Grand Island Marketing Firm Shares Networking Know-how

When a sizable portion of the planet is but a Google search away and everyone you speak with on a regular basis is plugged into Facebook and Twitter feeds, keeping a physical list of contact information or a stack of business cards can sometimes feel superfluous. But when it comes to building a solid networking infrastructure, it’s often those technologies the snobbish among us are quick to label “so last decade” that end up being most useful.

“Don’t be so quick to count out old-fashioned communication,” said John Moorhead, founder of the Grand-Island-based John Moorhead Marketing Group. “Networking today is different than it was back when I first started, back when it was all about collecting business cards and phone numbers. But I constantly kept that list of contacts in my phone, and when I started building JMMG, that’s how I reached out to people. Make sure to never burn a bridge if at all possible.”

For the past three years, Moorhead’s been growing his consulting firm into a coast-to-coast enterprise, working with clients in New York one week and collaborating with actors out Los Angeles way (including helping Drew Carey with a direct marketing project) the next. JMMG is also hoping to roll out Travel and Gather — a social networking tool that allows vacationers to broadcast their location, in case friends or family members happen to be serendipitously travelling through the same area — sometime in the next 12 to 24 months.

A contributing member of four startups to date, Moorhead builds his operation around solid networking acumen, the ability to make sure the right people from Column A get in touch with the right people from Column B. He’s worked with companies composed of only two members, and those boasting rosters 10,000 times that.

“JMMG started as a small thing, me just doing some professional favors for people I knew, and it expanded into me taking on other roles,” Moorhead said. “I’m not a designer; I’m not a web guy; I’m experienced in technology, but I wouldn’t call myself a developer. Instead, I network out and have a freelance staff take care of what needs to get done.”

And in line with his previous advice — that sometimes old tech is the best tech — Moorhead’s comprehensive approach to networking has allowed him to appeal to entrepreneurs who haven’t yet taken the online plunge.

“When you get out west of Lincoln, the idea of an entrepreneur can change pretty quickly – in the city, it’s about what’s cool, it’s about what’s 2.0, things like that,” Moorhead said. “Whereas out here, one of my clients is an eye doctor. He has several business ventures, he’s a strong, savvy entrepreneur, but he’s rarely online.”

However, Moorhead acknowledged emerging technology’s pivotal role in the modern marketplace, suggesting entrepreneurs try to find a balance between old and new.

“Naturally, every company is going to have to adapt,” he said. “Regardless of what you’re selling, most people have to travel every so often, and you have to get used to having technology that travels with you. If your company is still using desktop computers, I think that tells you something. Business today all but requires a laptop or cellphone – being able to get work done wherever.”

“In the past 12 months, I have been trying to network on a local level here in the Tri-Cities,” he added. “The biggest thing for people in central Nebraska is trying to collectively network and come up with a game plan. Not to compete with Omaha, but right now, we’re split as community, and I think there’s a real need to organize.”