Connect And Conquer: Here’s How To Leverage LinkedIn Before and After Networking Events

Networking presents invaluable opportunities to expand connections, build rapport, and establish relationships that advance professional goals. 

Events can cover an array of contexts, from large-scale industry conferences like SXSW (South by Southwest) and professional association meetings like NABJ (National Association of Black Journalists) to career expos, after-hours mixers, and business seminars. Whether preparing for an internal employee resource group meeting or reconnecting with a contact from an alumni tailgate event, leveraging LinkedIn before and after networking events can significantly enhance those efforts. 

LinkedIn offers a powerful platform for nurturing and developing professional relationships beyond face-to-face interactions. With its extensive user base and features, the online community facilitates ongoing engagement on a global scale. To maximize your next networking experience, ESSENCE gathered tips from influential voices in career networking on LinkedIn.

Before You Go, Polish Your Profile 

Before heading to your next conference, take a moment to spruce up your LinkedIn profile. “LinkedIn is a social network, but it is a professional network first,” advises LinkedIn Career Expert and Senior Director of Communications Andrew McCaskill. Ensure your headline is engaging and your summary reflects your current skills, experiences, and career objectives. McCaskill also emphasizes the importance of a polished profile picture, stating that “first impressions are important.” Including a photo can make your profile 21 times more likely to attract clicks. 

What constitutes a good professional image varies by career, but as a rule of thumb, McCaskill says to consider what you’d wear to a job interview. “Avoid using selfies taken on the beach as your profile picture unless you’re a surf instructor,” he shared in a coaching vignette for NBCU Academy. A well-crafted LinkedIn profile not only leaves a positive impression but also increases your chances of connecting with professionals who share your interests at the event.

Map Out Your Networking Plan

Before the event, carefully review the agenda to pinpoint attendees and speakers across different sessions. Determine which rooms, seminars, and mixers align with your networking goals. Craft a list of potential contacts and customize your preparation accordingly, prioritizing engagement with those who match your objectives.

Utilize LinkedIn to explore the profiles of confirmed attendees, noting their professional backgrounds, interests, and any mutual connections. This info will help you pinpoint individuals to connect with during the event. Take the initiative to send personalized connection requests beforehand, highlighting shared interests, mutual connections, or the upcoming event to establish rapport in advance.

Bring Your Virtual Business Card: Leveraging LinkedIn’s QR Code Feature

At the event, leverage LinkedIn’s QR code feature to streamline the process of connecting with new contacts you meet face-to-face. You can easily exchange contact information by scanning their QR code or allowing them to scan yours. This seamless interaction facilitates instant connection, ensuring you can stay in touch and nurture your professional relationships beyond the event.

Cultivate Reciprocal Connections

Successful networking is a give-and-take. It’s not solely about what you can gain from others but also about what you can offer in return. When attending networking events, I try to focus as much on identifying people I can help or amplify as I am on seeking out individuals who can support me. Actively seeking opportunities to offer assistance or support to others while pursuing potential connections that may benefit oneself fosters a culture of reciprocity and collaboration within the networking community. 

Embracing the principles of give-and-take extends beyond live events. By applying the same mindset to LinkedIn, professionals can build a network of supportive colleagues committed to each other’s growth and advancement. Whether providing advice, making introductions, or sharing relevant articles or job opportunities, contributing value to others strengthens the online community. By embracing the principles of give-and-take on LinkedIn, you can cultivate a network of supportive and collaborative professionals who are invested in each other’s success before, during, and after the networking event.

Embrace Your True Self When Networking On-and-Offline

Establishing connections with internal C-suite executives and external power brokers can be paralyzing, and expanding robust networks causes some to self-censor what they post and express online. It’s a dilemma that Madison Butler, owner/founder of the Blue Haired Unicorn consulting agency, relates. “For a long time, I spent a lot of time analyzing what I wrote and how I wrote it because I was so concerned about how people would feel about it,” she shared in a community post on LinkedIn Guide to Creating. 

However, policing one’s personality and views often has a countering effect. Authenticity plays a significant role in building meaningful connections and sustainable career opportunities that align with your values and identity. If an employer is turned off by your values, it’s actually helpful in weeding out opportunities that wouldn’t suit you in the long term. Butler, who also serves as Chief Experience Officer at GRAV, eventually embraced a more genuine approach to moderating LinkedIn content.”Stop caring about what other people think,” she advised. “If I could give myself any advice, it would be to write content that resonates with me.”

Continuing Connections: Post-Event Follow-Up

Following up after the event is essential to maintain and strengthen your established connections. Firstly, sending personalized follow-up messages to the contacts you connected with on LinkedIn is paramount. Reference your conversation at the event, express gratitude for meeting them, and suggest the next steps for collaboration or staying in touch. Secondly, sharing event highlights on LinkedIn demonstrates your engagement and contributes to ongoing discussions. Whether it’s insights, takeaways, or event photos, sharing them and tagging other attendees or speakers extends the conversation and showcases your active participation in your professional network. Lastly, consider requesting recommendations or endorsements from attendees you interacted with significantly. This reinforces your professional relationship and enhances your credibility within your industry network.

Leveraging these strategies can maximize the benefits of networking events, extending their impact beyond face-to-face interactions. Successful networking on LinkedIn is not just about what you can gain but also about what you can offer in return.