How can you use research to position yourself as a valuable networker?

1 Identify your niche

Before you start researching, you need to have a clear idea of what kind of networker you want to be and who you want to attract. What are your areas of expertise, passion, and curiosity? What are the problems, challenges, and trends that you can address or contribute to? What are the goals, values, and aspirations that you share with your potential contacts? By answering these questions, you can narrow down your niche and focus your research on topics that are relevant, interesting, and valuable to you and your network.

3 Analyze and synthesize

Researching is not enough if you want to position yourself as a valuable networker. You also need to analyze and synthesize the information you gather and turn it into actionable and useful insights for yourself and your contacts. You can do this by asking yourself questions, such as: What are the main points, arguments, and evidence in the sources? How do they relate to each other and to your niche? What are the gaps, contradictions, and opportunities in the sources? How can you apply, improve, or challenge the sources? By doing this, you can develop your critical thinking and creativity skills and create original and meaningful content for your network.

4 Share and engage

The final step is to share and engage with your network using the insights you have gained from your research. You can do this by creating and distributing content, such as articles, videos, podcasts, infographics, or presentations, that showcase your expertise, passion, and value in your niche. You can also do this by joining and initiating conversations, such as comments, messages, calls, or meetings, that demonstrate your interest, curiosity, and generosity in your niche. By doing this, you can establish your credibility, visibility, and rapport with your network and attract more opportunities for collaboration, learning, and growth.