Came across a good article today in the latest issue of Law Practice Today, by  John Remsen, Jr. of the Remsen Group, titled What is the Best Way to Catch New Clients? Find Their Associations and Get Actively Involved.

In addition to the great tips John offers, I’d like to add a digital networking twist and offer a few ideas on how to network within those same Associations over the web:

1. LinkedIn Your Close Contacts - As you get involved in an Association’s operations, use the exposure to map your contacts with a professional networking tool like LinkedIn.  LinkedIn displays a digital CV for each of its users, shows your business contacts, and then displays each of their business contacts — but unlike the Kevin Bacon game, only includes 3 degrees of separation. LinkedIn’s membership includes executives from all Fortune 500 companies, and is used by more than 12 million business people around the world. It’s a great tool to expand one’s digital horizon.
    
2. Identify Bloggers- More business and industry bloggers are coming online everyday. If you’re also a blogger, one of the strongest digital connections you can make is to use your blog as a networking tool.  Do some Google sleuthing on your Association’s name, and see who is linking into the Association website, or blogging within the membership.  Read, comment, write about, and link to their blog. Then make contact and consider adding them to your blogroll. Want to get close to someone online? There’s no closer relationship than getting into one’s inner circle of blog-to-blog networking. 
    
3. Write for the Association - This works offline as well, but adding your expertise to an Association’s online newsletter, or an article on the website will create long term marketing collateral. And unlike the paper equivalent, articles on an Association website are rarely taken down unless the author requests it (so watch those time sensitive topics…).  Association websites also offer a stamp of approval for your content, and quality links back to your firm website - which can pass that site trust element that Google values within the search rankings.   
    
4. Community Portals- Now here’s one for the future. You can expect many Association websites to go Web 2.0 very shortly, offering blogs to the entire membership, wikis, in-site mail systems, and link exchange opportunities to show what you’re reading. These community portals are going to offer a great opportunity to build online profile in a very focused way.  If you write a new article, you’ll be able to alert the Association’s membership by posting a link. If you discover a new legal issue that effects the industry, you can survey the community and get feedback before launching a new service offering. Community portal style websites will offer greater access to a targeted niche audience, and an opportunity to get involved and contribute on a wider scale. Watch for it! And don’t be afraid to be an early adopter on this one.