Welcome to the latest in our series of Networking Edinburgh Tips.
Today we are all about the post-event communications: What To Email After a Networking Event
Staying in touch with the people you meet at networking events is a crucial phase in building rapport and cementing professional relationships.
If you have been following our Networking Edinburgh Tips series, you will know the importance in professional networking of exchanging business cards when attending an event, so you will have those crucial contact details at your fingertips.
Sending a follow-up email to each person you met is the ideal next step. Not as intrusive as a phone call at this point, but more structured than a message on Linkedin.
So, what should you write and when is the best time? We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all email templates at Edinburgh Connections, but we do have some tips and suggestions.
Do Your Research
Ideally, you should be quick off the mark: send your email within two or three working days. However, it pays to do a bit of research first.
Your contact’s LinkedIn profile may yield all sorts of useful background information to give you a better idea of their interests, education and career. It may well remind you of some of the details you covered in the small talk, too.
Open Up
Your salutation will reflect your personal style, but you want to strike a balance throughout the message of friendly yet professional and direct.
Lest We Forget
Remind them of your conversation by mentioning a detail of something they said or a topic they introduced. “I enjoyed our conversation about Fintech at the conference yesterday,” for example. If you have a link to some useful information connected to it, include it. If you are in a position to introduce them to someone who would be helpful, now is the time to mention it, if you haven’t already.
Think about what you can do for them first and they won’t be long in returning the favour.
Main Course
The meat and potatoes of your message.
What is it that you’re looking for in this email? A sit-down over coffee or lunch? Suggest it. You could continue that conversation you had (the one you remember because you’ve not left it too late and you’ve done some covert research.)
If you’re too far away to meet, suggest you connect on LinkedIn and keep in touch.
Are you business networking as part of your job search strategy? You could attach your CV at this stage.
Close it Down
Try not to ramble. A bit of small talk, get to the point and conclude. If you waffle on endlessly in an email, what would you be like in a follow-up meeting?
But Before You Press Send…
First impressions count. That’s why the last thing you should do before sending is check over spelling, grammar and style. Poor spelling gives an unprofessional image: exactly what you don’t need at this critical point.
And Finally…
As well as that crucial email, connect on LinkedIn and on social media, if your contact has business pages with Twitter, Facebook, etc.
As a matter of course, email the event organizer and thank them for a job well done.
Today, you’ll crush networking events in Edinburgh, tomorrow the world!
