We all know that a social media presence is a great way to build and expand your professional network beyond the people you see everyday. I have found that building a social following takes both online communication and face to face networking.

It's just human nature to want to connect with people you know. Although social media has allowed me to connect with marketing professionals internationally, I find that my strongest connections are right here in Central Texas. Through focused networking events I connect with other professionals in person and then immediately follow up with them on Twitter. I like to learn about businesses in Austin and I am really interested in how others are using inbound marketing to grow their businesses.

Next time you attend a professional luncheon or other business networking event think about how you will continue the conversation online. Make sure to add your social share information on your business card. 

Another way to connect through networking events is to share content to your followers during the event. Most presenters will now create a unique Twitter hashtag for each event. 

If you hear content that will be a benefit to your followers, tweet during the presentation and use hashtags so that your tweets are searchable after the event. This helps the presenter understand what content was the most useful to his or her audience. It's also a good way to help others find you and follow you post event. The same applies to help you find new people to follow and begin a connection.

We use the hashtag #JaxSocial for our presentations and you can create a unique hastag for your company's content for your next public presentation.

For more tips see our post Twelve Tips to Inbound Marketing Success in 2012 and for our favorite networking events see ATX Events Now Playing at Venue Near You.

Want to learn more? We offer a free 30 minute social media consultation.