Bloggers! In preparation for next week’s FinCon conference, I thought it’d be nice to tackle how to promote yourself and your BLOG at in-person events! Meetups, conferences, or even just explaining what you do to your friends–can actually create a memorable impression with lasting impact. This was originally a podcast episode >> Listen on \\ iTunes \\ Stitcher \\ Google Play \\ Overcast \\ Spotify
Tell me if you’ve got this one before…
“So, what do you do?”
or
“You have a blog? What’s it about?”
or
“What’s your business about?”
If you regularly attend conferences or meetups–you will encounter these questions again and again.
Think these questions are just simple and friendly conversation?
Think again. These questions are opportunities for creating ambassadors and followers of your brand–but only if you answer them correctly.
If you want to make the most of your time at events–you need to be remembered. You need to create awesome impressions.
Here are a few tips for being remarkable at conferences, starting with that crucial introduction.
How to properly introduce your blog to somebody face-to-face.
FYI, I straight-up stole much of what you’re about to learn from Clay Hebert.
I’m going to simplify everything he teaches, but you can find his keynote on introductions here. It’s great!
First, here’s what you don’t do:
You should not:
- speak for more than 10 seconds. (really)
- give people all the data and facts and details
- tell them what you actually, technically do
- bore them
What we’re going for is intrigue.
You will get a chance to spell out the details behind what you actually do on your blog–but that information will fall on largely deaf ears unless prompted!
Provoke the question: “Oh really? How so? or “Wait, what? What do you mean?”
Here’s Clay’s introduction formula:
It’s quite simple to start–but ultimately needs to be fleshed out a bit more:
[I] + [“help” or something like the word “help”] + [the people you help / your tribe] + [result or achievement]
Let’s dive in deeper.
[help] = how do you serve your readers or customers?
There are several words you can use here, based on how you feel you actually connect with people.
- teach
- lead
- build
- connect
- serve
Choose a word based on the next part…
[people you help] = your avatar reader, ideal customer, etc.
- I help single moms…
- I connect entrepreneurs…
- I help bloggers…
- I teach magicians…
Who do you serve and how do you serve them?
[result or achievement] = the end result of the transformation you’re helping people with.
Where is your audience going?
- I help single moms be hyper-productive.
- I connect entrepreneurs to powerful investors.
- I help bloggers turn their passions into six-figure businesses.
- I teach magicians how to get paid.
Those examples are probably B+.
To get to A+, they’d need to be a bit more intriguing and really prompt a back-and-forth dialog.
Here’s an alternative formula:
Again, Clay Hebert made this up, not me.
I’m the [x] for [your space].
This is tough to understand with examples.
“I’m the Winston Wolf from Pulp Fiction–but for brands.”
If you know what that character is–you immediately understand this intro. If you DON’T know who Winston Wolf is, this is an easy opportunity to go into more detail about what you do! I.e. “I solve problems for brands, or “I solve complete marketing problems for Fortune 100s.””
Or another:
“I’m a personal trainer for your brain.”
We know what a personal trainer does, yes?
Here are some examples I made up for people in the blog-o-sphere.
Note: these bloggers are not aware that I made up intros for them. I take full responsibility 🙂
Pat Flynn – “I’m the Albus Dumbledore of the online business world.”
PT Money – “I help money-focused brands connect with each other.”
Chelsea from Mama Fish Saves – “I simplify money for those who don’t understand it.”
Lee from Bald Thoughts – “I help travel-lovers get there cheaper.”
Nick Loper – “I help people make income on the side.”
Jillian Johnsrud – “I’m a wedding planner–but for your happiness.”
Seth Godin – “I encourage people to make a ruckus.”
Liz Wilcox – “I empower full-time RVers to create awesome lifestyles.”
Grant Sabatier – “I help millennials worry less about money.”
*
Well that was fun! Some of those weren’t too bad 🙂
Here are 4 other tips and tricks for standing out at conferences:
So I posted this topic to my Facebook group today (here’s the full thread), and got some AMAZING ideas:
1 – Be the person everybody already knows.
Couldn’t agree more with that last point, Liz.
Yes, I’m aware it’s tough for the anonymous among you, by the way.
Great tips about posting in the Facebook group, and I’d also make a point to just be connected with other people who will be at your conferences and meetups.
Follow them on twitter. Actually engage.
#brandbuilding
2 – LISTEN to people! Actually listen. Really, technically and spiritually listen to them.
It’s easy to talk about yourself, and surprisingly not-effective.
Take a page out of Dale Carnegie’s most famous work, and turn the conversation over to the people you meet!
If you focus on sincerely getting to know people, not only will know how you can help/collaborate/work with/connect with them better–they’ll likely appreciate being listened to. Everybody does.
PT Money (founder of FinCon) is extraordinary at this.
Talk to him at conferences (or anywhere) and the conversation is almost immediately shifted to you and what your business is up to. He’s a pro.
3 – Want to effectively approach people (and be more approachable?) Smile more.
I spent a decent amount of time at last year’s FinCon–just people watching. (Hey, it’s fun.)
At one point, I noticed keynote speaker and GURU-blogger Darren Rowse, Mr. ProBlogger himself, just wandering around the expo hall aimlessly. Just chillen.
I noticed no less than 3-5 people take a 2nd glance at him, as if “Oh there’s a famous blogger! I wanna meet him! I dunno what to say.”
No approach.
Similarly, if you’re an introvert (high five, brothers and sisters), and simply want to appear more approachable to others, the same tactic works.
A confident smile is an ultimate turn-on and a clear signal for influencer status–even for non-influencers. It makes you more approachable, welcoming, and approx. 10,000 other benefits.
Smile more.
4 – Just be yourself.
Here’s a great point from my bud Jim Wang:
I know I’ve presented a lot of “try to do this and this and this” in this blog post, but ultimately Jim is correct.
Don’t attend in-person events with grand plans to seem like a bad@$$ to every person you meet, or to walk away with a 7-figure business deal.
Go to have fun.
Making real friendships is still your ultimate goal, whether it be with famous bloggers, brands, or just people you really enjoy being around. THAT’S the key to an amazing conference.
Be yourself (but your best self who smiles confidently and knows how to provoke a meaningful dialog with a response to “what do you do?”
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Further reading: 9 Game-Changing Blogging Takeaways from FinCon 2017
If you’re still reading–drop me a quick intro to your blog in the comments 🙂
