LinkedIn Event Networking Tips for Account Executives
For account executives, finding a steady stream of high-intent leads is the key to crushing quotas. While cold outreach has its place, the most successful AEs are masters of warm, contextual engagement. One of the most underutilized goldmines for these opportunities on LinkedIn is LinkedIn Events.
A LinkedIn Event isn't just a webinar; it's a curated gathering of professionals who have proactively raised their hands to learn about a specific topic. They are signaling interest, making them far warmer and more receptive to outreach than a cold prospect. This guide provides actionable tips for account executives to turn LinkedIn Events into a predictable source of qualified pipeline.
Before the Event: The Strategic Groundwork
The most successful event networking happens before the event even starts. Preparation is what separates the amateurs from the pros.
1. Find the Right "Watering Holes"
Your goal is to find events where your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) congregates.
- Search by Pain Point: Instead of searching for your solution, search for the problems your prospects face. Use keywords like "demand generation," "sales leadership," or "cybersecurity trends" and filter by "Events."
- Follow Industry Influencers: Identify the key thought leaders your prospects follow and see what events they are speaking at or attending.
- Monitor Competitors: See what events your competitors are hosting. Their audience is your audience.
Once you find a relevant event, click "Attend." This will usually grant you access to the attendee list—your new, pre-qualified prospect list.
2. Research the Attendee List
With access to the attendee list, you can now identify your key targets. Look for prospects who match your ICP based on their job title, company, and industry. Prioritize decision-makers and key influencers within your target accounts.
3. The "Warm-Up" Sequence
Never send a completely cold connection request, even if you're attending the same event. Warm them up first to build familiarity.
- View Their Profile (Day -3): A simple profile view sends a notification and puts your name on their radar. It’s a subtle, professional first touch.
- Engage with Their Content (Day -2): Like or, even better, leave a thoughtful comment on one of their recent posts. This shows you're interested in their work, not just in selling to them.
- Follow Them (Day -1): A low-stakes way to show you want to keep up with their professional insights.
This sequence of non-intrusive touchpoints makes your eventual connection request feel familiar and welcome, not random and spammy.
During the Event: Be Seen as a Valuable Participant
During the live event, your goal is to be visible and add value.
- Participate in the Chat: Don't just be a passive viewer. Ask insightful questions in the Q&A or chat. Share your perspective on the topics being discussed.
- Reference Other Attendees' Comments: Engage with others in the chat. A simple "Great point, @John Doe. That aligns with what I'm seeing in the industry..." can start a conversation.
- Connect with Speakers and Hosts: These are key influencers. Engaging with them during the event makes you more visible to the entire audience.
After the Event: The Follow-Up That Converts
This is where the real work begins. You have a small window of opportunity after the event to capitalize on the shared experience.
1. Craft the Perfect Contextual Connection Request
Within 24 hours of the event, send a personalized connection request to the prospects you identified and warmed up. The event is your perfect, natural icebreaker.
Template:
"Hi {{firstName}}, I really enjoyed the [Event Name] event today. The discussion on [Specific Topic] was particularly insightful. Since we share an interest in this area, I thought it would be great to connect."
This message is effective because it's timely, relevant, and non-salesy.
2. The Value-Driven Follow-Up
Once they accept your connection request, do not immediately pitch your product. Your first message should continue to provide value.
Template (2-3 days after connecting):
"Thanks for connecting, {{firstName}}! Following up on the [Event Name] event, I thought you might find this [Article, Case Study, or Resource] on [Relevant Topic] useful.
Given your role at {{companyName}}, I'm curious to know how your team is approaching this.
Would you be open to a brief chat next week to share some other insights we've gathered from working with other leaders in your space?"
This approach builds on the established context, provides further value, and ends with a soft, consultative call-to-action.
How to Scale Your Event Networking with Automation
The strategies above are incredibly effective, but manually tracking and engaging with hundreds of attendees for multiple events is not a scalable solution. To turn event networking into a predictable lead generation system, you need to leverage automation.
This is where a tool like Bindago becomes an account executive's secret weapon. Bindago is a desktop application that allows you to automate your LinkedIn outreach safely and efficiently.
Here’s how you can use Bindago to systematize your event networking:
- Build Your Attendee List: Gather the profile URLs of the key prospects from the event's attendee list.
- Create a "Warm-Up" Campaign: Use Bindago's Campaigns feature to create a multi-step sequence that automatically views the profiles and likes recent posts of everyone on your list in the days leading up to the event.
- Automate Your Connection Requests: After the event, launch a new campaign in Bindago to send your personalized, event-specific connection request to your entire list.
- Launch an Automated Follow-Up Sequence: For everyone who connects, you can have a pre-built sequence of value-driven follow-up messages that are sent automatically over several days. The sequence stops the moment a prospect replies, allowing you to jump in and have a real conversation.
By using Bindago, you can execute a sophisticated, multi-touch networking strategy for every event you attend, all on autopilot. This frees you up to focus on what you do best: having high-value conversations with warm, qualified leads. And because Bindago is a desktop app, your LinkedIn credentials remain securely on your computer.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Events are a powerful, yet often overlooked, channel for account executives to find and engage high-intent leads. By moving beyond passive attendance and adopting a strategic approach—preparing before, engaging during, and following up after—you can turn every event into a rich source of pipeline.
Combine this strategy with the power of automation, and you have a scalable, predictable system for generating warm conversations and, ultimately, closing more deals.
Ready to turn LinkedIn Events into your new favorite lead source? Download Bindago today and start your 10-day free trial.
