Fortune in the FOLLOW UP!

Now that you have had your networking event and it seems like it was a success, it's time to keep in touch and make the most of those new contacts. You may have a range of different goals in mind but staying in contact and keeping your brand visible to your attendees, could pay off largely through time.

There are individuals you met at your event that you will be doing business with almost immediately. However, there are the majority of the attendees and keeping those people in your network is smart business. Doing so, is merely expanding your resources.

This can be likened to the practice of not letting opportunities slip away. You can never guaranteed that profitable results will come from simply keeping in touch but the following can help to increase those chances, if those possibilities exist;

Thank them for attending.

At the very least and while the event is still fresh in their minds, they should receive an e-mail thanking them for coming. It doesn't have to be a simple "thank you". It can be a thank you with extras. You can include free admission to your next event or you can offer something directly from your business like a coupon.

Ask for input.

A great way to ensure that your future events improve with time, is to ask for honest input and opinions about the event. Not everyone will respond but those who do can provide valuable information that will enable you to hold better events. Yes, you can offer prizes or incentives for them giving you input.

Display photos from the event in e-mail.

Hopefully, you either hired a professional photographer or had a decent camera at the event to take pictures as business networking was occurring. People really enjoy seeing pictures as they reminisce on a good experience. Including them in your follow-up e-mail will score you points.

Make individual phone calls.

Depending on how many people actually attended, it is a good idea to physically follow up via phone call. If you cannot reach a person, you can leave a voice mail thanking them for coming and even asking for their input. You can also set up meetings if that is part of your agenda.

Request to add them to your e-mail list or to become a connection/friend online.

If you are looking to grow your e-mail list of contacts, it is polite to ask your attendees if you can continue to e-mail them about future events. Automatically adding them to your list can initiate resentment if they were not looking for this. Also, you can send them a friend or contact request from your online social networks. Most will accept.

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John H. Lee (JohnTheNetworker) is a Lead Generation Specialist, Host, and Consultant, of professional and social events in the Greater Philadelphia Area, Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

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