6 Ways to Follow Up with tons of contacts after a big event (Gala, conference, tradeshow)
I went to the Black Star Awards Gala last night, where I connected with some very smart people that I would love to connect with in the future.
For collaborations.
Conversation.
Friendship.
But after a big night, it can be overwhelming to follow up. Here is the system I use.
1/6 Connect on LinkedIn at the event
You can scan your own LinkedIn QR code. Or scan theirs.
If their email address isn’t there
- Use the chrome extension “Rocket Reach” to find their most recently used email
- Use LinkedIn sales navigator
- Ask a friend in common to connect you
2/6 Share a specific detail from your conversation in the follow-up
- Reference a specific detail from a conversation, about their child, about their vacation.
- Bill Clinton would write down children’s names and details on the back of a business card.
- Actively listen at the event.
3/6 What if they shared a business card?
Most business cards feature a QR code on them now
- Use your camera to scan the code
- Add the person to “contacts”
- Send an email sharing what you loved about the event and why you wish to connect further
4/6 Write a social media post about the event
Share photos, videos, or blog posts recapping the event
- Tag your contacts who were present or featured.
- Send them a direct message with a link to the content
5/6 Schedule follow-up meetings
Especially, if there were potential collaboration or business opportunities discussed during the gala
- Reference them in the email
- Be specific about what you connected on
6/6 Provide value or resources
In coming days, share articles, whitepapers, or books that may benefit your contacts.
- I proactively spend 30 minutes each day, reading newsletters, newspapers, magazines
- I keep a running list of articles in my Notion.so so I can easily cut and paste or send
- I like to use a tool called “Feedly” to program in a keyword that relates to a prospect. It sends me a daily digest of articles on a specific topic, culled from magazines, newspapers, trade papers. I can save them in my Pocket app and share them as I find them interesting.
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