[The ultimate conference guide you need + free templates] Your Personal Brand’s Secret Weapon: Conferences Vol. 36

"Visibility = Profitability If people can't find you, they can't buy from you."

3 Key Takeaways from the Newsletter

1. LinkedIn is a Conference Game-Changer Combining LinkedIn with conferences amplifies your personal brand by creating opportunities to showcase expertise, build meaningful relationships, and extend the event’s impact beyond its duration.

2. Preparation is Crucial for Conference Success Optimizing your LinkedIn profile, announcing your attendance, and using tools like QR codes to connect effortlessly ensure you’re positioned as a standout attendee before you even step through the doors.

3. Post-Conference Follow-Up is Non-Negotiable The real magic happens after the event. By sharing thoughtful recap posts, engaging new connections, and repurposing learnings into LinkedIn articles or content, you solidify relationships and establish yourself as a thought leader in your space.

Why Conferences + LinkedIn = A Winning Formula

Early on when I first became active on LinkedIn, I walked into a conference with one goal: to make meaningful connections that would lead to long term opportunites. Like many, I felt overwhelmed trying to stand out in a sea of sameness. But then I realized LinkedIn could amplify my conference experience—turning fleeting encounters into lasting opportunities.

Today, conferences are no longer just about handshakes and business cards; they’re about expanding your impact far beyond the event itself. LinkedIn is the ultimate tool to achieve this, helping you showcase your expertise, create buzz, and build relationships that matter, AMPLIFYING your personal brand.

Conferences are massive networking opportunities that include:

• Industry Insights

• Partnerships

• Educational / Upskill Opportunities

• Reputation Management

• Brand Building

• Relationships

• Revenue

• Social Media & Digital Presence Boosting

Attending a conference is a great addition to your social media content. You have the opportunity to tag the host, the event sponsor, and any event attendees that you connected with.

This is your personal conference guide on how you can make the most of attending a conference and incorporating that conference into your LinkedIn content and elevate YOUR personal brand. In this guide, I’ll share the strategies for using LinkedIn as your secret weapon for your next conference.

The Power of Personal Branding at Conferences

Conferences are the ultimate stage for building your personal brand. They’re where visibility, credibility, and opportunity collide. But when you leverage LinkedIn for a conference, it takes this to the next level.

With LinkedIn, you can:

• Extend Your Reach: Showcase your participation to a global audience.

• Build Relationships: Turn introductions into long-term collaborations.

• Amplify Your Voice: Share insights and takeaways that position you as a thought leader.

When LinkedIn is part of your conference playbook, your impact doesn’t end when you leave the venue—it grows exponentially.

Step 1: Preparing Your LinkedIn Presence Before the Conference

Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile

• Update your headline to highlight your expertise and mention your conference role or attendance.

• Refresh your banner to reflect your niche or a value-driven statement.

• Polish your About section to communicate what you do and who you help.

• Add your attendance to your 10 second "name pronunciation" to announce what booth you will be at

Announce Your Attendance

• Share a post expressing excitement about the event and tag the conference and relevant speakers.

• Use the event’s official hashtag to increase visibility.

• Promote the conference itself

• Educational content that will be covered at the conference

• Stories from previous conferences & results achieved after attending

Promotional Speaker Template:

Attending [Conference] is an exceptional opportunity to connect with [industry] leaders & innovators. Plus you get to hear me speak!

When you attend, you gain direct access to not only me, but key players who are shaping the future of [industry].

My speaking engagement is going to be on [day & time]

Hope to see you there!

Register here:

Networking at [Conference] allows you to establish meaningful connections that can lead to:

• Collaborations

• Partnerships

• Investors

• Business Opportunities

What are you waiting for?

Educational Template:

[Conference] Agenda, Day 1:

On Day 1, I learned

[List Agenda items for Day 1]

I am also excited to learn more about [demo/class/breakout session] where we’ll learn more about [topic/educational lesson] with @[speaker name]!

What are you excited to learn at #[conference hashtag]?

Are you here at #conference hashtag?

[Registration Link]

UGC Template:

[Conference & Year] was amazing!

@[Reviewer Name, title, and @company] said about our meeting:

[Insert Review/Quote]

Did you attend [Conference & Year]? #[conference hashtag]

FOMO Template:

I had the best meeting with [name and company name] at [conference & year]!

I learned 3 things fom our meeting:

[Learning]

[Learning]

[Learning]

Schedule time with me to learn more about [x topic]!

Link in comments.

Did you attend [conference]?

Automate LinkedIn DMs Promoting Your Attendance to the Conference

LinkedIn doesn’t love automation. BUT you can set an automated DM response on the LinkedIn platform itself. Note: You can only edit and set an away response on LinkedIn if you’re a LinkedIn Premium member. You can set this away message in 1 of 3 ways: Desktop, iOS, or Android.

Template:

Thanks for your DM. I'm currently out of the office at [conference], and I‘m excited to meet [keynote speaker] and learn from [demo instructor] showcasing [conference agenda item or demo]!

If you need assistance, please contact [name] at [email address].

Otherwise, I'll be back in the office on [date] and will respond to your message then.

Thanks!

[Signature]

Leverage Your QR Code

Create your LinkedIn QR code and save it as your phone’s lock screen. This makes it easy for anyone to connect with you instantly—no business cards required!

Your LinkedIn QR code makes it easy to connect with someone offline.

Once you’re connected, you can stay in touch with them on LinkedIn.

This feature provides a simple and efficient way to find other LinkedIn members.

Notes:

• Each LinkedIn member has their own unique QR code.

• Make sure you’ve downloaded the most current version of the LinkedIn mobile app.

To find your QR code:

• Open the LinkedIn app on your mobile device.

• Tap the ‘QR code’ in the Search bar at the top of your LinkedIn homepage.

• Tap the ‘My code’ tab to find your QR code.

• Tap ‘share my code’ (you can share your QR code via message, email or other third-party apps).

• Don’t forget to save a copy of your QR code to your mobile device’s photo gallery.

Here is a FREE download we created for you; make a copy, add your unique QR, and save this to your phone as a screen saver for next time you are at a tradeshow or conference.

[The Borden Group] Free QR Code Template

Step 2: Networking in Real-Time – Using LinkedIn During the Conference

Post Live Updates

• Share key takeaways from sessions, inspiring quotes from speakers, and photos from the event.

• Use hashtags and tag individuals or organizations to maximize visibility.

• Go Live! Host an audio event or stream a LinkedIn live

Engage in Personal Connections

• After meeting someone, send a quick personalized LinkedIn message to reinforce the connection.

• Consider using LinkedIn’s voice memo feature for an extra personal touch via DM.

Create Video Content

Capture short clips of panels, networking moments, or event highlights. These behind-the-scenes looks resonate with your audience and make them feel part of the experience.

I just loveee OpusClip and Vizard.ai

Step 3: Leveraging LinkedIn After the Conference

Post-Event Recap

• Reflect on what you learned, who you met, and how the event inspired you.

• Tag connections, speakers, or companies you interacted with to strengthen relationships.

Strengthen New Connections

• Send follow-up messages to continue conversations.

• Suggest collaborations or schedule a follow-up call to solidify relationships.

Repurpose Content

Write a long-form LinkedIn article or create a carousel post summarizing your top takeaways. This showcases your expertise while keeping you top of mind with your network.

Tools to Supercharge Your Conference Experience

Here are my favorite tools to prepare for and maximize LinkedIn’s impact at conferences:

• LinkedIn QR Code Generator: Seamlessly connect on the go.

• Agorapulse or LinkedIn scheduler: Pre-schedule content to maintain consistency during the event.

• Canva: Create visually stunning LinkedIn assets

Network Like a Pro: Final 5 Tips

1. Have your contact info at the ready. Whether that be your LinkedIn QR Code, your business card, your name tag or conference badge details, or cell phone number, you want to have this information quickly and readily available so that you can exchange information with as many new connections as you can.

2. If you’re going in to make sales, make sure your pitch is buttoned up. Go in equipped to offer your services to others.

3. Set up a system for contact management. Chances are, you’re going to meet a lot of people. Either have a system for collecting business cards, keep track of names you’ve connected with on LinkedIn, or keep track of LinkedIn QR Code scans you’ve made. This will make follow-up after the conference a whole lot easier.

4. Make sure you check out the conference agenda ahead of time. This way, you can prioritize which sessions to attend. You don’t want to attend a session that you could teach yourself. Also make sure you grab a map of the conference space. If it’s a big conference you don’t want to rely on slow or overloaded wifi connections to try and figure out where to go.

5. Know your exit queue and your exit strategy. You don’t want to keep pushing the conversation if the connection is clearly trying to end the conversation. There are many ways to notice this: body language, eye focus, responses to your statements, etc.

Conclusion: The Time Is Now – Make LinkedIn Your Conference Superpower!

Conferences are packed with potential, but only if you know how to seize it. LinkedIn can amplify your efforts, extend your impact, and turn connections into opportunities. What’s your favorite LinkedIn strategy for conferences? Share it in the comments—I’d love to hear what works for you!

Today's content provided in this newsletter was originally an ebook written by a human and then polished up and formatted to be a LinkedIn newsletter by AI.

If you are looking for more useful content, read my latest piece on Forbes via Forbes Agency Council or The Borden Group Blog.

Sign up here to get on the waitlist for my new personal branding book, "Theatre of the Mind."

Thanks for reading my newsletter today!!

Need help getting started with your voice online? The Borden Group is ready to partner with you. All we work on is personal brands!

Personal Brand Coaching, Managed Personal Brands for LinkedIn™, Personal Brand Content, Personal Brand Strategies, Personal Brand Workshops, Personal Brand Websites, re/Brands, and more!! We work with individuals and teams. I also consult companies and work directly with their internal or external marketing or comms teams. Here are just a few of my testimonials. We have data, case stories, written testimonials/recommendations, and clients who will speak with you to verify their success working with us, and we are always accepting new clients!

Your Executive Advisor,

Melanie