With the industry’s largest annual event starting next Monday, I figured it’s high time to give out some advice about networking in person at search conferences like SES San Jose. I’ve been trying to limit my list format posts, but there’s really no better way to present the topics, so here goes:
- Dress Appropriately
If your plan is to connect primarily with corporate clients, a suit is a very good choice (I prefer them sans cravatte, personally). If you want to meet up with bloggers and SEO-types, khakis or denim will suffice, but try to pair it with a respectable shirt. If you want to prove that you completely don’t care, shorts and t-shirt is perfect. For women planning to attend, do be warned that search conferences often contain gentlemen who, uh… don’t get out much, shall we say? For the aforementioned gentlemen, do your best to be as professional as possible. I’ve heard several complaints from women in the industry and from outsiders like Mystery Guest (it’s because you’re so smashingly beautiful, dear). - Make Eye Contact
There’s no better early sign of confidence and comfort with your surroundings and yourself than solid eye contact with the people you meet. Even if you only use it strongly at the start of a conversation, it’s an excellent way to show seriousness and real interest. It’s also a good way to detect the interest level of the person you’re talking to. - Employ Appropriate Etiquette
I’m going out on a limb and venturing that following someone into a restroom to continue a chat is a generally terrible idea, as is starting up conversations in that locale. I know my poor buddy, Tim, has suffered that several times. It’s also poor form to interrupt an existing conversation for more than a few seconds – telling someone you liked their presentation or would love to catch up with them later is fine, but an extended dive into your site’s search issues is best left for a time when you can catch that party alone. - Learn about the People You Want to Meet
If you’re going to a conference with an agenda of meeting some of the folks attending or speaking on panels (which I highly recommend – even Matt Cutts does it), try to learn a bit about their professional backgrounds before you chat with them. I think that early on, I had a lot of success meeting people and making connections by having researched them – it showed those individuals that I had a lot of interest and I had put time into learning about them and that translated to respect. - Get an Introduction or Have a Shared Reference
If at all possible, get introduced by someone to another party you want to meet. This isn’t required, but it often makes for more memorable connections and more attentive contact. Even if you can’t have the person literally introduce you, telling your new friend about a mutual acquaintance is a great way to break the ice. - Create Great Business Cards
Business cards can be great conversation starters and they make it easy for folks to recall your name as well. I’m personally terrible with names, but looking at a name on the card while I say it aloud, relating it back to a company, a position and a website make this arduous task considerably easier. I’d also suggest that you leverage the power of business cards to get traffic to your site – SEOmoz cards actually have a URL on the back that’s not linked to anywhere on the web. We had it down for a while, but may put it back up for the conference next week. 🙂 - Have a Conversation Starter Prepared
You don’t need to dance around an issue too much at search conferences – if you’ve got an agenda, it’s fine to get right to the point. I even like to have a few prepared conversations or questions for the folks I want to talk to, whether they’re search engineers, service providers or other bloggers. - Use Facebook & LinkedIn to Stay Connected
After you meet someone in person, a nice way to stay connected without being too invasive is to send a LinkedIn or Facebook request (I personally prefer LinkedIn, as it’s a bit more professional). Let the person know who you are, remind them where you met and what you discussed and note that you’d like to keep in touch. These friend requests will also help to keep you in their memory longer (and for forgetful schmucks like me, that’s a very good thing). - Free Advice Requires Some Give & Take
If you ask for a lot of free tips and advice, it’s always nice to reciprocate with some juicy stuff of your own, especially if you’re asked. I’m happy to share tips, tricks and tactics we’ve used with success, but it’s even better when the person I’m talking to shares some of their own experiences, too. - Drinking is Good, Overdrinking is Bad
Alcohol is a terrific social lubricant; there’s no denying it. I’ve made fast friends and heard lots of great stories and tips that would probably never have made it out without the help of our good friend, Mr. Booze. However, getting royally pissed (to use the proper British) is a recipe for disaster. Search marketers love gossip, and if you’re the guy who got really drunk and told his cabbie to take him to the Fairmont in San Francisco instead of San Jose and paid $500+ for the round trip… Oh wait, that’s actually a pretty good story… But it did cost our friend a lot of cash. - Free Stuff Makes for Good Branding
The team from Acquisio probably did this best at SMX Seattle. Despite the fact that most of us actually love our jobs, this t-shirt was a huge hit (perhaps ironically?). The gang at BOTW directory has leveraged this tactic exceptionally well, too. - Time Your Contacts Correctly
There’s a huge rush right after a session ends, so I’d probably recommend chatting up folks during breaks, after the conference ends and at networking and social events if you’re hoping to get some serious face time. The 60 second mile-a-minute consulting from the podium with a line behind you often doesn’t have the same quality or depth of content that a private chat in the hall might. The trade hall and the lunchroom are also good places to grab a few private minutes.
Please do share your own tips for networking at search events – I have no doubt that there are others who do it better than I.
