The concept of 24x7 networking might seem a little farfetched. After all, you’re only one person, right? And you’re probably also a busy executive with a lot of responsibilities demanding your attention. So how does 24x7 networking fit into that picture?
 
First, let’s step back a bit. As you probably realize, networking has a lot of sides to it. Many people tend to think first of in-person (face-to-face) networking, such as you might do when you attend a variety of business-related events. That’s where the idea of 24x7 networking seems incredible. Obviously, you can’t be in more than one place at a time—at least, no one I’ve heard of has figured out a way to do that yet.
 
Besides time, another challenge associated with in-person networking is logistics, such as geographical distance and scheduling complexities. If you have the resources available, you might delegate some of your networking activities to others; however, it’s not easy to network effectively by proxy, as it were.
 
Let’s assume, then, that you’ve already maxed-out the face-to-face networking you can do, given your demanding schedule. If face-to-face is all the networking you do, you’ve used up your options. Chances are, you’re not satisfied with the results—the payoff for your efforts. So what else can you do?
 
You can become a 24x7 networker. Yes, it will take some effort and planning, but that’s probably one of the things that makes you good at what you do for a living.
 
Think of it this way. Companies need to be visible to customers and potential customers all the time if they want to continue generating revenue and profits. However, they don’t necessarily need or want to have employees “out there” 24x7, beating the drum for them. Their choice? They put systems in place to maintain visibility and communicate their value to prospective customers outside of business hours.
 
Small-business owners, for example, are frequently reminded that a good way to maintain constant visibility and generate passive revenue is to develop products they can sell from their website, even while they’re sleeping. That’s 24x7 networking, small-business style. In your case, 24x7 networking basically means devising means and methods to get yourself in front of the people you want to reach without always having to be physically present.
 
What are some of your options for doing that? Tried-and-true methods that still create an impact include the following:

• Publish a blog and/or write guest posts on other people’s blogs.
• Write articles that can be published and republished on a variety of websites.
• Become one of the featured sponsors of a charity event that draws positive attention. This might require some physical presence, but a lot can be done that doesn’t require you to be around—for example, you might record a short video that will be used widely by the charity in its publicity campaign.
• Contribute frequently to Q&A opportunities online in areas related to your expertise. Items that appear online—particularly in the “right” places—can have a very long shelf-life.
• Develop other collaborations that might require some physical involvement but can be maintained at a manageable level in terms of your schedule.

Unless you’ve suddenly become Superman or Wonder Woman, you probably can’t be everywhere and do everything you’d like to, but you can do 24x7 networking—your way—and make it work.