Please share with me your thoughts, favorite logo, ideas etc! You can comment on this blog post, tweet @MyMelodie or let me know on Facebook what you think! There are 2 different things I’m deciding on. First is the color scheme. Do you like Color Scheme 1: Blue and Orange or Color Scheme 2: Dark Blue and Red? Next I need to decide on the actual logo. Option A, B or C? Or perhaps you have some insight on tweeking the logos in general? I always sincerely appreciate help and feedback from my community so thanks in advanced for letting me know what you think!

The evening started off with a networking dinner so of course, I had an opportunity to meet some great community leaders, UCSD students and affiliates. The photo below is a prime example of never eating alone!

I followed one of Keith’s golden rules for meeting the speaker at the event. Get to the speaker, before he goes on stage! I saw Keith Ferrazzi walk by and immediately went up and introduced myself to him. He’s extremely personable, enthusiastic and positive. I manifested this exact moment into my life because in 2009 when Who’s Got Your Back came out, I told Keith Ferrazzi that I would get his second book when I met him so he could autograph it and that’s exactly what happened!

 After enjoying a great dinner, Dr. Irwin Jacobs and Keith Ferrazzi took the stage. Keith Ferrazzi’s job was to be curious and ask Dr. Jacob’s questions related to the topic of “Why great relationships matter in business?” Keith did a great job at asking questions that prompted Dr. Jacobs to share his inspirational story. As both a Marketer and an Entrepreneur, I really resonated with both Dr. Jacobs and Keith Ferrazzi. I definitely learned a lot about having a vision and following it, being a great leader and of course networking! Below are some networking tips I’ve learned from Keith Ferrazzi, some of them definitely came into play during this particular event!

1. Reach out before the event- If you’re attending an event and want to meet someone specific, reach out to them before the event. I’ve already discussed how to work a conference before it begins. This tip is very similar. Social Media is a great resource that allows you to connect. Before attending the event, I tweeted Keith a bunch of times and of course wrote my post to welcome Keith to San Diego. Reaching out can also be done by a simple email. You can let someone know that you enjoyed an article they wrote, congratulate them on a recent accomplishment or connect with them on a more personal level if you know a hobby they enjoy. (In the tweets below I engaged several people in conversation about Keith Ferrazzi and I even received a reply from him acknowledging that he would see me tomorrow!)

2. Arrive Early- If you want to meet the Speakers, they’ll definitely be at the event at least 30 minutes before hand. Chances are the speaker won’t be bombarded by everyone else so you may have an opportunity to introduce yourself before anyone else. If you wait until after the event to try and connect with a speaker, chances are they’re going to be busy talking to everyone else and also thinking about going home so it’s harder to make a personal connection. I actually arrived at UCSD 30 minutes early so was one of the first one who was let into the room.

3. Talk To the Organizer- Arriving early also gives you a chance to find and introduce yourself to the organizer and let him/her know who you may be looking to connect with. Ask the organizer if there’s anyone they feel would be a great connection for your industry. The organizer knows everything that’s happening behind the scenes and everyone who’s going to be at the event. See if they can introduce you to some other attendees or even the speaker. When approaching the organizer, make sure to be mindful of their time since they’re probably still planning last minute updates and make sure to thank them for hosting you.

4. Ask Questions- After many presentations and panels there is often a chance for audience Q & A. This is your golden opportunity to get in front of the room and let others know what you do. Before asking your questions, clearly state your name with a brief intro. Since you have everyone’s attention, there very well may be others in the room who are seeking your service, product or who many want to collaborate with you. Asking questions not only gives you mic time, it also allows you to interact and stand out to the speakers and attendees.

5. Give Books as Gifts- Since the holidays are approaching so quickly, tis the season to start thinking of gifts for your prospects, clients and colleagues. Books are full of information and are personal because you’re recommending something that has helped you. Autographed books are even better! Keith reminded me of how great of gifts books can be as he was signing mine. He asked if there was anyone I’d like to give “Who’s Got Your Back” to so he could sign the book to that person. I didn’t have anyone in mind, so I just told him to sign his name in case I did want to give the book away as a gift. Well Keith came up with an even better idea by writing “Melodie’s Got Your Back”. This way I’m able to keep the book myself or also give it away as a gift.

Again, it was such an honor to meet my favorite author, hear Dr. Jacobs speak and connect with other Entrepreneurs. I’m grateful that attending the event inspired me to refresh my own networking skills, allowing me to share tips with you. If you have additional networking tips, please leave them in the comments below! I’m personally hosting a networking event and seminar coming up on Wed. November 2nd! If you’d like to attend my next seminar where you’ll definitely have a chance to apply these networking tips, you can register here. If it’s your first time attending one of my seminars, please email me: melodie at marketing melodie dot com and I’ll send you a code fore $10 off. Happy Networking and if you don’t already have Never Eat Alone and Who’s Got Your back, check them out at your local library or purchase them! You won’t be disappointed.

1. Find out who’s going to attend- Many conferences don’t post attendee lists on their website so social media is the key here. The best resource I used to find attendees is Facebook Events. Although many profiles are private you have the first and last names of those who RSVPed. You can then look up on LinkedIn. LinkedIn events is second to Facebook events and then I will use Twitter Search.

2. Do research on sponsors and exhibitors- Find out what companies are going above and beyond to have a presence at the event and do research as to why.  Are they working on a new product launch? Is there a specific promotion they’re putting resources into? Knowing these facts allows you to position yourself as to why you will be a great resource or partner for that company. You will be prepared with knowledgeable conversation starters when meeting someone from the sponsoring organization or visiting an exhibitor’s booth. A list of sponsors and exhibitors can always be found on the event website . Go on the companies’ websites and carefully read the about, news and press release sections.

3. Socialize on the web with those you’d like to meet- When doing your research on attendees and sponsors, create a list of those you’d like to connect with and have a valuable reason for why they would want to meet with you. Connect and interact with these individuals on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, their blogs etc.  This helps build your credibility and shows that you’re engaged in their work, it will make the next tip a lot easier.

4. Set specific times for meetings- Invite your prospective business clients and partners to meet at lunch or for a coffee break. Conferences get hectic so make sure you have a confirmed date/time and place in advanced. Having an established is essential. Do research on nearby coffee shops or find out if the conference has private meeting rooms or quiet table areas. You may have to move the meeting time during the event but at least you have a commitment to meet which is much better than “let’s touch base during the day to see if we can meet up”  many times this doesn’t end up happening.

5. Set up a small intimate happy hour or dinner- One of the things I love doing is connecting various people who will all mutually benefit myself and each other. Set up your own small happy hour 5-8 people who work in different disciplines. Invite a few people you know, a few you may have met during the conference and a few people you have identified as wanting to meet. Use your best judgement when deciding if inviting a specific person will benefit the entire happy hour group.

6. Post reminders on Social Media in advanced- Use EasyTweets to post sessions you are speaking at, participating in or know you will be at in advanced. Post the exact date, time and location. You will need to be cognizant of event schedules that may change to update these tweets if necessary. This makes your tweeting more efficient as you won’t have to worry about tweeting your schedule during the event. Set up tweets to post anywhere from an hour to 30 minutes the session so people know where to find you. Use Selective Twitter Status to post reminder udpates on Facebook, especially if you’re speaking.

7. Have an agenda but be flexible- Review the agenda and highlight sessions, educational panels and forums and you’d like to attend. Do research on those presenting and their specific topics. Be prepared with specific questions or insights that may relate to the topic being presented. This prepares you to learn something valuable that matches up with your needs during Q & A time. This also allows you to prepare your introduction to the speaker after they leave the stage with relevant content and information.

8. Meet other business contacts in the area- Go through your contacts and LinkedIn to find out who else lives in that area and any companies you may want to work with that are headquartered in that city.  Even if they aren’t attending the conference set up a time to meet a day before or after. Depending on your schedule this may not be possible, but it’s always something to keep in mind. Since you’re flying all the way out there might as well optimize your presence.

9. Technology Packing list- This seems silly, but at every conference I go to I run into multiple people who left their phone charger or laptop charger at home. Make a list of all technology you need and ensure that it’s packed right before you leave for the airport. This includes your phone charger, laptop charger, extra batteries for equipment, mp3 player, camera, equipment to upload videos and photos (especially helpful for live bloggers) and anything else of that nature. Not having a piece of technology definitely puts a damper (more so than anything else that’s missing)  in your day so avoid this by being prepared.

10. Establish a follow up strategy- Don’t wait until you return from the event to establish a follow up strategy. Have this set before you leave. Identify key resources you can offer to attendees so you can excite those you meet and prompt them to expect a follow up with valuable information. Perhaps you have a new white paper, an upcoming webinar, a future speaking engagement or a new product launch. Let people know to look forward to an email from you that will provide something valuable such as those items I listed. Have an email draft that can be customized for each individual which includes your value offering. This reduces the chance a follow up email will be viewed as spam and increases the chances that your follow up will be success. Refer your follow up back to your conversation at the event. “Here is a link to the white paper I promised you during our conversation.”

11. Have fun! This is a bonus and just a friendly reminder that although you are traveling for work, there is no reason not to enjoy yourself. If you don’t meet someone or miss a session then there will be other opportunities so don’t let that bring you down.

What are some other things do you do to prepare for a conference? Share your own tips in the comments and see you all at PubCon!

My colleague Michael Weisfeld from BusinessOnLine was a featured speaker in the Social Media Session. The session was full of information that enhanced my own knowledge of the space and gave our company an opportunity to showcase our robust capabilities and experience in the Social Media space.

The evening rolled around and the ERA hosted a grand opening reception at the Paris Hotel  pool. Hosted hou’rderves and cocktails got everyone in the mood to mix and mingle. There was even a band that customized an “ERA” song which was quite amusing. I interviewed many prominent leaders and made some great connections.

After the reception the night was still young so I had some time to explore what some call Sin City with the best friend who was also in Vegas!

Day 2 of the D2C Convention started off strong  with an exceptional presentation by Keynote Jack Myers. Jack speaks with such passion and accuracy about advertising trends. Ever since the 1920s advertising trends have aligned the economy’s fluxuation. The economy is down, advertising dollars are down. The economy is up, advertising dollars also go up. For the first time in history Myers predicts this trend won’t follow suite. I couldn’t agree more with his insights on this belief. Supply is definitely exceeding demand in advertising inventory as consumers become less responsive to interruptive information that is pushed to them. User generated content and social media will dominate as technology empowers marketers to engage directly with consumers. Myers recommends businesses need to start using the passion of their audience to extend the value of their content. Another praise I have for Myers’ is his ability to speak through visuals. His slides were strategically crafted to use more images than text to get his message across.

The next Keynote was one of America’s favorite talkshow hosts, Montell Williams.  His presentation resonated with many in the audience who have a strong ambition to take their products to the next level just like Montell did with his Living Well line. What I enjoyed most about his presentation is the interactivity by allowing the audience to ask questions. This personalizes the session as 99% of the time someone’s question will answer the questions of many others.

After Montell wrapped up I spent the remainder of my time  making my way around the expo area watching pitches, GoogleTV and SpotMixer demos and connecting with more great leaders. I even received a nice treat of a private limo ride (with champagne!) back to the convention after checking out of my hotel!

Before I knew it, it was past 5pm and they were kicking us out of the expo hall! I got in the taxi line and even networked on the way out to optimize my time in Vegas by sharing a cab with another attendee. Wow I’m out of breath just reading this I literally ran around Vegas nonstop for 2 days and had such an awesome time doing it. Thanks for reading about my trip. Enjoy the photos and upcoming vlogs! More photos posted on Marketing Melodie’s Facebook Page.

DMA08 Attendees Scrolling the Exhibition Hall and in search of Internet Marketing help!

I spoke to over 100 companies. Only about 5 were online/interactive companies. I know it was the “Direct Marketing” conference but I’m still perplexed by the number of traditional marketing companies present: specialty envelops, address list brokers, postcards, telemarketing companies etc. (especially since the event itself was marketed as a global event for “Integrated” marketing)

To all of the traditional marketing companies, I’d like to educate you on why you too should have an SEO campaign with 3K Interactive. If you are 1 of 50 companies who sells specialty envelops for direct mail advertisers, how are you going to stand out from all the others?

I actually asked this question to many people. Most responded with something along the lines “We’re the only company who uses soy based ink”, “We are the only eco-friendly company”, “We sell clear envelops that don’t look like junk mail.” It’s great to have a unique selling point but this does not mean potential customers will find you.

If I told you I have a way to get people who are ready to buy your service go to your website and place an order with you right away, wouldn’t you listen? Better yet I can even track it for you so you know where your customer are coming from! Sound too good to be true? Not even! This is reality with the career that I have become so passionate about, Internet Marketing!

The 3K Interactive team (missing Myles) Enjoying Las Vegas after a working hard all day at DMA08!

I will optimize your website by making it more user friendly, set it up to it easily tracks conversions, increase conversions, decrease bounce rates and so much more! Just ask and I’m happy to provide you with a free website analysis. If anything this will give you insight on what you can do to enhance your current online strategy.

a) Networking at loud bar with music where people are yelling over each other because they can’t hear
b) People aimlessly wandering around in an attempt to meet everyone with no formal introductions
c) The awkwardness of interrupting a conversation or leaving a conversation

Here’s how it works.
-Each company attends with TWO representatives If you only have one person at your company then attend with a friend/ referral partner/ someone you collaborate with.

-Each company receives a table top to set up marketing materials, promo items, visuals, etc. Rep 1 from the company remains at the table while Rep 2 from the company is assigned to move around to each table

-When the Speed Networking sessions begin Rep 2 moves to the table next to table and 3 minutes are alloted for each session. When time is up Rep 2 continues to move to the next table until every company has had a chance to meet every other company.

Each person will connect with everyone in the room. The speed networking session is long enough to establish a connection and short enough to move on if no connection is made. At the end there is a mixer. That’s the event in nutshell.

I’m having many challenges with my marketing campaign for the event. It’s extremely frustrating. As a Marketer I know exactly what needs to be done but don’t have the means to do it.

I don’t have access to my domain name so I can’t redirect the website currently hosted under the Silk Road Productions Website. The domain was purchased by former partner who has the password and has not disclosed it. I tried calling GoDaddy they were no help. Any SEO work I attempt will not be credited to: www.sandiegospeednetworking.com since it’s not hosted as its own entity.

I’ve also been unsuccessful in hosting a wordpress blog within the site. I’d like it embedded into my site as a page but it only links to the blog on the wordpress site. Dennis-Michael has done a great job with the site given that neither of us are developers or designers. I’ve become so discouraged with the marketing that I’m compelled to cancel the event, but we’ve already invested a lot and thus the show must go on!

If you read this entire Blog you get a $10 discount to the event. Regular price is $50 per company. My blog readers get in for $40. That’s $40 for two people. Includes hosted appetizers! Twitter followers @SDSpeedNet also get the discount! If you have any feedback for my website, marketing strategy or event in general please comment! I hope to see everyone there. Reserve your spot today space is limited!

Ask this question to a variety of people involved in an event: Attendees, the Event Producer, Special Guests, Performers, Sponsors, Vendors and you’ll get a different response from each individual. Ideally, everyone will have a positive experience.

As I mentioned in my Events page, I would write a blog about Event Marketing using the Carlsbad 5000 as an example. I’d like to focus on how the Sponsors can effectively market themselves at an event and walk away from an event feeling it was a success.

If you are going to sponsor an event and be on-site (with a booth for example) there are several things to keep in mind.

1. Having presence at one event will not single handedly boost your business. The event presence will enhance your existing marketing campaign by putting yourself at the forefront of your target consumer.

2. Engage the attendees. You always see a long line at booths where the sponsor is either giving complimentary products or has an interactive element such as a game. This gives you an opportunity to talk to the attendees and explain your product/company/service. At the Carlsbad 5000, the Minute Rice booth had a huge line because they had a prize wheel to win free rice. While people were waiting in line, their employees walked up to each person passing out coupons.

3. Don’t expect to make an ROI by selling your product on-site unless it’s specifically an event for shopping. At the Carlsbad 5000 there were booths selling very expensive specialty health drinks, sunglasses, running clothes, etc. Many people at a concert, race or other event are not there to shop. They love to get free stuff though!

To be successful at an event I recommend:

1. Only sponsoring at an event where you know your target demographic will be attending.

2. If you are going to give away promo items, come up with something creative that the attendees will want to keep and use. For example, a flyer will get tossed.

3. Couponing is hard because like flyers, these will get tossed. To increase the redemption rate offer a low ticket item that’s 100% complimentary. This drives consumers to your location and hopefully they will spend $ when they’re there.

Of course each event is different and these recommendation may not apply to all, but genrally speaking event marketing is most effective when it’s one small element of a larger campaign.