Communications tips to maximize your conference investment

Last year I downloaded several scheduling and communications apps in advance of the conference. I experimented with digital business cards apps and I had a lot of fun, but I didn’t find the new discovery that would eliminate business cards or make scheduling at South By any easier. My conclusion after all of that experimenting is that the best way for me to connect before during and after the conference is with the social media networks that I use everyday. 

Before the conference I connected with other attendees through LinkedIn groups and Twitter. Now that I am at event I try to connect with new friends through Twitter as part of our conversation. Or I go check out their company Facebook page while we are talking and try to learn a little more about the person and their company. Can we do business in the future? How can I help them with their social media efforts? What can I learn from their marketing? 

This conference is so big and there is so much to do. You might not get into that popular session because of the crowds and you have to be fluid and move on to the next thing. Be in the moment and make the conference work for you. This is again social media in the moment. Hop on Twitter or 4Square and see what your friends are doing. Quickly check the South By mobile app for a session you can pop into if you miss your first choice, I do find the official scheduling and social app useful.

Once you find that session that has relevance to your business, how do you connect with others during and after the presentation? I find Twitter to be the best way to further engage in the conversation.

One of the better sessions I attended this week was B2B Social Media with Kipp Bodnar of HubSpot and Jeffrey Cohen of Radian6. Here is an example tweet that I sent during the session. This tweet was retweeted and helped me make new connections.

#sxb2bsm 60% of the sales cycle is complete before a sales person is contacted.

— Kelly Jackson (@kellyjaxzen) March 11, 2012

You can also search on a session hashtag after the event and join the conversation post event. Here's a sample search #sxb2bsm. This shows me other people who were interested in the session and their comments. You simply input the hashtag into the Twitter search bar to get results.

Post event sync back up with new connections via the same networks and e-mail when appropriate. This is how I manage SXSW, but these tips apply for any major conference you may attend. A couple of other networks to check out are Pinterest and Instagram for photos and image sharing among conference attendees.

Face to face networking supports your inbound marketing plan. Got social media questions?