So you’ve just come home after an amazing live event. You feel inspired, motivated, and eager to put into action the principles you learned. Your mind is racing a million miles an hour and you wonder how you are going to harness all of this energy you now have.
Looking through your notes, the handouts, and the pile of business cards you collected from all the people you met, you wonder where you should start. What will you do with all this stuff? Will you actually use it or will it end up in a box or drawer somewhere, taking up space in your already crowded closets or garage?
I have a suggestion.
While conversations and detailed memories are still fresh in your mind, now is the perfect time to reach out through social media channels to all the people you talked to during the course of the event. Regardless of whether you met only one person or 100, the hours just after the event are the best time to send quick “Nice to meet you” messages on Facebook. Mention something you talked about with each person, let them know what you liked or appreciated about them, and let them know you look forward to getting to know them better moving forward.
Doing this accomplishes several things.
First, it reinforces in your brain that what you have just done has meaning.
Second, it shows others you are a sincere and genuine person who enjoys and respects other people. When it comes to building your personal brand and spreading the word about who you are and what you are about, it’s hard to beat reaching out to others and letting them know meeting them mattered to you.
Finally, it builds your network. You never know how you may be able to help someone you meet at an event down the road or how that same someone may be able to help you.
There’s no denying we live in a social media world. Connections we make in person can be carried over to places online like Facebook and Twitter. The goal isn’t to have the most friends nor followers, but to have meaningful, purposeful connections with the people who we like, trust, and want to get to know better.
Putting into practice the art of networking is more than just collecting a lot of business cards, pamphlets, and brochures. It’s about letting others know what meeting them means to you and why being “friends” can be mutually beneficial.
Take some time today to extend an invitation to become friends with someone you met at the last live event you attended. Be sincere in your interest in them, and again, make the request about them and what they do. Doing this will add even more value to what you took away from the speakers and the workshops, and may open doors you haven’t even dreamed exist down the road.
What do you do to build your network? How do live events play into this? Do you have a story about how connecting with someone at a live event changed your life? Share your thoughts and stories here!
I get inspired, motivated and all. But even before I start acting upon this. I just get back to what I was before.
Hey Mary Lou,
Awesome points you’ve covered here.
I must admit prior to Social Media, I let countless numbers of amazing new connections gather dust after an event. I’d initially make time to have coffee etc and then when life became busy, slowly the connection was lost due to not making the time. It’s so much easier now! What I really love, is that many of the sites allow you to create groups which are just perfect for staying abreast of new connections you want to nurture.
Thanks for the timely reminder Mary Lou as there are some people I’ve met offline, I haven’t checked in with on Facebook for a while!
Hi Michaele, A few months ago, I was cleaning out my office and came across an old billfold filled with business cards I had collected way back in the early 1990’s! Looking at those cards, I thought about how these days, I immediately extend a Facebook friendship connection with people I meet professionally before filing the cards in my “bowl.” (I never use those card organizers anymore LOL.)
The trick is like you said — staying in touch with those connections periodically, and not letting them collect dust inside a shoebox or in a pile on your desk. You never know what could come of it, right? 🙂