What do LinkedIn and professional events have in common? They are the entry point to strategic networking. They bring people together often in ways that feel promising, sometimes even exciting. You meet new people, exchange business ideas, and expand your network. For many professionals, especially those stepping into new levels of responsibility, this visibility feels like progress. However, over time, a more important question begins to surface: what is all this networking actually leading to? Why Networking Alone Isn’t Enough You see, it is possible to connect with the right people, have good conversations, and still see very little come from it. Not because the interactions are meaningless, but because they are not always developed beyond the moment they happen. In fact, I was reminded of this two years ago at the Customer Service Innovation Conference. I met Peace Obi there – but our connection did not start at the event. We had first connected through Bright Okere’s masterclass. At the time, it was a simple interaction, the kind that happens often on LinkedIn or in learning spaces. And it could easily have remained there. But when I was invited to moderate a panel at the conference and realized it aligned with her field, I shared the registration link with her. She attended. Like you might have guessed, the interaction was different when we finally met in person. This is because there was already context, relevance, and a sense of continuity. We had moved from a simple connection to becoming something more intentional. That moment was a reminder that networking, on its own, is only the starting point. The real value comes from how you build on the connection. If networking is the starting point, then the question becomes: what does success actually look like? The Power of Strategic Networking For most professionals, the goal is not simply to have more conversations or accumulate more connections. It is to see those connections translate into something meaningful like collaborations, mentorship, partnerships, or even career progression. However, these outcomes rarely come from one-off interactions. They are the result of relationships that are developed with intention over time. This is where the distinction between networking and strategic networking becomes important. You can think of it this way: networking creates access. It introduces you to people, ideas, and spaces you might not have encountered otherwise. But access alone does not guarantee results. Results come from how intentionally you build and nurture the relationship after the initial connection. This is strategic networking. This is what turns a LinkedIn interaction into a professional relationship.It is what turns a brief conversation at an event into an ongoing exchange.And it is what creates the conditions for real opportunities to emerge. The Key is Intentionality, Not More Networking In practice, this does not require doing more. It requires being more deliberate in how you engage. Rather than approaching networking as a series of disconnected moments, the focus shifts to building strategic relationships – connections that are relevant, mutually beneficial, and developed with clarity of purpose. To become better at strategic networking, it helps to have a simple way to think about your actions after the initial connection is made. One approach I have found useful is what I call the 3 moves of strategic networking. These three moves are simple, but when applied consistently, they change the quality of your networking results – both online and offline. They shift your focus from “who did I meet?” to “what did I build?” The 3 Moves of Strategic Networking 1. Notice Opportunities Most networking interactions end at the surface level. In a bid to increase our number of connections or people we slip our business cards to, we often miss the opportunities inherent in these interactions. To increase your networking ROI, you have to pay closer attention to: This applies whether you are engaging on LinkedIn or meeting someone at an event. On LinkedIn, this might look like going beyond a post to notice patterns in what someone consistently talks about, what they are building, or what they might need. At events, it could be picking up on what someone shares in conversation like their interests, challenges, or goals. This is what allows you to move from a generic interaction to a relevant one. Without this step, networking remains broad and often forgettable. But with it, you begin to see clear entry points for building something more meaningful with the people you meet. 2. Act with Value Noticing alone is not enough. The next step is to do something with what you have observed. In my case, it was simple: I saw that the conference aligned with Peace’s field, and I shared the opportunity with her. That single action of sharing the link to the conference webpage shifted the relationship. It moved us from a passive connection to an active, relevant interaction. As you can see, acting with value does not have to be complex. It can look like: Keep in mind, what matters is not the size of the action, but the intention behind it. When people begin to associate you with relevance and usefulness, the dynamic changes. You are no longer just someone they met; you become someone worth staying connected to. 3. Strengthen the Relationship Having mutually recognised that you’re both worth staying connected to, it’s time to strengthen the relationship. To improve your networking results, the relationship has to be developed beyond the initial connection or value exchange. I’m talking about consistently acting with value here. Not in a forced or transactional way, but through continued, relevant engagement over time.   Strengthening the relationship can take different forms: following up after an event or interaction, checking in when something relevant comes up, continuing conversations over time or creating opportunities to engage again, either online or offline. This is what turns an ordinary networking into something more sustainable. Over time, these repeated, intentional interactions create familiarity, trust, and openness to future opportunities. Building Professional Relationships That Actually Work