We’ve always said that our community is of major importance to us and it is. We love seeing the same faces in our social streams and enjoy the great feedback we gain on daily basis. Dreamforce 2011 gave us a unique advantage to not only engage with our current customers, but meet new people that might not be part of our community yet. The benefit of the journey towards being a social enterprise enables you to grow your communities.

With an event as massive as Dreamforce, it can be easy to get overwhelmed and find comfort in your well known and trusted community. But we think fighting against this urge and meeting some new folks is the way to go. What are some ways to make sure you are engaging with a new community during an event while still maintaining your existing one? We thought you’d never ask!

Share, Share, Share
We know sharing on social media is something we say over and over again, but when you are engaging with a new community of people, it’s a great way to start off a relationship on the right foot. It’s like telling your new friends all your stories from high school. Old friends may groan when you retell the “and then we jumped over the fence..” story, but it’s guaranteed that the new person in your group will enjoy the story the first time around.

Start with a Question
You want to get to know someone? Ask them about themselves! At an event, everyone is there for a reason whether it’s because of current work responsibilities or career growth. Start a conversation by simply asking what brings them to the event.

Be the Middle Man
When you make a new connection in your circle of friends, you generally introduce them to everyone else you know. When you’re at an event, why not do the same and introduce your new connection around? Not only will it allow the new person to learn more about your community, but it may provide them with really valuable connections.

One great thing to see from our community was the leaders in the social media industry. They were lending their voices to connect with this new community that came from Dreamforce. For us, that was a way of sharing, asking questions and being the middleman around subjects we love! Of course, as always, our community feedback is most important. So while it’s fresh in your mind, we’d love to know –  What brought you to Dreamforce? What was your favorite social session? Who would you like to meet next year?