“Visibility = Profitability If people can’t find you, they can’t buy from you.”
Key Takeaway
- Conferences and LinkedIn Create a Powerful Combination
Pairing LinkedIn with conferences amplifies your visibility and turns fleeting in-person interactions into long-term professional relationships. By sharing your presence and insights online, you position yourself as a thought leader while maximizing the ROI of your conference experience. - Strategic LinkedIn Use Before, During, and After Conferences
Optimize your LinkedIn profile, create pre-event buzz, and actively network during the conference using posts and connections. After the event, follow up with personalized messages and repurpose key takeaways into impactful content, ensuring long-term engagement. - Tools and Tactics to Boost Engagement
Use LinkedIn’s features like QR codes and voice memos to simplify networking. Leverage tools like Canva and scheduling platforms to share professional-looking updates and maintain a consistent online presence, even during busy events.
Table of Contents
Visibility equals profitability. If people can’t find you, they can’t buy from you. Conferences offer an unmatched opportunity to stand out, connect with industry peers, and grow your professional brand. But how do you make sure the impact of those connections lasts beyond the event?
The answer is LinkedIn.
Pairing LinkedIn with conferences creates a winning formula. It turns fleeting conversations into long-term relationships, magnifies your influence, and solidifies your presence as a thought leader. This isn’t just about attending conferences—it’s about making every handshake, every session, and every introduction count.
In this guide, we’ll explore how LinkedIn can amplify your conference experience and elevate your personal brand to new heights. Whether you’re a seasoned conference-goer or attending your first event, these strategies will help you maximize your impact.
Why Combining Conferences with LinkedIn Creates a Winning Formula
Reflecting on my early LinkedIn journey, I’ll admit conferences used to overwhelm me. I would walk into bustling venues with one goal: to make meaningful connections that could lead to future opportunities. But standing out felt impossible—how do you shine when you’re one in a crowd of hundreds?
That’s when I realized I was missing a key tool: LinkedIn.
By integrating LinkedIn into my conference strategy, I was able to take fleeting conversations and transform them into meaningful, long-term professional relationships. Suddenly, conferences weren’t just about business cards and handshakes. They became platforms to amplify my voice, build my reputation, and showcase my expertise.
Here’s why LinkedIn is a game-changer for conferences:
- Extend Your Reach: Share your participation with a global audience.
- Build Relationships: Follow up and deepen connections with ease.
- Amplify Your Voice: Share valuable takeaways and insights, positioning yourself as an industry thought leader.
LinkedIn transforms conferences from one-off events into launchpads for growth, learning, and visibility. Let’s break down how to use LinkedIn at every stage of your conference journey.
Step 1: Preparing Your LinkedIn Presence Before the Conference
Preparation is everything. By optimizing your LinkedIn profile and creating pre-conference buzz, you can make an impact before you even walk through the doors.
- Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
Your LinkedIn profile is often the first impression people get of you—make it count.
- Headline: Update your headline to highlight your expertise and conference role or attendance. For example, “Helping SaaS Startups Scale | Speaker at [Conference Name].”
- Banner Image: Refresh your LinkedIn banner to reflect your niche, your personal branding, or even a value statement like “Helping Companies Save 30% on Costs Through Sustainable Solutions.”
- About Section: Polish this section to clearly articulate your value proposition. What do you do, and who do you help? A compelling About section can entice attendees to connect with you before the event.
Pro Tip: Use LinkedIn’s “Name Pronunciation” feature creatively by announcing your attendance. For example, “Excited to attend [Conference Name]! Find me at Booth #14.”
- Announce Your Attendance
Creating pre-conference buzz can help you establish connections before you even arrive.
- Make a Post: Share your excitement, tag the event, and use the conference’s official hashtags.
- Highlight What You’re Excited About: Mention specific sessions, speakers, or learning opportunities that you’re looking forward to.
- Promote Your Presence: If you’re a speaker, create a post detailing your session topic and inviting others to attend.
Example Post:
“I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be attending [Conference]!
I’m particularly looking forward to [specific session/speaker].
Let’s connect if you’ll be there—find me at Booth #14 or reach out here on LinkedIn!”
- Leverage Your LinkedIn QR Code
Make it easy for people to connect with you by saving your LinkedIn QR code to your phone’s lock screen. It’s like having a digital business card, and it eliminates the hassle of fumbling for paper cards or looking someone up manually.
Here is a FREE download we created for you; make a copy, add your unique QR, and save this to your phone as a screen saver for next time you are at a tradeshow or conference.
[The Borden Group] Free QR Code Template
Step 2: Networking in Real-Time – Using LinkedIn During the Conference
Conferences are fast-paced, and opportunities for networking can fly by. Using LinkedIn in real-time helps you stay on top of connections and keep your presence active.
- Post Live Updates
Sharing updates during the event keeps your network engaged and shows your enthusiasm.
- Post key takeaways from sessions or panels.
- Share standout quotes from speakers and tag them.
- Upload photos or short videos showcasing the energy of the event.
Example Post:
“Incredible insight from [Speaker Name] at [Conference]!
‘The future of our industry is collaboration, not competition.’
Excited to apply these learnings in my work. #ConferenceHashtag”
- Reinforce Connections with Attendees
When you meet someone, don’t let the connection stop there.
- Send a quick, personalized LinkedIn message referencing your conversation.
- Use LinkedIn’s voice memo feature to add a personal touch.
- Create Video Content
Short videos showcasing highlights from the conference can be engaging and memorable. Record clips from panels, capture networking moments, or create quick recaps to share with your audience.
Step 3: Leveraging LinkedIn After the Conference
The real magic happens in the follow-up. Once the conference ends, use LinkedIn to turn your efforts into lasting results.
- Post-Event Recap
Reflect on your experience with a thoughtful post.
- Share what you learned, who you met, and how the event inspired you.
- Tag speakers, connections, and companies to keep the conversation going.
Example Post:
“What an amazing experience at [Conference]!
My top takeaway: [insight].
Grateful to have met [tag new connections] and learned from [tag speakers].
Excited to see how these insights shape my next steps!”
- Deepen New Connections
A personalized follow-up message can make all the difference. Suggest scheduling a virtual coffee chat or exploring ways to collaborate.
- Repurpose Your Learnings
Extend your conference ROI by repurposing your takeaways into content:
- Write a LinkedIn article summarizing your learnings.
- Create a carousel post highlighting the most impactful insights.
- Share visuals or infographics for additional engagement.
Make LinkedIn Your Conference Superpower
Conferences are brimming with opportunities, but without a clear strategy, you risk missing out. By combining the power of LinkedIn with your conference experience, you can amplify your impact, foster lasting relationships, and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.
What LinkedIn strategies have worked best for you at conferences? Share your tips in the comments—we’d love to learn from you!
The Tools You Need to Supercharge Your Conference Strategy
- LinkedIn QR Code Generator: Simplifies connection-building.
- Canva: Great for creating visual LinkedIn assets.
- Scheduling Tools: Tools like Agorapulse ensure your posts go live even when you’re busy
Want to learn more about this topic? Make sure to follow Melanie Borden and The Borden Group on LinkedIn™.
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