The next time you go to a conference or attend a webinar, use it to build your own brand and network.

This means you need to be actively present, meaning don’t check your email or do work while you’re attending the event.

One of the earliest things I did when I was not yet comfortable posting my own thoughts on LinkedIn was writing about key takeaways from a conference or webinar.

In your post, highlight the key points that resonated with you and actionable steps others could take from the session/conference.

I like using numbers in these posts so “three key takeaways” or “three ways you can (fill in the blank)”.

This kind of LinkedIn post can also be expanded into an article or a blog post.

I always tag the session speakers in the post, whether or not I know them, especially to build relationships with them because nobody dislikes free press where you are telling others how much you enjoyed their insights. The speakers will likely share it to their own network, increasing your visibility!

If the conference has its own hashtag, use it to become part of the conversation.

In addition, tag the company and conference organizer so they are notified when you create the post as well. They will likely repost it and like it, which will increase your visibility – a win-win for all!

So many of us just go to conferences or attend a webinar half listening and doing our regular work while we’re sort of present.

That does a disservice to the speakers and to us when we could be maximizing the time we spend at our next educational session to build our own brands and relationships, and actually learning new things that will make us stronger at what we do.

The homework I always give people who attend my webinars is to write a post about something they learned from my session – it helps them and me. So if you give webinars, encourage them to do the same!

Once you start doing this, it just becomes a habit. You become used to looking for those key takeaways and become more efficient about writing these posts. Even if you jot down notes in your phone or in a notebook and do it later, it’s still worthwhile to write it a few weeks or a month later!!

What do you think of this idea? Will you start to do it too?