SpotlightJuly2019

WHY USE LIVE EVENTS & WORKSHOPS TO BUILD YOUR BRAND? Have you ever left a networking event wishing you had met more people? Or learned a little more about something that peaked your interest? Maybe you had hoped for a chance to get into deeper, more purposeful conversations? These kinds of regrets don’t happen when you’re the main attraction. When you’re speaking in front of a group at a conference, trade show or workshop, you have a whole room full of people learning about who you are and what you offer. They get access to the wealth of knowledge you offer in your industry and you get to create close relationships with a larger number of prospects at once. For those of you who may be cringing and getting ready to flip to another page or article, hold it right there! While speaking may not be your thing, yet, there are some hot takeaways that I’ve come up with just for you.

WITHIN MINUTES, EVERYONE ATTENDING THE EVENT WILL GET A FEEL FOR: • Your personality, through your choice of words and tone of voice. • Your style, through your body language, presentation, and wardrobe. • Your knowledge and opinions about your industry. • How you make them feel when you’re speaking with them. These are all things that take only seconds to find out in person that might take years to understand through online interactions.  Also, the connections that you can make through presenting can become qualified leads for your business. Here are a few suggestions I offer to help my clients incorporate live events into their brand strategy:

Leveraging Event to Build Your Brand LIVE AND IN PERSON

by Brittany Pickrem

B ernadette Jiwa once said, “Whoever gets closest to their customer wins” and it is a quote that has stuck with me since I first heard it. It reminds me of the importance of staying close to your customers as a part of your brand strategy. There are so many benefits to staying close to your customer. • It lets you understand them on a personal level. • What their needs are. • What your brand means to them. • It gives you the most clarity on how you can serve them better, faster and with less friction than your competitors.

More importantly, it allows you to build meaningful and memorable connection between your customers and your brand. If cultivating a personal connection between your brand and your customers isn’t a part of your strategy yet it should be. One particularly powerful way to develop a strong connection with your customer is through live, in-person events. This might mean speaking at conferences, trade shows, teaching workshops, or hosting your very own event. No matter which path makes the most sense for your brand, you are able to create an opportunity to get super close to your customer. I know that some of you are saying that is easier said than done, so I’m going to explore some different ways you can leverage in-person events to create connection between your customers and your brand.

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SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE • JULY 2019

77 JULY 2019 • SPOTLIGHT ON BUSINESS MAGAZINE

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