November 19th, 2018

For some people, networking comes naturally. They can show up to an event and spark up conversations on the fly, making the most of their time at a mortgage conference.  However, there are also individuals who need time to do their research, prepare questions, and plan out their day. Since there is only a limited amount of time available at your next conference, you will want to use your time wisely and include as much networking as possible. Our social media webinar will show you how to meet your conference networking goals..

Social Media Connections

Before arriving at the event, you, as a lender, should be making the most of your social media connections. Connect with individuals in the industry, invite people to meet with you, and share relatable posts. Do your research and see what other people are posting; there may be a relevant “hashtag” being utilized such as #MBANJ that you can use to see what other attendees are posting. This will cause other attendees to see what you’re sharing which may convince them to reach out. Share tips, ideas, perhaps even a link to schedule a meeting. The biggest idea here is to spread your name, as well as your company’s name. Additionally, it could be beneficial to register for several webinars, or webinar series.  In doing this you will familiarize yourself with relevant content and become more connected with the speakers, or industry influencers.  Then, when you send one of them a request on your social media, you can reference one of the webinars that they participated in.. It’s important to take advantage of simple strategies such as this that could prove beneficial to you for years to come.

Break Time Strategy

Conferences don’t come around every weekend which is why it’s imperative that you make the most out of those you do attend.  For example, it is important that you strategically plan out your day.  I would suggest utilizing your break time to have conversations with other attendees. Perhaps you could even snap a photo with them to post on your company’s Instagram or Facebook, again using relevant hashtags.  Since the conference will be over in a short period of time, I can’t stress enough how important your time management will be. You should take advantage of the fact that there are many of the hundreds of attendees at the conference who would be more than willing to sit down, eat lunch with you, and talk business. Using lunch time this way is a great relationship building technique, and a great way to build your network. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet your newest client!   

Make Yourself Seen

You don’t want to be lost in the crowd with every other mortgage lender; it’s important to speak up and draw attention to yourself. If there’s an opportunity to speak on a certain topic that you’re familiar with, it may be a good idea to volunteer! Attendees may be interested in what you have to say, or they’ll simply remember your name and spark up a conversation with you later on. Most importantly, you’d come across as a mortgage “expert”, being knowledgeable on a topic that they may not fully grasp. Also, if you have a booth at the conference, it could cause more traffic to your area. Other companies will recognize you, and probably feel more comfortable approaching you. If there’s nothing you can speak on, that’s okay too! Connect with the speakers on LinkedIn and possibly shoot them a message about things you enjoyed from their talk. This is another great way to be seen. In addition, it’s important to invite prospects to attend the invent, scheduling times to meet each of them. This will ultimately avoid having an empty booth, and may cause other attendees to stop by and see what the hype is all about.

Socialize With Strangers

Starting a conversation with a complete stranger definitely seems daunting, but it’s important to realize that you’re not the only one feeling this way. Everyone around you will be at the next conference or tradeshow to expand their knowledge, meet new people, and ultimately build their brand. Everyone is there for the same reasons, which is important to keep in mind. These conferences have the ability to provide you with the necessary tools and resources that your company needs to grow. In today’s mortgage industry, it’s vital to build relationships along the way; you never know when you could benefit from a contact at a certain company. With that being said, loan officers and lenders need to be conversing with as many people as they can. This will get their name out there as a professional in the industry, and will also get the company recognized. From there, it would be a great idea to add the people you meet on your social media accounts, especially LinkedIn, keeping your line of communication open.

Overall, conferences and tradeshows are good opportunities to build your network, learn from others, and get your name out there. This is a good chance for you to become more familiar with other individuals in the mortgage industry, ultimately creating contacts for the future. To get more involved, you can become a member of the association holding the conferences, become a conference or Platinum sponsor and/or exhibit at the event.  Act now and use these methods to enhance your business opportunities and profitability! And I look forward to seeing you at the Regional Conference in April, a great networking event!