10 Valuable Ways to Support Your Business Network

1. Forward relevant articles. Forwarding one or two articles or links is all that you should do here unless you get feedback asking for more of them. Don't annoy someone by sending tons of stuff forever. One or two well chosen articles should do nicely. Audio and video clips are included in this. Don't spam your network. Target specific individuals with things they will find valuable.

2. Mention the person in a blog post or article you are writing. It is a good idea to run it by the person first although not always necessary if you are mentioning something that is already in the public domain. A positive brief mention will likely go over nicely.

3. Give individuals a tip that they can use for their business. It should be specific to something they do. Maybe you noticed something on the website or see someplace where some brief feedback could be helpful. Be careful to not give "advice" where they don't want it. And avoid coming across as being overly critical.

4. Introduce someone to a prospective alliance partner. This can be a prospective client or someone the person can work with in some capacity. This is a common and traditional way to help someone.

5. Give someone a relevant book. Don't badger someone into reading it or become offended if it ends up sitting on a credenza for several months unread. It is also a good idea to let them pass it on to someone else who might find it more interesting. Don't confuse this with loaning someone a book where there is an expectation of getting it back. That can become embarrassing if the book is lost, damaged or forgotten.

6. Forward someone a useful template. This works especially well if you are well organized and have a collection of useful templates. Examples include business planning, GTD tools, checklists, marketing resources, etc. Depending on who you are sending it to, you might first need to call to set it up.

7. Give someone a testimonial. If suitable, you could give something for your associate's website, book, etc. The converse also works in some circumstances. This is where you put his or her blurb on your site, book, etc.

8. Sponsor or volunteer for their organization or group. This is a great way of supporting the person without being too direct about it. You can easily vary the level of support depending on your time and interests.

9. Write a helpful article for a publication or blog. Maybe you are in a position to feature the person in a publication or blog you regularly write for. Rather than just a brief mention, this would be more of a feature that might involve you interviewing the person for your piece. Including the person in a speech you are giving also fits in here.

10. Invite someone to a relevant business event (either just invite or pay for them). Some might consider a hockey or football game a relevant business event. In any case, sending invitations or tickets should be done based on his or her preferences and interests. Check schedules and availabilities before sending stuff out. Also make it easy for the person to politely decline your offer in case it doesn't fit.