Some genuine business enhancing information courtesy of Garr Reynolds

The particular part of this great article that I found extremely relevant to the networking that you do is

(3) Communicating your brand

“If you’re not appearing, you’re disappearing,” said legendary jazz musician, Art Blakey.

Absolutely true. No matter what your “thing” is –  engineer, marketing exec, or French Literature professor, whatever! –  standing on the merits of your great work alone is not (usually) enough.

• People have got to know about you and your great work. 
• They have got to meet you, see you.
• If you want people to talk about the wonderful things you do, then you must give them the opportunity to experience you.
• This means attending networking meetings (both social and professional) and getting involved in external organizations in your field.
• But do not limit your involvement only to organizations in your direct field.

Some of the best contacts may come from quite unexpected places, but you will never know unless you get out there and mix it up.

Introduction to Garr Reynold’s article…..

Brand You
Coke-a-cola has an estimated brand equity value of over $67 billion, making Coke the number one brand in the world. Amazing for a company that sells sugar and water in a can. But there is actually a brand with a higher brand value than Coke. What is it? Stand up and look in the mirror — the greatest brand in the world is YOU.

Why personal branding?
If you don’t brand yourself, you can rest assured that others are branding you. And letting others brand you can be risky business. Instead, we should have control, as much as we can, in determining our reputation, our image, and the intangibles, the ephemerals, and the perceptions and ideas that other people have about us. Here’s a partial list of what personal branding can do for you:

Full article from Garr Reynolds