Networking isn’t just about meeting like-minded professionals, publicizing your services as a freelancer, or making friends—it’s a fundamental aspect of raising awareness of your business or brand, finding investors and partners to help get your ideas off the ground, and connecting with prospective clients or recruiters in your field or sector.
In short, networking is massively valuable for anybody launching their own business, starting up or expanding as a freelancer, or looking for highly paid marketing jobs, where who you know is almost as valuable as what you know.
London has long been a hub for networking, with amazing venues, sector and industry-specific events, and meetups designed for niche attendees, such as young professionals, those working in a particular space, and, indeed, for marketers keen to get ahead.
Strolling into a networking event, especially as a first-time attendee, can be nerve-wracking, but making sure you’re spending time in the right places and with the right people is step one to maximizing the opportunities networking will bring your way.
Let’s look at the significance of networking as a digital marketing professional, the potential advantages of spending a small proportion of your time networking, and some of the best events to prioritize within your busy schedule.
Benefits of Networking in London: Useful Investment or Waste of Time?
Qualifications, experience, a strong track record, and fantastic knowledge are all essential attributes for digital marketers – but standing out, getting noticed, and attracting new clients can feel like an uphill battle, particularly in the crowded and uber-competitive London market.
One key element of networking is the chance to speak one-on-one with other marketers, business owners, creatives, and professionals who are otherwise pretty difficult to reach. This is done in a space and time where they can stop and chat without the usual pressure of office life.
Networking is primarily about establishing contacts, but many of the best networking events in London provide additional advantages. You can give a quick talk or presentation about what you do, attend workshops and educational sessions, or listen to advice and information from the best in the business.
Importantly, networking puts a face to a name – vitally important if you’re reliant on drumming up business as an independent or freelance digital marketer – or establishing a reputation as a credible, known, and approachable marketer when it comes time to apply for digital marketing vacancies.
While your first networking event can feel daunting, once you have two or three under your belt, you’ll be able to approach these professional events with confidence and make more and more connections, some of which may be immediately useful and others that can form part of your contact network as and when the need arises.
For less experienced digital marketers, networking is also an opportunity to work on your conversational and sales techniques in a non-pressured place.
You’ll be among fellow professionals and can finesse how you introduce yourself and find common ground, a skill that is hugely influential when ‘selling’ yourself, your skills, or your agency as a digital marketer.
Choosing Great London-Based Networking Groups
There are two primary types of networking you might be interested in or that will be more relevant to the types of connections you’d like to establish:
- Networking events might be one-offs or hosted every quarter or so. They can be hosted in variable venues, although normally organized by the same host or organization, with or without a sector or industry focus.
- Networking groups meet regularly, usually in the same event venue, giving you more time to get to know contacts and welcome new members to the group.
It’s worth testing the waters with a few different types of networking groups, including those specific to digital marketing and those with a wide scope, depending on your objectives and why you believe networking may be valuable to your career.
For instance, if you attend solely digital marketing networking events, you’ll meet those in the digital marketing world, including freelancers, copywriters, technicians, and others you might want to work with or outsource aspects of your work to.
However, if your main goal is to find an employer, client, or agency that may wish to utilize your skills, it’s better to opt for networking groups outside of the niche since these are the business representatives, owners, and brands who will ultimately be interested in paying for your services.
Defining Networking Success
Now, if you’ve attended a handful of networking events and haven’t come away with much more than a few business cards, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re ‘not good’ at networking or that the events you’ve been to were a waste of time.
There are hundreds of potential ways to meet contacts, establish yourself, and find mentors, investors, professionals, and clients. For instance, you may have previous colleagues, friends, or past acquaintances who would value digital marketing expertise or could use online tools like LinkedIn to connect with local business owners.
Great networking isn’t the same as selling, and you won’t always find that the other professionals at an event have a direct need for digital marketing.
The marker of success is that you’ve gotten your name better known, have shared contact details, and ideally have followed up on that with a friendly, brief email or message to ensure you’ve established your communications should you wish to follow up.
Essentially, networking means introducing yourself to people with whom you may have something mutually beneficial to offer, although that could be within a few weeks or some time down the line.
For entrepreneurs and digital marketing startups, the core target might be to find investment, but there’s no telling who you may meet and have an informal chat with, who moves in the same circles as a key investor, or who might feel inclined to mention you in passing with somebody else—thus widening your network and tapping into dialogues that could be to your advantage.
Great London Networking Events for Aspiring and Entrepreneurial Digital Marketers
Some of the household name brands you know and love first become big due to networking and their ability to share an idea or spark with other people – alongside investment, hours of hard work, and strategic planning to create and grow a brand or business idea.
While you might handpick specific events that resonate with your objectives or choose to attend as many as you comfortably can within your calendar, we’ve highlighted a few of the best to illustrate the breadth of the events, networking opportunities, and venues out there.
1. Rookie Hustler: For Entrepreneurs 20-35
This networking group hosts events across London, bringing together young entrepreneurs or those planning to launch their own businesses between the ages of 20 and 35. Meetups are normally in bars or other informal settings, where everyone is welcome—no suits required.
Rookie Hustler’s events carry a small fee, typically with tickets sold via Eventbrite, although there are no subs or costs to becoming a member, and you can turn up to as many or as few events as you’d like to attend.
Learn more about Rookie Hustler
2. London Entrepreneurs Network: A Large Networking Group for All Entrepreneurs
Another networking group with regular events, London Entrepreneurs Network (LEN), is one of the biggest, with 30,000+ members, from newbie entrepreneurs to those who have become well-established.
Some events are based around pure networking, but many offer training, round-table discussions, access to mentors, and ‘elevator pitch’ spaces. The aim is to level the playing field and provide those new to business with parity about how their brands are valued for investment.
Learn more about London Entrepreneurs Network
3. Startup Grind: For Creators and Founders Throughout London
Our next recommendation is Startup Grind, a global networking group with frequent events in London – although with a presence in 600 cities throughout 150 countries. It welcomes creators, startups, founders, and innovators to come together, swap contacts and create connections.
Monthly events range from social mixers, ‘fireside chats’, educational presentations, and specific events for certain age groups, sectors, and niches, with an emphasis on innovation and collective growth.
Learn more about Startup Grind
4. Business Networking and Growth: For Business Advice and Pitches in Shoreditch
Aimed at SME owners, entrepreneurs, and freelancers, the Business Networking and Growth group regularly meets in Shoreditch at the Looking Glass Cocktail Club, where you can build relationships, discuss issues and problems, and access advice.
New members can present a one-minute pitch, exchange business cards, and attend every week if they wish. Members can also attend free online events that provide additional insights, such as the tax aspects of setting up as a self-employed professional.
Learn more about Business Networking and Growth
London Networking Events Specifically for Marketers
While we’ve touched on why industry-specific networking isn’t the only place to make important contacts, if you’re new to digital marketing or have just completed your qualifications, you may be interested in attending events solely for those in the marketing field.
In that case, we’d suggest The Marketing Meetup, the largest London-based marketing group that hosts varied networking events alongside conferences and guest speakers who share the latest trends and technologies that may be of interest.
All are welcome, from experienced marketers, and those working in-house for brands, to freelancers, as an active group that holds virtual as well as in-person meetings for members who find it tricky to carve out a gap in their diaries.
London Networking Events for Underrepresented Groups
As one of the world’s most diverse and multicultural cities, London is an ideal place for digital marketers or aspiring freelancers from marginalized or underrepresented groups who would love to meet other professionals from a similar background.
1. Black Girls in Tech: For Black Female Tech Professionals
This networking group is intended to provide a welcoming space for women working in a field that remains predominantly filled with white men. The community is active, nurturing, and supportive, and it is open to Black women who might already be working in tech or pursuing a tech-related career.
Joining BGIT could be a great way to meet and connect with other women if you happen to be a female marketer or to learn from the resources, learning, and community-based initiatives to educate yourself about the barriers to entry and success that exist – and how powerful connections can open doors that might have seemed firmly closed.
Learn more about Black Girls in Tech
2. Muslamic Makers: For Muslim People in the Tech Industry
Another superb networking group, Muslamic Makers, is based in London and has been running since 2016. It also focuses on the tough technology space and provides events, mentorship, programs, and scholarships to help aspiring tech pros and those with existing careers level up.
As a safe space, these events are all about collaboration, sharing ideas, and helping specialists, creatives, and programmers network together – perfect for digital marketers who feel they would fit into this uplifting community.
Learn more about Muslamic Makers
Relevant Career Advice for Aspiring and Current Digital Marketers in London
We appreciate that the pace and competition ever-present in London can make it tricky to form connections. Still, many digital marketers can establish themselves in this environment with the right networking opportunities, while those seeking to launch themselves as freelancers or find amazing digital marketing jobs in London make those all-important personal connections.
For more career advice, access to the latest job vacancies, and to position yourself in front of recruiters, companies, and agencies hiring now, feel free to register your resume with the Digital Marketing Jobs or tap into our vast knowledge hub and resource library for more advice.
