Sagacity About Conferences and Events. Direct Response Copywriter Email Archive. September 2019.

MAKING THE MOST OF CONFERENCES AND EVENTS

PLUS MY THOUGHTS ABOUT A GREAT DIRECT RESPONSE AD

In this email, I'm going to provide some thoughts about how to make the most of conferences and events ... from a client finding perspective.

And then I'm beginning a series where I provide a critique of the best direct marketing ads I know.

Fall is a busy time for marketing and copywriting events. AWAI might have moved their Boot Camp to the spring but there are plenty of events out there. I'm going to "dreary old Manhattan" next week for a marketing conference.

My goal?

Meet about 20 potential clients and gain 2-3 new clients who regularly need copy AND ... here's the important part ... VALUE the work of a direct response copywriter.

The Promise

Closely read the copy for events and seminars, like I do, and you will usually see a promise similar to: "meet new clients and connections at our really amazing networking events ... you'll leave with a TON of new business."

In fact, I've attended events specifically for this reason.

But it's not so easy.

In 2011, I was at the Dan Kennedy Info-Marketing summit in Atlanta and I was looking at a sea of potential clients. About 2,000 people attended that shin-dig. I never met one potential client because the event was simply too big. I asked GKIC for the list of attendees and said I would pay for it and they sternly said, "no."

Ditto the Titans of Marketing event five years ago in Connecticut. I met some current clients. And I met a new client. But there were 300 potential clients there, maybe more. It's just not easy meeting perfect potential clients when there are so many and just about everyone is in the meeting room paying close attention to the presentations.

On the Friday of the AWAI Boot Camp, there's a party with booths. In the booths? People looking for copywriters. One afternoon, I walked out with deals for two promotions worth a lot of money. Can't complain about that.

Actually, I can complain because they turned out to be rotten clients.

So for this upcoming event, I'm taking a different approach.

I'm a sponsor and this gives me access to the list of people attending. It's a good list and I've already been working it.
I gain access to the sponsor party and this means I'll be in a small group where my chances of meeting great potential clients are much higher.
I'll enter that sponsor party with a list of people I want to meet.
The event managers are organizing meetings with potential clients based on a list I gave them.
And being a sponsor has generated traffic to my website.

It's not a whopping event. So I'm guessing there will be more opportunities to meet quality clients. We'll see. It's a chunk of money being a sponsor, going to the event, hotel, etc.

My advice, from a client finding standpoint, if you're going to an event.

Prepare as much as possible BEFORE you go to the event. Find out who will be there and contact them and set up meetings.
Conferences have speakers. Maybe the speakers are excellent prospects.
Hit the bar. At many events, the hotel bar is where you'll meet prospects in a more relaxed setting.
If there are scheduled networking events/booths, try to find out who will be there. Get the layout sheet and take it home.
Follow up with leads after events and add them to your database.
Connect with your leads on LinkedIn and see who they know.

Just wandering around aimlessly at events will not help your cause.

I'll let you know how things go at the event in Manhattan.

*

I'm beginning an occasional series where I dissect a really great direct response ad.

The first is from David Ogilvy, most likely, and it's an ad for his agency. Click here to watch the video.

This video is from a series of 150 copywriting training videos I offer through The Aspen School of Copywriting.