Taxes are done. I never like this time of the year because it’s a double hit. File (and finish paying) for 2025 taxes, and pay my quarterly estimated taxes for 2026. Ah, life as a solo entrepreneur. Paying out all that money has a good effect, too. It pushes me to do more marketing. (BTW, anyone need help with a strategy, coaching, or some content? :-)

I’d love it if you could forward this email to a friend who's in business and interested in content to help their marketing. I would appreciate it. And if you’re that friend? Subscribe today.

— Ann Gynn

🟩 ATTRACT → 🟧 convert → ⬜ retain → ⬛ amplify

Q: I go to plenty of networking events and send LinkedIn invites every month. All I have to show for it is a pile of business cards and a longer connection list. What am I doing wrong? Does networking actually lead to anything?

A: Networking — online or in person — is a lot like using social media for marketing. A lot of entrepreneurs treat it as transactional. Meet someone, and they buy from you. Rinse and repeat. Sure, most may not buy, but it’s just a numbers game.

Successful entrepreneurs treat networking as a relationship-building strategy. The first encounter kicks off the relationship. You won’t build a relationship with everyone you meet, but you can be proactive to keep the conversation going.

So, treat the business card or an accepted LinkedIn invite as the permission to have real conversations. Then, make yourself useful and relevant.

If you’ve connected in person, send a follow-up email to let them know it was nice to meet. If possible, personalize the note by mentioning something from the conversation. It lets them know you know who they are — that you didn’t just pick up the pile of cards and send out generic follow-ups. You can also drop something about yourself to help them remember who you are.

Then share an article, offer to make an introduction, or answer a question that arose during your conversation. But don’t use that follow-up communication to sell. If they need your services, they will reply to share that or investigate you and your brand further by visiting your website or social channels (just be sure they’re noted in your signature).

Also, connect with them on LinkedIn. Their LinkedIn profile could present more shared avenues or contacts that you can reference later. Did you have the same alma mater? Do they know one of your clients? Does their work history reveal a commonality?

If it’s a digital-only connection, you can do a couple of things to cultivate a conversation. When I accept a LinkedIn invite, I always send a message thanking them for the invitation and ask, “What’s keeping you busy these days?” That question works well for all situations because it doesn’t assume anything except that they’re active. 

About half the time, the person answers the question and explains a little about what they’re doing. Of that group, about three-fourths ask me what’s keeping me busy. That opens the door to talk a little about what I’m doing in my business. But here’s the caveat: Don’t give an elevator pitch or try to sell. Share a few sentences about what you’re actually doing that week or a link to a special project you recently did.

I like LinkedIn messages because they let me track what I’ve shared, what the connection has discussed, etc.

Continue the relationship. Comment or like their posts. Do that selectively and periodically, because liking every post makes you look inauthentic.

Every month or quarter, send an email with something relevant. It could be an article of interest to them, a client referral, or an invitation to coffee. If you see they won an award or were quoted in a publication, acknowledge it. (In the old days, an insurance agent whom I met would mail copies of articles in which his contacts were mentioned, with a brief note like, “Congrats! Thought you might like an extra copy.”)

The medium may have changed, but the goal is the same: Build relationships and keep in touch so that when they need the service or product you offer, you will be top of mind. A connection list is just potential. What you do after the connection determines whether it ever becomes anything more.

Got a question you’d like me to answer in a future edition of The Hotline? Call or text Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.

This week: Pick three people from your connections you haven't talked to in months. Send each a short message this week — not to pitch, just to check in. A simple "What's keeping you busy these days?" counts.

I asked Claude to help me put together a syllabus for a new coaching program. I attached the Marketing By One logo and the proposed scope I sent to my client. It created a full syllabus with section headers, a welcome message, and contact info and designed it within my brand colors. I spent about 10 minutes tweaking the messaging and adding my contact info before sending it to the new coaching cohort members.

Have any AI tricks of your own? Hit reply, call, or text the Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.

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Got a question you’d like me to answer in The Hotline? Email me or DM me on LinkedIn. Even better: Text or leave a message on the Marketing By One Hotline: +1.440.661.3984.