3 Social Media Strategies to Make the Most of Every Conference. “I’d love to get in front of those businesses that have some kind of financing who are just starting to think about selling in the near future.” The new law partner knew that he wouldn’t get a lot of opportunities to run into these kind of business leaders, since they weren’t the types to go to the monthly Chamber of Commerce mixers. Here’s how to use social media to make the most of those networking opportunities: Before the conference: The speakers at industry conferences are great resources with whom to connect. Since almost every speaker list is made public before a conference, there’s no reason to wait until the conference to connect with these influencers. Research conference speakers on social media, connect with them on LinkedIn (send a note providing context, of course), and then start posting about those speakers on your channels. (Obviously, this is in addition to introducing yourself to the people you researched and connected with ahead of time.) It will help you remember who you met and when — let’s face it, a week after a conference it’s hard to distinguishing the people you talked to and what the conversations were — and it will be useful for conference follow-up. This is a great time to post those photos you took with the people you met, especially on LinkedIn (because of its business-focused nature). Used strategically, social media can help you maximize the time and effort you put into growing your network, and will provide you with influence long after the in-person meetings. How will you make the most of your next conference?
One of my early clients when I started doing social media consulting was a lawyer in Phoenix who concentrated on helping businesses work through mergers and acquisitions. We met up when I was in town for a conference.
“Now that I’ve made partner, I need to make it rain,” he told me. “I’d love to get in front of those businesses that have some kind of financing who are just starting to think about selling in the near future.”
The new law partner knew that he wouldn’t get a lot of opportunities to run into these kind of business leaders, since they weren’t the types to go to the monthly Chamber of Commerce mixers. He needed to make good on his once-a-year interactions with these entrepreneurs at industry conferences.
The advice I gave him is the advice I give to anyone who doesn’t want to be just another face at a conference: Use social media to distinguish yourself before, during and after the conference.
Here’s how to use social media to make the most of those networking opportunities:
- Before the conference:
The speakers at industry conferences are great resources with whom to connect. But if you wait until after a speaker gives her talk, you’ll probably have to wait in a long line to introduce yourself. Since almost every speaker list is made public before a conference, there’s no reason to wait until the conference to connect with these influencers.
Research conference speakers on social media, connect with them on LinkedIn (send a note providing context, of course), and then start posting about those speakers on your channels. Tag them, like them, and promote them to your audiences. Those speakers will notice, and they may even seek you out at the conference. At the very least, they’ll be more likely to recognize your name.
If you’re someone who likes to prepare for conferences by doing some research on the attendees and speakers so you…
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