Marketing Momentum: 7 Ways to
Keep Your Fire Burning after Attending an Industry Event
by Ilise Benun
When was the
last time you attended an industry event that got you really excited
about your work? Do you remember that electric feeling of flying out the door, ready to take over the world? Have you kept
that feeling alive?
You may not think of your annual industry trade
show as inspiration for the
year ahead, but it can be. It's important to realize that
trade shows and industry events are when the
magic really happens, in part because you get to step away
from your every-day duties.
Think about it.
All year long, you work in your own little corner,
whether independently or
doing business development for your employer. You may do some online
networking, follow colleagues (and the
competition) on Twitter, and "attend" a webinar on a topic of
interest—until an urgent client email arrives that demands
your immediate attention. But for the
most part, you're still at your desk, in relative isolation. And there is a limit to what you can
do by yourself.
That's why it's important to take advantage of
real live events to get together
with colleagues and other
people who are struggling with the
same issues, looking for solutions to similar problems, and working to
achieve comparable goals. Brainstorming with them
can be an exhilarating and inspiring experience, especially when you
are passionate about what you do.
Making the
Most of Events
The
obvious first step is to get out of your office and attend an event.
The
second and most important step is learning to keep
that post-event fire alive. That fire needs to carry you through those
times when you're at your desk working in relative isolation or when
you're putting your inspiration on the
back burner to deal with days (or weeks) of urgent emails.
That fire can also be
a driving-force in expanding your business: The more momentum
you have, the more effort
you make; the more effort
you make, the more
business you generate; the
more business you generate, the
more you can enjoy doing what it is you're in business to do.
It only takes a little effort and know-how to keep your embers burning. Here are
seven ways to start:
- Narrow It down:
You leave the conference
or seminar with a thousand fantastic ideas—some new tricks,
some reminders of old ones with a new twist. You're excited and ready
to implement them all. Then a few days pass, the flood of email messages that
arrived while you were gone demands answers, and everything you learned
seems a little overwhelming—burdensome even. Your notes are
buried beneath the piles
and you can't remember what is in them.
And, in the end, you do
nothing new.
Here's the fix: Don't
expect to do everything. Implement the
top three most relevant and most doable items. By just doing something,
you will keep that momentum going
strong.
- Stay Connected:
Implement a system to keep
connected with others so
you can build on the new
connections you made and the
old connections you rekindled.
For example, at the '08
Creative Freelancers Conference, several groups of attendees quickly
formed groups (what they
called) "tribes" and spent most of the
conference together,
digesting event information over meals and drinks. One group called themselves the
Park Grill Tribe (after the
restaurant where they
ate) and vowed to stay connected and keep
the momentum of the
conference going strong. They even posted a video on
YouTube.
- Follow Up:
Remember all those people who said, "Let's stay in touch," or to whom
you said the same thing?
Well, have you been in touch with them?
All of them? Or, are their business cards sitting under
a pile of pending work? Take some time and make sure to follow-up. It
will pay off.
- Do the
Social Networking Thing: Add the
contacts you made to your social networking sites. Expand your Biznik,
LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook networks with the
people you met.
- Visualize: Keep your conference badge or a
picture that was taken at the
conference as a reminder of the
inspiration and excitement you felt. Make it the
wallpaper on your monitor or on your cell phone.
- Refresh Your Mind:
Contribute to the blog
from the conference (if there is one), sign up for email
newsletters published by the
speakers and fellow attendees who interested you, or order a book that
was recommended. Keep
learning, contributing, and making room for new ideas.
- Do It Again:
Attending an industry event can be like a vacation: You can have a
great time and return to your office renewed. And, you can return and
have your tan and memories, or in this case passion, fade too
soon. What you may need is another
"vacation" to look forward to.
What's coming up? Keep
your pipeline full of events that will inspire you. Soon the momentum
from the next event will
build on the momentum from the last one and you won't miss a
beat.
By following these
tips, you can become a whirlwind of inspiration and momentum. Here's to stepping into
your office each morning like you've just stepped out of an
inspirational conference!
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