Key Takeaways (TLDR)
Topic: Four fresh, creative approaches to networking for small business owners who are tired of the standard business card swap and want to build genuine, lasting connections.
What you’ll learn: Networking doesn’t have to mean going around a room reciting your elevator pitch to strangers. This post explores four overlooked and underused networking approaches: using collaborations as a networking tool, engaging on social media in a more intentional and conversational way, micro networking in small, intimate groups, and connecting consistently with the same people rather than trying to meet as many new people as possible. Plus a bonus idea for getting a double win by learning and connecting at the same time.
Who this is for: Entrepreneurs, coaches, service providers, and small business owners who know relationships matter for business growth but find traditional networking events draining, stale, or just not their style.
Written by: Emily Aborn, Small Business Copywriter Podcast Host of Small Business Casual, based in NH.
Fresh Ideas for Connecting with Others
Love it, loathe it, feel meh about it… networking is still a major component in growing a successful business.
It’s why I’m always encouraging my clients that they can’t just set it and forget it when it comes to their marketing and content – they also need to foster community, cultivate relationships, and MEET people.
In this episode (and blog synopsis), I give you four ways to network that are a little outta’ the box, a little fresher, and more unique. Wherever you fall on the introvert-extrovert spectrum, my desire is that you’ll feel inspired and equipped to get out there and make some new friends!
What Networking Really Is All About
Before we get into the fresh approaches, we should define what we’re actually talking about.
Networking is the process of building and nurturing professional or personal relationships with people who can provide support, opportunities, or knowledge. It involves connecting with others in a mutually beneficial way, through sharing information, resources, or introductions, and it can happen in person, online, or in the most casual of settings.
The key is that there’s a genuine purpose behind it and a focus on growth, together and individually.
Effective networking is built on trust, authenticity, and real interest in forming connections that lead somewhere meaningful over time.
Relationship-Building Matters.
When you’re building a business, relationships matter. You never know who you’ll meet and how they’ll change your life. Supportive partners, potential clients, friends, referral partners, collaborators, or someone you’ll hire for yourself…
The possibilities are endless. But you have to meet them to discover the opportunities that await!
Between you and me though, I’m kind of sick of traditional networking. It feels a little stale to me and uninspiring.
This year, because I was a little sick of the standard events, the typical go-around-the-room and introduce-yourself, I decided to think outside the box and try some creative ways to meet people instead of swapping business cards.
4 Fresh Approaches to Networking
1. Use collaboration as a networking tool
Most people think of networking as something that leads to collaboration… eventually. But collaboration can also be the networking itself!
When you guest on someone’s podcast, co-host an event, contribute a guest blog, or work on a project together, you’re building a relationship in real time, in a context where you’re immediately giving rather than just introducing yourself and hoping something comes of it.
Examples of networking through collaboration:
- Podcast guesting and hosting
- Co-hosting events or workshops
- Guest blogging
- Speaking engagements
- Joint projects.
Each one puts you in front of a new audience while simultaneously deepening a relationship with the person you’re collaborating with. It’s one of the highest-return networking strategies available.
2. Use social media more intentionally
Use social media as a space for conversation, rather than just a broadcasting tool.
The most underused form of social media networking happens in what some marketers call “dark social”: the messages, story replies, comments, and DMs that happen privately or semi-privately rather than in public feeds.
Responding thoughtfully to someone’s story, sending a genuine message when something resonates with you, being a consistent and generous contributor in a Facebook group rather than just posting your own links, all of this builds real relationships in ways that public posting often doesn’t.
The goal is to start conversations and then move them off social media entirely, into a phone call, a Zoom, a coffee, or an ongoing collaboration.
3. Try micro networking
If large networking events feel overwhelming or impersonal, micro networking might be exactly what you need.
Micro networking means gathering consistently with a small group of four to ten people around a shared interest, goal, or community. It could be a small mastermind, a local walking group, a book club, a business planning day with a few trusted peers, or a biweekly check-in with a handful of colleagues you genuinely enjoy.
The smaller the group, the deeper the conversations tend to go. There’s less pressure to perform and more space to be honest about where you are, what you need, and how you can help each other. Micro networking builds the kind of trust that larger events rarely have the time or structure to create.
4. Go deeper with the same people
One of the most powerful shifts you can make in your networking approach is to stop trying to meet as many new people as possible and start meeting the same people as often as possible.
Consistency builds trust in a way that a single coffee date simply can’t. When you connect repeatedly with the same people, over time, you learn how to help each other even more. You stay aware of what the other person is focused on, you build genuine rapport, and you create the kind of relationships where referrals and collaboration happen naturally rather than feeling transactional.
This looks like regular coffee dates, virtual check-ins, phone calls, or netwalking dates with a rotating group of people you genuinely want in your corner.
Bonus: Learn & Network at the Same Time
Some of the best networking happens in educational settings where everyone in the room is already connected by a shared interest or goal.
When you sign up for a workshop, a course, or a class, you’re automatically in a room with people who care about the same things you do. That instant connection point makes conversations easier, more natural, and more likely to go somewhere real.
This doesn’t have to be limited to business learning. A pottery class, a rock climbing session, a dance class, or a local seminar can all be genuinely great places to meet people you’d never encounter at a standard networking event.
Ready to get inspired and equipped for making new friends?
Inside this episode:
- Why relationships and making connections matters (now more than ever!)
- Why I like to think outta’ the box when it comes to “networking”
- How to use collaborations as a networking tool
- Why I LOVE podcast guesting (pro tip: I’m loving my experience with PodMatch!)
- Using social media creatively to connect with others
- Who makes a good fit for “micro networking” and how to apply it to your business
- It’s ok to connect repeatedly with the same people! Consistency can build deeper relationships.
- And more!
Resources Mentioned:
Andréa Jones Mindful Marketing episode on The Dark Social
Melissa Snow’s Powerful Women Rising episode on How to Let Other People Network Like Humans Too
Connect with ME!
Text Me!
Leave a Voicemail
Hi! I’m Emily Aborn, wife, auntie, sister, Copywriter, Speaker, and host of Small Business Casual (formerly Content with Character). When I’m not helping small business owners build community and relationship-based businesses, you can usually find me:
🥾 Adventuring in the woods with my husband Jason or my friends
🙋🏻♀️ Competing against the Jeopardy contestants (from the couch, of course!),
🛌 Or trying to sleep past 6am.
I’m glad you’re here and can’t WAIT to learn all about YOU!
Email: emily@emilyaborn.com
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LinkedIn
Substack (sheerly for FUN!)
FAQ: Creative Networking for Small Business Owners
Why is networking important for small business owners?
No amount of great content replaces the power of a genuine human relationship. Consider this:
- Clients refer people they know and trust.
- Collaborations happen between people who have actually met.
- Opportunities find you faster when more people know who you are and what you do.
Networking, done well, is one of the most sustainable and high-return growth strategies available to a small business owner because the relationships you build compound over time in ways that ads and algorithms simply don’t.
What is micro networking, and is it effective?
Micro networking is intentional, consistent, connection with a small group of people (4-10), around a shared interest, goal, or community.
It’s effective precisely because of its size! Smaller groups create space for deeper conversations, more honest sharing, and faster trust-building than larger events where everyone is performing for a crowd. If traditional networking events leave you feeling drained or like you never quite connect with anyone, micro-networking is worth trying.
How do I use social media for networking without just posting more content?
Focus on conversation rather than broadcast. Reply to people’s stories thoughtfully. Send genuine messages when something resonates with you. Ask questions in the comments. Be a consistent, generous contributor in communities and groups rather than just showing up to share your own links. The goal is to start real conversations and then, when the relationship feels ready, move it off social media entirely into a more direct form of connection.
Is it better to meet lots of new people or connect repeatedly with the same ones?
Both have value, but most entrepreneurs default to breadth when depth would serve them better. Meeting a lot of people quickly can build visibility and expand your network, but it rarely builds the kind of trust that leads to referrals, collaboration, and long-term support. Connecting repeatedly with the same people, genuinely and consistently over time, tends to produce stronger relationships and more meaningful opportunities. The sweet spot is a combination of both, with a deliberate investment in going deeper with the people who matter most.
How do I network if I’m an introvert?
Start with the formats that feel most natural to you. One-on-one coffee dates or virtual calls are far less draining than large group events for most introverts. Micro networking in small, intimate groups is another excellent option. Collaboration-based networking, like podcast guesting or guest blogging, lets you connect meaningfully with someone without the social pressure of a room full of strangers. And online networking through thoughtful messages and genuine engagement can be a powerful starting point before moving conversations into more personal settings.
