Conferences and tradeshows provide the perfect opportunity to network with thought leaders and others within your industry. But when the dust settles after a conference, it can be difficult to stay connected and develop these meaningful relationships . Whether you’re a veteran tradeshow attendee or are a first time conference goer, here are 4 ways to cultivate connections made after a tradeshow or conference.
Be timely (but not too timely).
If you’ve attended a large conference, think back to the people you met. You probably couldn’t name every single person you met but what you probably know is that it was a sizeable group of people. Sending a follow up email to your new connections too soon after a conference could increase your chances of being forgotten but waiting too long could have a similar effect. A great tip from Forbes is to send that person a quick LinkedIn request. It’s a quick networking win and serves as a great initial touchpoint for following up.
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Send a personalized email with a call to action.
For a more in-depth approach to the post-tradeshow follow-up, send a personalized email to each and every connection you made a few days after the conference. (Pro-tip: write notes down on the back of each business card so you can remember key points from your conversation.) We’ve all experienced an overflowing inbox, post-tradeshow or conference so to avoid your follow-up email inadvertently being deleted, wait a few days post-show.
As an added layer of effectiveness to your follow-up, Hubspot suggests your email should have a goal in mind, whether it’s to stay connected by meeting to talk one on one, collaborate on an overlapping project, or to offer a helpful resource, like a blog post or eBook. Be sure to mention in the email something you and your connection discussed (per our previously mentioned pro tip) and create a call to action to garner on a response.
Pro Tip: Your follow up emails, should ALWAYS have a goal in mind.
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Introduce other connections to each other.
Building community within your industry is as easy as taking advantage of a post-tradeshow networking opportunity. Is there anything better than connecting two people with the intention of making each other more successful as a result of them meeting? Post-con offers a great opportunity to do just that. Say you separately met an event planner and a venue representative, both based in Los Angeles. What a great opportunity you’ve afforded the planner an opportunity to discover a new venue to plan their events in but created an opportunity for revenue for the venue. Offer each person separately to make the connection then pull the trigger on the intro email.
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When in doubt, do the business card shuffle.
Tossing business cards after you’ve initially reached out might make your desk a bit more uncluttered but keeping them could serve a valuable purpose a la the business card shuffle. Lifehack suggests taking a few business cards from tradeshows past and ping a few of those connections. It lets the other person know that you’re still out there and gives you another shot at re-opening the lines of communication between that person and re-visit potential business collaborations or opportunities.
In what ways do you stay connected and keep your relationships alive? Let us know. Send us a tweet @SocialTables to keep the conversation going.
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The post How to Stay Connected After a Tradeshow appeared first on The Social Tables Blog.