Mobile World Congress Americas in Las Vegas is quickly approaching, and this is THE place to be in the world of mobile technology. Dubbed North America’s largest connectivity event, you’ll want to make the most of the time, energy and financial resources you’re investing to be there.
A strong social media campaign leading up to your trip is a great way to maximize your presence while there by helping you get a jump on building relationships with prospective clients before the conference even begins.
Here are five ways to leverage LinkedIn to build relationships prior to the show.
1. Update your business and executive profiles. If all goes well, hundreds of new potential clients will be checking you out on LinkedIn, and you want them to see you at your best. Make sure you have updated your business profile with the latest projects, publications and achievements.
Take a fresh look at your company description, and make sure it accurately reflects your current branding priorities. Have your senior executives do the same thing to their personal pages. An up-to-date LinkedIn page is mandatory if you want to be taken seriously in the marketplace.
2. Post links to your latest announcements, blog posts and other relevant content on LinkedIn as updates. If you tag them appropriately and make sure to post publicly, they will be visible to anyone who uses the platform.
You can also publish content directly onto LinkedIn’s internal blog platform. It’s a great way to build brand awareness for your business with original content. You can post updates and blogs either as an individual or as a company. Sharing content this way will help you gain visibility with potential clients and business partners prior to any kind of direct outreach.
3. LinkedIn groups are another great way to build brand awareness within your industry. By joining groups specific to your industry, you as an individual can then share information with others with whom you are trying to connect. However, direct selling or solicitation is not recommended. In certain curated groups, these and other types of promotional posts are expressly forbidden.
Rather, LinkedIn groups are a place to share useful information and news, engage in topical conversation, and learn more about industry trends and colleagues. If you do a little research, you will be able to join groups where your targeted clients are members. Engaging with them in these forums can be a good way to connect prior to the opportunity to meet in person at MWC.
4. Utilize LinkedIn as a research tool in helping you scout out potential clients, but do not make the mistake of contacting them before you have been properly connected elsewhere. Reaching out on LinkedIn directly to individuals you do not already know could be a mistake. It comes across as spammy and is almost guaranteed to torpedo your chances of making a positive impression going forward.
Instead, follow companies that you are interested in connecting with down the road. You’ll be able to comment on their posts and learn more about them and their key personnel. You can then work to cultivate relationships with these individuals by joining LinkedIn groups.
5. Of course, feel free to reach out to anyone you’ve met in person at MWC with whom you made a significant connection. As long as you are confident that they will remember you, or at least be able to refer to your name via your business card or a follow-up email you sent, then you should be OK to make the overture. Hopefully, you’ll receive at least as many invitations as the ones you send out!
Even keeping in mind all of the established best practices, LinkedIn is still an environment that is ripe for experimentation. As much as marketing your company is serious business, on social media, you can afford to be creative and take some chances as you build excitement around your brand leading up to this year’s Mobile World Congress Americas.
Need help with a trade show marketing plan or your overall social media strategy? Calysto offers comprehensive PR and marketing programs to help achieve your overall business and marketing goals, or we can customize a project for a specific campaign or business strategy. Contact us to learn more.