No matter what industry you’re in, there will be countless events you can attend to help promote your company. Here are a few tips on how to make the most of such situations.
No matter what industry you’re in, there will be countless events you can attend to help promote your company. Here are a few tips on how to make the most of such situations.Get on the bill
Whether it’s a large conference or exhibition or a small networking event getting yourself booked as one of the speakers or even just a presenter gives your company instant credibility.
Not only that but it means you’ll be able to explain your business and gives other attendees a reason to come up and talk to you after the event.
Finally, it means that your company name or logo will appear in the event’s promotional material, giving you free advertising.
Use social media
Social media opens up companies to thousands of customers every day and events are the perfect place to start engaging with these followers. By giving live updates you provide your customers with insights to your working world.
It doesn’t just have to be live Tweets – you can also take it to the next step with apps like Vine or Meerkat where you can upload or stream videos from the day to your social media feed.
Before the event, find out who is going and make sure to tag them on Twitter and arrange a meeting.
Be active
Don’t just go and enjoy the free canapés – you’ve got to be active at these events. If it’s a small business meeting and you’re not confident at networking, a good tip is to arrive early. As the first person there, people will come to you even if it’s simply to ask if they’ve got the right venue. After that, you’ll be the centre of the group and conversation will start to flow.
At larger events, have a pre-organised schedule of meetings with gaps for going around the stalls and exhibits. Find a few key clients you want to talk to and don’t leave until you’ve done so. Afterwards, flag them up on social media if you feel it’s appropriate.
Take photos
Take a decent camera with you and grab plenty of snaps. Not only are photos great for sharing on social media but they can be used internally to show your team what goes on at the events.
Take a mixture of natural poses of people chatting and some staged ones with you and a few key speakers.
If there’s an official photographer there don’t be afraid to ask them to take a photo of you with a few attendees.
Interview people
For a bit of fun, why not take a video camera or use your phone and interview a few people. This makes great content for social media and is a good way to introduce yourself and your company, whilst also finding out some information about other attendees.
Posted by The Secret Businessman