Networking in Person in the Time of Corona

Although I co-authored Social Media for Lawyers a decade ago, I never expected that online connections would wholesale replace in-person professional networking. Instead, online networking as a springboard to a relationship that would ultimately solidify though a face to face meeting.  

Yet IRL connections are difficult to come by in a time of coronavirus. And when they do, they can be awkward.  Recently, I met with a young attorney who had done some work for me and was passing through my city.  We met at Union Station in Washington D.C., masks on, no handshake or hug.  We wandered empty corridors until we found a fast food restaurant in the food court that was open, then took our food outside where we sat on the concrete amidst a stream of homeless people to chat.  The encounter was enjoyable and yet..it felt as if something was off.

That was just a single one-on-one encounter.  Will we ever meet up at conferences or bar association happy hours or small groups without a mask?  And what does that mean for online interaction? Does it take on more meaning because we have no other choices. Or is it less valuable because we won’t meet in person anyway so why bother?

At the upcoming LawyerMomOwnerSummit, we have an entire panel devoted to Marketing When You Can’t Meet in Person. We’ll engage in some hands on DIY exercises, engage with  an expert on role of fashion in personal brand and  learn how to use Facebook, Insta and other social media to build presence – and ask how personal referrals can still work in an era when we no longer interact in person.  Hope to see you there!

LawyerMomOwnerSummit.com is just 3 weeks away. Click the link and Register Today!