6 Tips to Make Networking Events More Beneficial

Bryan Elliott of Linked OC.com recently penned this article that I believe can be helpful in our networking efforts. You can email Bryan at Bryan@linkedoc.com.

"With all the great events coming up I thought I'd put together a list that might be helpful:

Top 6 Tips To Make Attending Events Worth It:

If you're like me you've been to a bunch of networking events, seminars and business conferences. Some are good and some have been really bad, right? I'm not going to focus on the bad stuff, but suffice to say I created Linked Orange County because I couldn't find what I was looking for out there. Now, we're far from perfect and there's lots of room for improvement, but we are trying to do things differently and have great events that actually mean something to you and produce the results you're looking for. Here are 6 tips that might make the difference:

1. Do-- Attend the Event. I know this sounds silly, but actually showing up is important. I'm know success has never been determined by "best intentions." Remember Wayne Gretzky: "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Keep in mind attending is only about 50% of the equation. But do save event dates in advance and make attending a priority.

Why?
a. Because successful people do what others are not willing to do. If you have a product or service, your competition is probably at our events and making the most of it. Looking for a job? You have competition too--just saying...
b. Because meeting someone at one of our events can help you accomplish your business goals like: getting new customers, finding a new job, finding a supplier/vendor etc. This probably far outweighs the investment of time and money you spend to attend an event. "Be there before the sale."

2. Do-- Have a Goal. Having a goal is the same as having a strategy. It answers the question: Why-- What's the point of this? Ex. Do you want to find 1 new client? Do you want to be a sponsor to reach our members and get the word out about your product or service? Is there 1 person on your must-meet list who you know will attend that could help you find a new job? Once you know WHY, you can start planning WHAT--the tactics or what you'll do to accomplish your goal when you're at the event.

3. Do-- Your Homework. Also common sense, but how many of you are really using our group on Linkedin to its full potential? My guess is almost none of you... And BTW, this has nothing to do with continual useless promotional posts on our Discussion Board. How is asking me to buy your stuff a discussion?

How about this...How many of you have taken me up on my offer to publish your blog on our group website www.LinkedOC.com? Could you use an addition 8-10k unique visitors a month to your website or blog? This is for you, not me.

Examples:
a. Being part of Linked Orange County's Linkedin group let's you view member profiles, work history, recommendations and more. You can do keyword searches based on any criteria you want. For example, if you're looking to connect with someone who has "digital media" experience or is "VP of Marketing" at an upcoming event, all you have to do is put in the keywords and see who comes up. Make a list of people you'd like to meet at the event and seek them out when you get there.

b.Linkedin gives you a limited amount of free "In Mail" to make connections. After you exhaust those you have to pay. But members who belong to the same group can send as many messages to each other free of charge. So what if you made a list of group members you wanted to meet based on your biz goals? Before an upcoming event you could send them a message like, "Hi Julie, we're both members of Linked Orange County and I see you're in commercial real estate. I have a friend who's looking for some office space.. If you're attending the next meet up on Oct. 12th it would be great to meet you..." or something like that. Do your homework and come prepared to the event with a plan.

c. Come prepared to ask questions. You've got expert Chris Brogan here for 1 night only next week. There will be a Q&A after his presentation or you'll get some personal time with him if you get a VIP ticket...

4. Do-- Bring a Camera, Video and Take Notes Do you write a blog? Need content that will drive visitors to your site? Content and context is king. Our events are filled with some of the best talent in Orange County from whom you could get great stuff to write about. And what about our speakers and or expert panelists? On Oct. 12th we'll have bestselling author Chris Brogan who also happens to have the #2 ranked marketing blog in the world. This could be an opportunity for content that would fuel several future blog posts and spur visitor traffic. Post pics or a write-up to your blog, Facebook, Twitter to get a conversation going or whatever.

5. Don't-- Pass Out Business Cards To Every Person. It's generally not a good idea to measure the success of an event by the number of business cards you collect by the end of the night. What would you do with all of these anyway, wall paper your bathroom? If you get someone's card and send them a blind email, or worse your Newsletter, they will usually delete it. You should get to know someone a little and IF there's a match, exchange cards. A match could include people in one of 3 categories: 1.) I can help this person. 2.) This person can help me. 3). I know someone who can help this person.

6. Do-- Break Out of Your Comfort Zone. It's fun to be social and talk with the people you know and like--and if they are part of your plan to be successful, then keep it up. Just remember the reason you're attending. Don't you hate that awkward feeling of wanting to break into what looks like an interesting group--but you don't because they obviously ALL know each other? Or you're just too shy to try and meet anyone? Being quiet and introverted limits your opportunities. You might consider bringing a friend or two of your own to events to be your wing man. But in either case, remember your goal and get it done! Seize the day. Make it happen! "