenging at first, but with practice and patience, it gets easier.
The most important thing is to remember that you don’t have to do everything by yourself! There are plenty of resources out there for people who work from home or outside an office environment (like Slack groups).
So, don’t be afraid to ask questions if things aren’t working out as expected.
You can connect with people from anywhere at any time, and there’s no need to worry about scheduling an event or finding an appropriate venue.
All it takes is a little effort on your part and some creativity in finding ways around traditional methods of connecting with others in person or online!
