I’m delighted that in-person business networking is back! As an off-the-chart extravert and compulsive connector, it feels great to be seeing people face-to-face again.

My very first in-person business networking event since the pandemic started took place this week. I attended Women in Business, an offering of the West Metro Chamber of Commerce, my local chamber.

At this monthly program, geared toward women business owners, we have terrific speakers and plenty of time to mingle with each other. Each month we have a different sponsor, and this time Colorado Credit Union both sponsored and hosted the event.

Shauna Brazil, Director of Lending and Member Experience with the credit union, was our speaker. In her talk “Owning Your Financial Future,” Shauna shared practical changes we can make if we’ve gotten off track financially.

 

Preparing for an In-Person Networking Event

  • Check that you have a supply of business cards with you. Be sure to have extras in case there are more people at the event than you expected. Consider keeping a supply of business cards in the glove box or console of your car.
  • If a list of attendees is available, review it prior to the event. There might be someone coming you have been especially looking forward to seeing again. Or perhaps there’s someone new to you whom you are excited about meeting in person.
  • Find your name tag (if you have one) and bring it. Many events supply name tags to the attendees, but you can’t count on it. Plus, a customized name tag is designed just the way you want it.

 During an Event

  • Make a point to introduce people to each other. Whenever possible, introduce people to folks who you think they would benefit meeting. Doing this is especially important if someone tells you they are new to the area.
  • Have someone take a photo of you with the speaker or the event sponsor. By doing this, you can include that image with a blog post, as I’m doing with this post. Or you can include it with a regular post on Facebook or LinkedIn.

 

Following Up on Facebook and LinkedIn

  • When you write about the event on social media, tag selected attendees. On Facebook, you are limited to tagging only your Facebook friends. However, on LinkedIn, you can tag someone with whom you’re not connected, unless they prohibit that in their settings.
  • In addition, tag the entities involved in the event by referencing their Facebook business page or LinkedIn page.
  • Compliment those involved in organizing, hosting and sponsoring the event as well as any presenters. Use your LinkedIn and Facebook posts to make these compliments or consider writing a blog post like this one.
  • Include a link to the organization’s website. Make it easy for people reading your posts, especially those in your area, to find out more about the organization. They may want to attend future events like the one you are posting about.
  • Send LinkedIn invites to the attendees you especially resonated with. Include a personalized note about the conversation you had with them.
  • Add these individuals to your database. Doing this makes it easy for you to find their information later.

 

About Joyce

Joyce Feustel helps people, especially those age 55 and up, to become more effective using social media, especially LinkedIn and Facebook. She works with business owners, business development professionals, business consultants, job seekers, and more – ranging from entrepreneurs to people in large corporations. Find her at www.boomerssocialmediatutor.com.