Chase and I will be departing for Las Vegas on April 20th. We’ll be heading towards Avvo’s Lawyernomics conference – it’ll be the third time I’ve attended. While a lot of lawyers will find plenty of new information available when looking to try new things with their marketing, since we’re immersed in the industry, there will be a limited number of takeaways. Some of those takeaways may not even be from the speakers. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be valuable. All it takes is one idea, one experiment, or one marketing channel to take someone’s strategy to the next level. That’s why I believe, no matter what, a marketing conference (especially one specific to your industry) is a great event to engage in at least annually as either a marketer or a business owner. So let’s take the viewpoint of a business owner that can set aside a couple days a year to hone in on marketing specifically.
You’ll Meet People That Are Really Good at What They Do
This is a no-brainer, but it is important to drive home that if you’ve only been to some local meetups and your own community in regards to meeting marketing experts, you’ll likely see concepts and disciplines within digital marketing a few notches higher. Speakers are often times the creative, technical, and digital marketing minds of large innovative companies. They’re accustomed to speaking to and engaging with large crowds and offering keen and succinct wisdom and information. They like answering questions when they’re not on the stage and they are oftentimes able to give insights relevant to nearly any industry.
You’ll Meet People in Your Industry That Face the Same Challenges As You
This is one of the main reasons I still attend conferences – meeting other agency owners and discussing what has been working for clients, what stopped working, and what to expect in months to come. The same works for business owners except you get to talk about what is working with personnel and internal processes as well. Everyone at a conference is there to talk about what can make their business better, so there is a paramount willingness to speak with everyone and be approached to chat about what they can be doing differently.
You’ll Learn About the Most Current Technologies You Can Take Advantage Of
There will likely be dozens of vendors there, and from what I’ve experienced, they will not be aggressive in their approach to get you to check out their products. But you will be encouraged, and in doing so, you’ll see what kinds of great software and tools have been at your disposal for months on end. Business owners may actively seek services such as marketing, accounting, hiring/firing etc. but not as often something along the lines of CRM software, chat/call software, data security and management, and many other items along these lines. Conferences are a great way to get acclimated with what it takes to streamline potentially dozens of your business tasks.
It’s Fun
Simply put, most conferences are in places you normally don’t travel to and have some sort of happy hour/fun networking events as well as entertaining speakers and events. If there was ever a time to get out of town to do something, you could plan a trip around a marketing conference.
One of the biggest drawbacks for most people is going to be the price – between the airfare, lodging, and the conference pass (which can range from perhaps $300 to well over $1,000 for the whole thing), conferences just seem like an unnecessary expense. But keep in mind the benefit they can bring to your business in the long run. You can also save money by booking far ahead of time. We’ve been able to find a promo code in advance or even simply email to see if they could go a little bit lower and save a few bucks.
Digital Marketing conferences are great, and I’d be hard pressed to say even experienced marketers won’t have any takeaways between the coveted speakers and fellow marketers.
The ongoing digital revolution is transforming the way that all businesses interact with clients and customers. Consumers rely heavily on digital channels for researching products and services and expect to make buying choices with the swipe of a finger. For organizations that want to remain competitive, having a defined digital marketing strategy and execution plan is essential for successful outcomes. With a demonstrated history of creating and implementing strategic digital marketing initiatives that drive growth, I am committed to delivering real, measurable results for my clients.
