NAMM's Believe in Music event
had another amazing line-up this year of Networking and Marketing professionals to help us succeed:
Mike Dias of IEMITO (In-Ear Monitor
International Trade Organization) and Earth Works Audio discussed how to
network with confidence before, during and after the event which begins
with being open and welcoming to each person you meet and seeing how
you can help them. Each part is paramount to your success and the people
you interact with:
- Prepare
- Show Time
- Follow-up
Prepare
1. Begin preparing as much as a month before and filling out a spreadsheet of where you're going to be and when. Decide what you want to get and give and why you are going. Go through all the people you already know at the event and add them to a spreadsheet.
2. Begin scanning over the people you don't know and add them to the same spreadsheet.
3. Think of the people who are in the same region of the show who are not at the event. Call them and let them know you'll be in town for the event. Bring people together from different industries and introduce them to become friends. Find people who don't have the same connections as you and bring them along for the ride.
4. Begin reaching out
to someone you know or don't know and letting them know you'll be there
and would like to meet with them when you arrive.
5. Make a note of why you want to reach out to them: "I really want to get to know you because of XYZ".
Show Time
Don't think you need to only have one meeting at each part of the day. Have 5 breakfasts with 5 different people.
Show up with a smile. Take some time beforehand to focus and let the anxiety pass. Many people are uncomfortable so don't be afraid to say high to anyone that passes by. Say, "How is the show going for you? Can I help you with anything?"
Don't talk about things you don't care about. Be genuine. Stay away from "personal life" topics.
Networking is a team sport. We need to help them feel comfortable. Take the lead. Stay polite and use manners.
Treat
everyone there like you've known them forever, like they were one of
your childhood best friends. This will help you feel more comfortable
and as well as them.
Dress appropriately. The way you take care of yourself is the way you'll take care of them. Practice active listening and be grateful to be there. People are not their jobs. Be a great conversationalist and fun to be around.
Right after you meet someone, make notes:
- What commitments did you make to them and yourself?
- Write down any projects or potential opportunities you might have together.
- Did they mention any mutual interests?
- How did you meet them?
- Who do you know that they also know?
At the end of a meeting, offer a card and ask to get a card; it's a sign of respect. Pay attention to cultural practices internationally.
Follow-up
Make time that night to close all open loops before the next day. It's better to do it each night in the hotel than do it all on a plane.
File all of your information from your notes into the spreadsheet. Note who you met, where, and when.
While going through your list, if you met someone who can help fulfill another person's goals, take some time to make an introduction and connect them.
Do what you said you were going to do.
Set up long-term calendar reminders.
Close the loop each time and set future actions into motion that will set us all up for success.
Pay extra for the VIP parties so you can go the extra mile to network ie. the TechAwards after-party.
Tracy Hoeft, President of Amplify 11, focused on social media, video, and digital ads. In 2022, what you post will matter most. Everyone is following TikTok's success by catering to your interests instead of what your friends post or who you follow. Win by having high quality content. The interest graph is now migrating into the social graph.
Make content for your users, not for you. Will they like, share, and engage in what you are about to post?
Scroll time has increased. How will you slow someone down to view your post?
How to show up in a person's story feed:
Engage with them. Inside of Instagram Stories, there are different stickers you can select from:
- Ask questions in your stories.
- Reply to their answers.
- Get feedback with the slider.
- Use polls.
- "Add Yours" which lets people share pics.
Work with collaborators and influencers. Elton John worked with Stevie Wonder, Charlie Puth, and others to grow his social media.
Make collaborative posts with others that will be seen by both of your followers.
Video should be a priority. Include a hook, body, and call to action.
- The hook = Something that will get their attention. Ask an interesting question (they will want an answer). Make a promise. Create suspense. Tease a story. Give a fascinating fact. Showcase the problem. Pose a "What if...". Think like a meme maker. They pose a question or headline and a secondary part that pulls it all together. "I'm pretty sure ___ hates when I do this."
- Body = main content that keeps their attention.
- Call to action = See the full video, listen to the sound, etc.
If you're selling something, use the social media shops and make your products available where your customers are.
Who do you want to reach and what do they want to see?
Hashtags are still relevant to a degree. They allow you to help people find the right content that are looking for those topics.
What is the value that you can bring?
You can be a micro-influencer if you want to work with big brands and don't have a large audience. A genuine artist can be a great way for brands to relate to others.
In TikTok, there is always a tending song. Use these to connect with others.
Don't be spammy and create click-bait. Fulfill your promise and expectations you create.
Consider shooting video vertically if you're not making videos within an app. Vertical videos are popular on TikTok and other social media outlets. Try to make good lighting and sound recordings. Consider YouTube and other outlets that may steer you to make a horizontal version as well.
How do you post bilingual content? It may be best to have different accounts for both.
When recording video with a phone, it may be best to record audio separately with a high quality recorder.
Dennis Stafford of Organiksol Marketing shared his wisdom in how to put artist and influencer marketing to work.
Prepare and make sure you have what it takes to make it work: Can you afford it? Who will manage the process of following up with people? Can you take advantage of a strategy?
How do you find a good influencer?
- Are they authentic?
- Do they have a large following that match the people who would be interested in you?
- Are they well suited for your specific campaign?
- Does the ambassador fit your values?
Ask your customers and friends about success they have had with others. A great endorser isn't such a great endorser for you if they charge over your budget.
- Podium gives great analytics and data.
- Community.com
4 ways to effectively utilized texting:
- Understand push vs. pull: Create what people want to hear, pulling them in, instead of pushing yourself in front of someone. Encourage people to interact. Ask questions.
- Generate reviews for yourself. Get good feedback from others and ask them to put in a good word for you if they enjoyed what you had to offer. Get a QR code for them to scan and take you to a review website. Get a survey as well that they can go to and share their experience with you directly so you can reply, especially if it's a bad experience. Good reviews also help you rank higher in searches.
- Take advantage of promotional opportunities. Don't bombard them. Create a content calendar to keep you from doing this. Plan out your year and even take care of special events, holidays, and special sales. Make the text exciting with maybe a .gif or image.
- Create Opt-in forms: Share them online and in person. Make it an exclusive VIP platform, a real human experience. Drive value and purpose. Share what makes you different. Explain why you exist in the community.
