Social media allows us to connect with everyone. But sadly, it also lessens the face-to-face interaction with like-minded individuals that can give us the push that we need for our careers and in our business.
You may not agree with me on this, but I always believe that despite the increasing social media usage, an in-person engagement is still the best form of lead generation. And sometimes these engagements happen during after-events at the bar or in coffee shops.
You can quickly generate new business through attending marketing and digital events, conferences, summit, launches, and other offline activities that are aligned with your target audience. It also helps because it keeps you updated with the latest trends and best practices that are essential to your success as a service provider or as a business owner.
Just this weekend, I attended an E-commerce Grand MeetUp held at QCX Museum Events Hall in Quezon City. The event brought together all the Filipino e-commerce entrepreneur in one place.
We had a full house of attendees with different e-commerce backgrounds, including those that are already earning 6-figures, aspiring entrepreneurs, service providers, digital marketers, and industry-leading professionals from companies that aim to help the e-commerce industry here in the Philippines.
Attending events like this one can help you in establishing your brand and your authority. And if you’re in the e-commerce industry, an event like this one enables you to create, build, and nurture meaningful relationships with your target audience.
Seeing them eye-to-eye, listening to their thoughts and ideas, providing value during conversations is crucial for maintaining relationships. This, among other things, is another reason why you should attend events regularly because it strengthens that bond that you develop with your target audience online.
You can also use this as an opportunity to speak directly to your target audience, which will help you in identifying their common concerns and challenges.
Once you’re in these events, you need to make the most of your time. Use your time wisely to establish meaningful conversations with potential clients or business partners. Do not be pushy or sale-sy because this type of approach will turn off many people.
Start with your common interests and goals. Focus on making strong connections and a lasting impression.
Ask relevant questions and listen attentively to their response because if done right, they won’t hesitate to ask to connect with you.
Also, hearing all these latest updates and valuable strategies from experts is one of the best reasons why you need to attend these offline events. And many businesses have budgets for this kind of event and travel, so they will be the first to hear new developments from the biggest names in the industry.
Listening to different speakers share their ideas and best practices will give you new insights about how they do things, which is beneficial for your business, especially when you’re dealing with a lot of challenges in your industry.
Events are great for connecting with your target audience, unlike with social media, which is highly competitive and would require you to show up every day.
Many leaders in the industry are even using the event as a strategy to increase their networks. And to bring their target audience in one place.
Yes, you can search online for all of the ideas and solutions, but there is a lot of information on the internet that it becomes overwhelming at times.
Here’s a word of caution for you; events are filled with companies showing off their products and can be a place to find inspiration for your business venture. But if you haven’t set the goals that you wish to achieve as to why you’re attending this event, you’re wasting your time and money.
Searching for events online is a good start. But make sure that the activities that you’re choosing to align with your goals and objective. Once established, selecting the right event, meeting, or conference to attend will come easy.
This article first appeared on fredmosquida.com
Fred Mosquida is an email copywriter who helps e-commerce businesses with their email marketing campaigns and set up their automated email flows. He has been helping online retailers sell their bike accessories, crystals, socks, supplements, makeup, apparel, kitchenware, home appliances, and a wide variety of other products using Klaviyo for the past 3 years. Fred also teaches at events and in several provinces in the Philippines about the opportunity of working online. According to Fred, the Internet isn't just for viewing videos on YouTube and playing online games. He believes that anyone with basic Internet skills has equal income opportunities. You can connect with Fred on LinkedIn.
