People are filing in from all over the world to attend Dreamforce 2018 in San Francisco. In a few days, they’ll file out. In between lies a golden opportunity for sales and marketing professionals to make connections and start conversations that can change an entire course of business for the better.
Why Sales Events Are Perfect for Making Connections and Content
People expect to connect at sales events. When everyone dons a lanyard that displays their name, connecting is contextual. But sales events aren’t just an ideal occasion for meeting new people. They’re also ideal for strengthening existing relationships by creating content around the event. LinkedIn can help on both fronts.
Free LinkedIn Features to Use at Sales Events
The following LinkedIn features are available to everyone that has a LinkedIn profile, for free. Read on to see how you can take advantage of each, whether at Dreamforce 2018 or any other sales event on your calendar.
Use hashtags to join community discussions at #DF18
Hashtags are a fairly recent addition to LinkedIn and make it easier to find information and conversations on the platform. They also make it easier to meet new people and discover ideas within a given topic area, be it career or field related.
Typically, industry events will have an overarching hashtag. For Dreamforce this year, it’s #DF18. This is the main conversation thread for the event at large, which you should definitely consider contributing to. This is a great way for people in your field to find and follow you on LinkedIn.
Here are five ways you can leverage LinkedIn hashtags in your event-related content:
- In a personal status update
- In a Company Page update
- In the long-form content you publish on LinkedIn
- In your replies and comments
- In your video content
Keep an eye out for hashtags that align with your industry or the industries you serve, as these represent opportunities to discover niche conversations and connection opportunities. You can also create your own hashtag for the event, or run a campaign via an existing hashtag. For example, we’re running a contest through #DF18! More on that later.
Create low-cost video to capture key moments at #DF18
In case you haven’t heard, LinkedIn has gone all-in on B2B video. If you’re looking to spread your message at a sales event, know that 92% of mobile video consumers share videos with others.
Video is an ideal content format for sales events because there are so many timely opportunities to pull viewers into the experience and share your story. You can film excerpts of your presentation, showcase the experience at your sales booth, or film yourself recapping the last session.
Hesitant because you haven’t created video before and you’ve heard it’s expensive? Here are a few ideas for creating B2B video on a budget.
Use the new QR code feature to quickly connect in person at #DF18
The LinkedIn QR code feature makes it super easy to connect while the iron is hot. No need to carry a stack of business cards, ask people to spell their name, or hand them your device to verify that they've arrived at the correct profile. Just open the LinkedIn app and scan their QR code to connect and stay in touch.
The QR code feature is extremely easy to use:
- Just open your LinkedIn mobile app and look for the QR code symbol in the top right corner, to the left of your profile picture.
- Click into it and have your fellow conference attendee do the same.
- One of you will pull up your code, the other will pull up their scanner and scan that code.
- Viola! The scanner has now sent a connection request to the code bearer's LinkedIn.
Consider including your personal QR code on your company brochures, event materials, or even on your lanyard for quick and easy connecting on LinkedIn.
Create long-form content to establish thought leadership on #DF18 topics
You’ve got a story to tell, and sometimes it’s difficult to squeeze your entire narrative into a status update. By publishing your story as an article on LinkedIn, you can easily share your thought leadership content before, during, and after the event.
As an added bonus, when people check out your LinkedIn profile, they’ll see your most recent long-form post right near the top. Remember to take advantage of hashtags within the copy and comments to help insert your story into relevant conversations.
To publish an article on LinkedIn, simply navigate to the homepage & click on the “Write an article” button:
Attend LinkedIn’s Session and Enter Our Contest
If you'll be joining us at Dreamforce this year, consider stopping by to hear experts from LinkedIn and Salesforce discuss how our new integration can revolutionize your advertising and lead gen strategy. Here are the details:
- What: Using LinkedIn and Salesforce to Drive More Leads
- When: Wednesday, September 26, 1 PM
- Where: Palace Hotel, Gold Ballroom
It's easy to enter our “Get Closer to Greatness” contest
We’re also giving away prizes all week during Dreamforce! Follow these three easy steps for your chance to win:
It doesn’t matter whether you’re gearing up for your next session, making things happen on the event floor, or headbanging to Metallica. We want to hear all about your experience at #DF18! Please note our contest terms and conditions at the bottom of this page.
Use Sales Events to Get Closer to Your Clients and Prospects
For those ready to to take their LinkedIn sales conversations and connections to the next level, we invite you to check out our latest campaign, Get Closer. If you’re strolling through San Francisco this week, we’ve made it easy - the campaign will be all over in the form of billboards and building wraps.
This effort recognizes that there are three key components of the perfect sell. The modern salesperson must:
- Target the right people and companies, and fast
- Understand what’s happening with their leads and target accounts, including key changes
- Engage with clients contextually and insightfully
Whether you’re attending an event or drumming up business in your day-to-day, LinkedIn has a sales tool that is sure to help you accomplish all of the above with unprecedented efficiency.
Good luck, and we look forward to connecting with you at Dreamforce!
Whether you're looking to get closer to greatness or simply the right people to advance your sales career, learn more about LinkedIn's Sales Navigator tool here.
Contest terms and conditions
Your entry can be a video, a picture, or an update, as long as it’s original content and doesn't include a song in the background.You must have all rights necessary to submit the entry. This includes getting all necessary permissions from any person or company that has rights or appears in the entry. Check your settings to ensure your updates are visible to everyone on LinkedIn. Posts can be at any time during the week of Dreamforce week (9/25-9/28). Winners will be randomly selected and notified daily with an InMail from LinkedIn.Void where prohibited. Must be 18 or older. Employees of LinkedIn and their parent and affiliate companies as well as the immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of each such employee are not eligible. Sponsor reserves the right to reject any entry for any reason.
Topics: Events
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