Dreamforce '12 is over and you should focus on reaping the benefits of the event. As a marketer, now is the time to build up your social network, get closer with sales and build smart follow-up campaigns. Here are three ideas to get you started.

1. Turn Business Cards Into Social Connections
If you’re like me, by the end of Dreamforce, your pockets are stuffed with business cards. While the networking is fantastic, you can miss out on opportunities with potential customers, partners, even career moves if those cards sit on a stack on your desk.

Turn those old-school cards into a social media marketing goldmine. As soon as you get home, take each of them out and connect on social channels like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. It’s an excellent way to turn a handshake and small talk into an ongoing conversation.

2. Compare Notes with Sales
Dreamforce attracts nearly an equal number of sales and marketing pros. While marketers might have their own agenda mapped out, attending a session or two together can result in some great bonding.

Even if you can’t buddy up at Moscone, partner with a compatriot in sales and agree to take individual notes. Then combine those notes once back in the office. Pluck a few big themes and ideas, provide examples of how to put them into action, and shares these with your organization (email works, Chatter is even better).

3. Treat Dreamforce Themes as Market Research
In the lobby of your hotel, in between sponsor booths, on stage during keynotes and sessions – circulate around the event and you’re going to hear some big trends repeated over and over.

As a marketer, you’re well positioned to turn high-level themes into content curation opportunity. Did you meet some potential leads or partners? Send them content that addresses their specific needs. Better yet, identify content – white papers, studies, guides, blog posts, etc. – that relates to the big themes of conference and use it in an email template you and others in your organization can send as a follow-up.

It’s hard to beat the excitement of attending Dreamforce. But by planning ahead, you can turn the lessons and introductions made over a few days into months of brilliant marketing.

Jesse Noyes is Managing Editor at Eloqua, a company providing modern marketing expertise and a Dreamforce sponsor.