What is the main purpose of a business association? Professional cooperation, having a voice in the related activity area, social advantages…All of these are true. But, we all agree that networking opportunity is one of the most important motivations to become a member of a business association.
Running a business association means having a network management process. If you still manage your database manually or use standalone tools for communication, payment, and event organization processes; you probably know how exhaustive it can be.
Actually, all you need are the right tools. Let’s take a closer look at the tricks of an effective network management and how Raklet can help you along the way.
Effective Network Management
To understand the role of a business association, we can use the distinction between strong ties and weak ties, as explained by Granovetter. Weak ties, for example, can be our contacts on LinkedIn. They are there and we can communicate with them if it is necessary, but usually we don’t do it. In contrast, strong ties are the ties we have with our friends, or family members etc.
Granovetter reminds us that, to get information about latest news, ideas or new job opportunities, our weak ties are crucial. That is because our strong ties are probably also aware of similar things that we are. So, if we are surrounded only with our strong ties, it is possible that we run around in circles. But for collaboration opportunities, we might need a little more than the weak ties in our LinkedIn pages.
Effective network management situates itself between these two extreme points. As a result, we can say that the most important job of a business association is to provide an environment for building these strong ties.
How to Create Stronger Ties with Raklet
Consistency of Communication
As you know, the density of acquaintanceship is important to get stronger ties. And this density requires consistent communication. Raklet gives the opportunity to classify your contacts by the criteria that you define. You can manage your audience by tags, lists, or custom filters. You can send them individual or bulk emails & SMS about the issues that really interest them. Moreover, you can make it in a durable manner with the insights related to your audience.
Private Social Network
Through Raklet’s private social network, your members can communicate with each other without issue. Let’s say that an association member searches for help for the marketing process of its new product. All they have to do is to directly contact the related association member. And it’s that easy!
Using Raklet, strengthening the bonds between your members and creating new business opportunities is not difficult. Your members can consistently communicate through discussion boards, engage with likes and comments, and send private messages to each other. They can also look through your job board, and apply to positions that interest them. Keeping your relationships and opportunities within your community can help your organization greatly.
Event Organization
The best way of making ties stronger is connecting through events. By giving the opportunity to new acquaintanceships, they allow for creating collaborations, sharing ideas, networking, and bonding. It’s a great way to strengthen relationships among your community, especially if these events are catered to your organization’s needs.
Our all-in-one software Raklet allows you to organize your events in the easiest way. You can create your events, announce them, collect RSVP, and keep track of your attendees — all from one place. These events can be online or face-to-face, ticketed or free.
Raklet is with you during every phase of your network management process. Because the success of your business association depends on how much it allows networking.
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