Professional social networking is the basic purpose of LinkedIn, it’s all about building connections with peers, prospects, colleagues, talent and recruiters. We’ve described ways to grow your professional network on LinkedIn in one of our previous articles.
Best way to use LinkedIn for establishing and maintaining business relationships is to combine it with real-life networking efforts.
Business events, such as seminars and conferences, workshops, trade fairs, product launches, etc., are a great opportunity for using LinkedIn in a complementary way to traditional in-person networking.
Here are some tips on how to use LinkedIn to amplify your networking success before, during, and after the event.
Before the event
- Update and “polish” your LinkedIn profile.
Your profile should convey your personality and your professional skills and expertise. The three most visible aspects of your profile are your profile image, headline, and summary. Your profile image should be recognizable, current and professional. An interesting, custom headline can gather more attention than a generic one. The summary section lets you tell your story in an original, memorable way.
Check if your cover and profile images adhere to the LinkedIn recommended image sizes, which can oftentimes change. Make sure your photos appear properly both on the desktop and mobile LinkedIn app.
It’s recommended that you also customize your public URL; having your first and last name in the URL looks much more elegant and memorable than the “clumsy” default string of random numbers and characters. You can do that by clicking on the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage, then on View profile (underneath your name) and then selecting Edit your public profile & URL. Here you can also see how your profile appears to viewers who aren’t signed in.
- Research other guests and attendees.
There will most likely be plenty of relevant people from your industry at the event, and probably not enough time to meet and connect with all of them. Preparing ahead helps you make the most out of it. Do a quick background research on the guests, speakers and organizations that you know will be attending the event. That way, you’ll know who you wish to establish contact with, and the insight into their background and possible shared connections will help you get the conversation going.
- Join group discussions.
When it comes to bigger or recurring events, it is likely that they have their own LinkedIn group pages. If not, other groups related to the event might exist. Join the discussion; engage with those who post and comment, and make your own contribution by commenting and asking questions. This is a great way to start building the relationship even before the event, and lets you use your time at the event in a more focused way.
You can also already send connection requests to people you’re interested in meeting at the event, inviting them to meet you there and talk.
- Post an update on your LinkedIn profile that you’ll be attending the event, to notify others you will be available to meet there. Don’t forget to use the events’ designated hashtag or handle for greater visibility.
During the event
- It’s more likely people will accept your invitation to connect when you just met them in person, so whenever you can, use the LinkedIn mobile app to connect on the spot. If you don’t have the mobile app yet, here are instructions on how to download it.
- Search for the people you’ve met and got a business card from, but hadn’t had the chance to connect with. Send them a personalized invitation, referencing the event or any discussion you might had during the event. You should do that as soon as possible, while you are still fresh in their memory.
After the event
- Search for the people you’ve met and got a business card from, but hadn’t had the chance to connect with. Send them a personalized invitation, referencing the event or any discussion you might had during the event. You should do that as soon as possible, while you are still fresh in their memory.