If you’ve attended a marketing conference and felt like everything was below your knowledge level or that your questions weren’t answered, there’s a good reason for that.
Not everyone is advanced, and not everyone is a beginner.
National conferences ensure that the speakers cater to the majority of the group rather than specific individuals at higher and lower levels, with the exception of pre-show workshops and beginner-level tracks.
Pro-tip: Ask questions during the Q&A and at the show. The speaker can and will likely answer your advanced-level question and provide a solution. They do know the answers, but they may not present them because they are too advanced for the show, including on advanced tracks. If you don’t ask, you won’t get an answer. Don’t be afraid. It is literally why you are there and why they are on stage.
Information isn’t the only reason to go to a show. If you’re beginning your career, yes and absolutely. If you’re mid-level or advanced, there’s a lot more you will gain by going to conferences, even if it isn’t information. And that’s what this post is about.
The three headers are in a specific order, as one leads to the next.
One of the most valuable assets I gained from attending conferences is being able to get solutions in a matter of minutes or days, rather than researching for weeks and hoping to find answers.
Builds Your Network For Job And Income Security
The first and largest benefit of conferences is that you’ll build your network of peers. For marketers, this includes in-house professionals, agencies, and vendors.
When you build trust with these people, bonds are formed – and those bonds carry you through the rough times.
They also lead to increased compensation and new titles as opportunities become available at your own and at different companies.
One of my first conferences was around 2005 or 2006 at Commission Junction University (CJU). The rep there liked what I had to say, saw the information shared at two dinners and a networking event, and took note of it.
When I got back to my office in Washington DC, CJU offered me a job, either remote or in Santa Barbara. I stayed at my current company, but I still talk to a few people I met there, almost 20 years later.
Next was the Affiliate Summit West in 2006 at Bally’s in Las Vegas.
I already knew multiple industry people from a forum called ABestWeb.com, but the conference introduced us all at an unofficial event at the dueling piano bar – and I’m still working with some of these people today.
If I hadn’t gone, these specific people may not have promoted the affiliate programs we managed. Affiliates get pitched daily, and the in-person aspect makes a huge difference on who they work with and who they do not.
As an agency owner, if I hadn’t met the affiliates, merchants, solution providers, and competing agencies, they wouldn’t be sending my agency SEO, conversion, and affiliate management leads.
If I hadn’t gone to these two shows above, my career network would not have been built, and I would not have the access I have today, including writing for SEJ.
More importantly, when things go bad, the people in this group always help in any way they can. This includes sending contracts to each other, sharing job openings, or trying to take on new business so we can hire each other if the bond is strong.
Local Groups And Communities Lead To Better Marketing
National shows like Pubcon, Affiliate Summit, SMX, etc. lead me to meeting local groups like SEMPDX, the Duluth Chamber of Commerce and AimClear, DFWSEM, Houston’s marketing group, Raleigh Tech Triangle, among others – all of which have local annual shows and/or monthly meetups.
Being able to explore and speak at local groups gave me career opportunities and information I’d never have learned if speaking and attending national shows never happened.
Local Cultures And Customs
Engaging even just for a week lets me better target and market for local SEO, affiliate, and paid media.
By being a tourist, I got to know landmarks, what it is like to be at them, and most importantly, the ones that matter most to the locals as they are the ones answering my questions about what to do and why.
Their slang and recommendations help you speak their language and reference their communities using their own words vs. one person’s opinion.
Show Size Means Better Networking
When there are fewer people attending, you get more time to actually learn what others do.
There’s less of a feeling of rushing and hustling and more of a calm atmosphere in which to engage with each other.
These bonds are equally as strong as the long-term ones, and if the speakers and brands you want to meet are there, you get more time to actually say hi vs. a handshake.
This goes a long way with relationship building.
Less Expensive And More Networking
The cost of the local shows is a lot less than a national show because they’re less expensive to put on.
The quality of speakers and information is equal, if not better, and can be customized for the audience members.
I just presented in Portland and used examples of what to do based on the companies attending so they could leave with actionable items.
At Zenith in Duluth and Barbados SEO, you had some of the most sought-after SEO professionals in the world at a fraction of the normal cost, including Lily Ray, Michael Icon King, Aleyda Solis, Purna Virji, Andrew Shotland, and Cindy Krum.
I also got to meet new people and learn new things from like Isa Lavahun and Apurva Bose.
The cost of a ticket is a fraction of the national shows, but the speaker quality was the same (if not higher).
I mentioned the networking and bonds from these local shows above. Here’s one of many examples of how local shows lead to international relationships.
At a local State of Search conference, Arsen Rabinovich and I were both speaking and met for the first time. He invited me out for pizza (my favorite food), and we bonded.
A couple of years later, he forced me to sit at a blackjack table (I hate card games), and that was when I met the other players, who included Aleyda Solis (Spain), Dawn Anderson (England), Lily Ray (NYC).
If I hadn’t been at that State of Search, I wouldn’t have had the next opportunity (or that really good pizza), and each of these people has impacted my career and speaking at different points in time now.
Getting Answers To Difficult And Impossible Questions
Once the relationships were built and people trusted me, I found myself being invited to private communities hosted on custom URLs, on Facebook, etc.
This is where the most value came from, as I attended marketing conferences. These groups are carefully vetted, and where you can get detailed answers with actual data based on actual experience.
We all encounter situations we don’t have answers to and that we cannot ask publicly – whether it is an NDA or your company prohibits sharing problems outside of the organization.
These groups are where you can ask and share as much as you are able, and others will respond with what they did or how they solved the issue.
If nobody has solved the issue before, people in the groups often look for solutions or run tests on their own websites and platforms to see if they can replicate the problem and then fix it.
When I didn’t have a software solution for other channels, someone else in these groups did.
The added benefit of being in the private group is these people won’t say the actual issues they have with the products publicly, but they go into detail on what to avoid and the reasons why.
It helped me avoid pitfalls when my clients were about to invest in new tools and tech stacks.
One of the most valuable assets I gained from attending conferences is being able to get solutions in a matter of minutes or days, rather than researching for weeks and hoping to find answers.
If I didn’t go to the big ones and wasn’t invited to speak at them, I wouldn’t have met these local groups from around the country and the world.
If I didn’t attend those, I wouldn’t have been able to market as effectively locally which impacts both local and national marketing campaigns.
Most importantly, I wouldn’t have access to the communities and groups that help me solve problems.
Attending Conferences Helped Me Build Essential Relationships
Conferences, whether they’re marketing, human resources, IT, or even houseware and photography shows, have more value than a bit of information in a session.
It’s the network you build, the relationships you form, and the power they add to your career, financial, and mental well-being.
If I didn’t get out of my comfort zone and begin attending, speaking at, and in some cases exhibiting at these shows, life would be a lot harder.
I still have struggles just like everyone, but I have a network and community to help me through them, thanks to attending conferences.
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