Nicole Williams, Connection Director of LinkedIn, attributes this behavior to a woman’s tendency to shy away from networking because of how they associate it with “schmoozing or doling out business cards.” Williams notes that professional networking is, in fact, about building relationships before you need them.
However, there are few instances where women are better networkers. According to the article, these instances are:
– alternative dispute resolution
– tobacco
– alternative medicine
– ranching
– international trade and development
Meanwhile, when it comes to the following, men are the better networkers.
– medical practice
– hospital and health care
– cosmetics
– law enforcement
– capital marketers
The article also notes that the report indicated this behavior is global in nature, except in India where women are considered better professional networkers than their male counterparts.
Does this mean that women are not effective as social media marketers? Not really. As the article suggests, it only means that women “have other criteria for what they want to accomplish in the social and social-business spaces.”
