Given the ever-changing current climate of the business world, networking is among one of the most important tools in an arsenal. Good, old-fashioned, in-person networking is probably the most effective method of prospecting and making new business contacts. Nothing compares to directly interacting with someone and having the opportunity to collect vital information and promote your company.

Whether networking is a walk in the park or the scariest experience imaginable, the list below will help to improve your networking skills.

1. You have to be in it to win it: start accepting those invitations.

2. Be prepared: Always carry business cards with you. Additionally, carry a pen and paper so you can write down the contact information of people who do not have their cards.

3. Go alone: As tempting as it is to take a friend or co-worker, try to go solo. You will be more apt to start conversations instead of huddling on the sidelines with your pals.

4. Expect to do the approaching: People are generally shy so you should take the leap and introduce yourself. Remember, no one is going to look at you like you have two heads: You’re at a networking event where people expect to be spoken to by other professionals.

5. Make the most of the opportunity: Ask questions, listen carefully to answers, and respond appropriately. In other words, have a conversation.

6. But know when to end it: You’re not writing a bio on the person, so keep it to 5 minutes, maximum.

7. Always exchange business cards or contact information. Again, this is expected but people tend to forget so its up to you to ask.

8. Make it easy for people: Don’t say something like, “email me with your other questions tomorrow.” No mater how engaged you are with them in person, they might forget when they are out of the moment. Instead, you tell them you will contact them.

9. Always do what you say you are going to do: If you say you will call/e-mail/send a brochure/give them the number of your dentist – do it.

10. Keep in touch: Add them to your contact list. Note how you met them. Drop them a note every few months. Staying in contact with the people you meet is how you expand your circle of contacts and you never know when someone in that circle will need you or Kellen Company.

Networking works! But you must utilize your time well and be sure to follow up and keep the relationship active.

It's no secret that online video is booming. Just like social networking sites, businesses and associations are utilizing online video to connect with and engage their audience.

Even if you have limited resources and many reasons why you think online video may not work for you, there are many ways in which you can use online video to your advantage, despite limited resources.

This is the Web. You don't need pockets of money to do impressive things. You don't even need the best video equipment. In fact, do-it-yourself video can be perfectly suited to your organization. It's relatable and it's friendly. While your competitors are trying to sell with text on their barely functional Web site, you can establish yourself as an organization that gets it. Using video allows you to speak directly to your audience, looking right at them and using your real voice to tell them why you're the best at what you do and how you can help them. It's the difference between picking a name out of a phone book or calling up a friend.

One of the easiest ways to do an online video piece is to create informative "how to" content and video tutorials. Take all the questions you get from members or customers and turn the answers into video content for your Web site. It's a powerful differentiator that will set you apart and make you even more useful to your customers.

But that's not all it will do!

At a Google Searchology event in Mountain View, CA, Google's VP of Search Products & User Experience informed audience members that Universal Search results are present in one out of four Google searches. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, Universal Search was a change to Google’s algorithm that put media content like blogs, video, images, news, etc., in with a regular Web search.

That statistic is important because it means if someone does a search for "how to" [insert your company's content here], the video that you created and uploaded to YouTube may begin to rank very competitively, gaining your organization a considerable amount of traffic and links that will help you rank in local search. And if the searcher lives in your area, then you can be pretty sure they're going to contact you for services. Because now they know you; they know your name, they know what you look like, and they've heard you explain to them in a friendly tone all the benefits of using your organization. That's how you differentiate yourself from all the other "me too" companies out there.

If you’ve never considered using video to connect with customers and help your site rank in Google's local search, give online video a try – it may open your eyes to a whole new way to increase your search engine rankings, while also connecting with your audience in an intimate way.