For many of us, fall signals the start of a new season of networking opportunities as we head to industry events, professional development workshops and conferences, or back to school.  The opportunity to connect with others and build solid relationships is better than ever, and more traditional in-person events are as fruitful as the digital world in providing us with more and different ways to connect.

It’s always been good practice to keep pace with your colleagues and competitors and the wisest of us choose to always keep our fingers on the pulse of the marketplace.  Being active in industry associations and professional groups continues to be an effective way to stay connected and share experiences with your peers, and lets you keep on top of buzz, trends and the players in your industry.  Face-to-face networking is still a very valuable way to meet new people, learn new things and promote yourself and your company.

Of course, it’s hard to ignore the explosion of LinkedIn, Facebook and other social networking sites continues to bring people together with unprecedented ease and efficacy, and provides an entirely new meeting ground for us to connect with each other on common issues and build solid, long-lasting relationships.  Today, gaining a follower on Twitter can be as valuable as grabbing a business card during an in-person event.

With so many opportunities it can seem a bit overwhelming, so how can you best manage your professional networks and networking?

• The best and smartest approach is to choose your targets wisely and dedicate a set amount of time each day, week or month to network, whether in person or online.
• Scan the events calendars of your local PR and marketing associations to see what events are of interest you to and would bring you the most benefit by attending.
• For any effort, ask yourself:  who will I meet, what will I learn?
• Make regular checks of events being hosted by companies who share your vertical – you never know what kind of webinar they might be offering.

Because many of these events are little or no cost, the payback is immeasurable.  Allocate sufficient time to ensure your profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn or other social sites are current, and best reflect your professional position.  Have you given a great presentation at work or had an article published?  Make sure that you provide as much information about yourself, your interests and your abilities as possible so that when folks come looking for you, they see the full picture.