Tweak Your Biz » Marketing » How To Borrow An Audience

How To Borrow An Audience

by Fred Caballero on November 22nd, 2010
21 Comments



Many of us regularly attend business networking events. Have you ever wondered if there’s a fast track to be in the spotlight so more people remember you and your company?

Every single online and offline network or community is a stage. The more “gigs” you do, the faster the members remember you and most importantly, what do you talk about, what problem does your product/service solve. The question is how do I go on stage more often then? The number one step is to actually want to be on stage. This might sound like a no-brainer to many of you but there’re loads of business professionals that would rather stay in the back seat. That makes it even a bigger opportunity for you, always ready for showtime :)

Starting point

The tactic consists on carefully picking your networking events, especially those that you would really benefit if you got some exposure. Obviously, not all of them will have the same importance. Ideally, you want to concentrate on those that are very relevant to your brand, industry and product, however there can be exceptions. It’s your call.

Research

Go to the event website and have a look at the members, look them up on LinkedIn to learn more and pay close attention to the organiser/s. Those are the ones that you want to connect with first, to potentially get the chance to borrow their stage and therefore, audience.
Create a separate column on Tweetdeck (or your favourite Twitter client) and track all the event organisers. You will find a few opportunities during the day to chat with them or retweet a few of their messages. Helping them grow their network is a fast track to getting known.
Track also the event hashtag so you can start touching base with businesses before the event. You will be also contributing to sparking some buzz around the event.

The secret

Make content for them! Come prepared to the event with your photo and video camera (Flip is better). Then you will upload those pictures onto your FlickR account and Facebook page (When publishing, tag the organiser’s Facebook page as well) and send them a follow up email with all the content to freely use as they want.


I have even created content before events. Back in June, I shared with the organisers of  the Dublin Web Summit, a quick branded screencast on how to connect with people before going to an event. They immediately shared it with their audience. That was me a few minutes on their stage.

YouTube Preview Image

Showtime

When you’re there, don’t hide. Try to first, shake hands with the organiser/s and introduce yourself, then go ahead and meet with as many of those companies that you said you’d meet with as possible.
Take photos, shoot some video, why not do interviews with the organisers and members. If they are interested they’ll grab it from your YouTube channel and FlickR account. When they do that and send it to their audience, that’s you again, borrowing an audience.

When it comes to online activities, possibly the best way to borrow a stage is by “guest posting“. Same thing, choose those business blogs carefully, touch base with the organisers to ensure they accept guest posts and off you go!

What other tactics have worked well for you?



Category: Blogging, Branding, Linkedin, Marketing Strategy, Social media Marketing, Twitter

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The Author:

Fred is Creative Director at Channelship, a strategic web and social media agency. He is responsible for leading web projects and conducting social media training and strategy for companies. He works directly with key accounts, particularly in creative and strategic capabilities. Fred is also a Co-Founder here at tweakyourbiz.com http://www.channelship.co.uk

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  • http://www.btbtraining.com/blog Niall Devitt

    Great post! I think that conference venues could really learn from this. If they were to become more tuned in/sophisticated as to how they can contribute to the marketing and recording of the event, they would immediately give themselves a significant competitive advantage. Amazingly not too many even try?

  • http://www.ivanwalsh.com Ivan Walsh

    Hi Fred,

    Another thing that works is to help others connect.

    It’s a bit like being a matchmaker connecting folks you think should/could work

    Of course, you need to build a network first so you have this critical mass of information but once you do people will come to you looking for connections.

    Works well :)

  • Byrneianr

    Guys, always keen to hear feedback or to add anything new that we can bring to our events – The Business Owners Network. Please feel free to drop us any suggestions to help the events more memorable and beneficial to members;

    http://tinyurl.com/2vfldnx

  • http://twitter.com/fredchannel Fred

    Great suggestion Ivan. If you’re still in the process of building a network I guess it’s easier to connect individuals or ask for introductions on LinkedIn. Nowadays, any business network has a dedicated group.

  • Pingback: How to borrow an audience « Open Coffee North Down

  • http://wikichaves.com Wiki Chaves

    New Comment

  • http://www.seefincoaching.com/blog Elaine Rogers

    Very forward thinking Fred, especially as most people would rather die, than be “showcased” in front of a group.nnBottom line? We have to get out there, be visible, be proactive, even a bit cheeky!nAnd I mean both offline, and online! But at all times, respectful and considerate of others. So maybe keep the karaoke for the social nights :) nnReally enjoyed the post Fred, and the video :)

  • http://twitter.com/fredchannel Fred

    Glad you enjoyed it Elaine. Loved the Karaoke thing! Ahahah

  • Pingback: How to make the most of networking events | Social Media Marketing for Non-Profits

  • http://blog.myprojecttracker.com Barney Austen

    Hi Elli. nnCulture, whether localised or on a global scale, has to be a consideration in all elements of networking. I enjoyed the addition Ivan makes below of his experience.nI had the same when doing business in Latin America a few years ago. Everything seemed to operate at a snails pace with key players taking their time. Relationships built up slowly and I lost out against someone who had been creating a local relationship with the client for literally years. I could not compete meeting them once in the face and the remainder over the phone.nWhen dealing with remote clients or indeed clients closer to home, appreciation has to be given to how their culture works and what’s important to them – but it must not be contrived i.e. you have to be prepared to accept it and work within its boundaries without appearing forced. If you do this, you can do nothing but learn and benefit.nnThanks for sharing.

  • http://www.btbtraining.com/blog Niall Devitt

    Very interesting post Elli, thanks for sharing. There was an interesting conversation taking place about the Irish Diaspora last year (now called Global Irish), unfortunately the starting point to this conversation was “what can the diaspora do for us?” surely this is reason why this conversation and the ideas around it will fail? nnHad the conversation/ideas started with u201cwhat can Ireland (the island) do for the Irish (global)?u201d the potential of the conversation and the outcomes is entirely different. Our networking style is all about what can those we network with do for me? It’s one-dimensional, selfish and contains only one perspective. Until this changes, we will continue to be mediocore networkers at best what ever our natural social skills. Perhaps the greatest legacy of the Celtic Tiger is not the banks our the property bust but the way in which it is turned our collective perspective?

  • Anonymous

    Niall,nnThe conversation about where Ireland goes from here seems to be bouncing around a lot. The collective perspective may be more of a bunker mentality or wishing “someone” could make things better. What is the mood at most networking events? How is this perspective affecting how business is conducted on a daily basis? nnThere seem to be long-standing cultural forces underpinning networking practices. The challenge lies in being a living example of how networking differently is still consistent with one’s Irish identity while leading to better business opportunities. Something, Niall, you do very well everyday!

  • Anonymous

    Barney,nnThank you for sharing your story. Sometimes we have to consider when resources interfere more than cultural differences. nnYour reminder to listen and observe another’s culture is a crucial business practice. Just because the “cheat sheet” says that certain behaviours or practices are done in a given country doesn’t mean that just doing them will secure a business deal. There are nuances to how conversations are structured, where meetings are held and the length of time it takes to build a mutually satisfying relationship.

  • Anonymous

    Ivan,nnI had to chuckle when I read your story. I’ve heard similar stories from people doing business in Japan. Time is a great tester. Our slips, our ordinariness and moments of grace fill in the blanks for people to decide whether we are ‘quality” and trustworthy. Doing business outside our own national boundaries is a path that requires us to deepen who we are and how we know ourselves and others.

  • http://www.ivanwalsh.com Ivan Walsh

    Absolutely. When in Rome…

  • Anonymous

    Absolutely!

  • http://www.theexecutivesuite.com/blog/ Warren Rutherford

    Elish – yes, I think it’s healthy to develop a habit of sticking around to help others to succeed by showing continual encouragement and enthusiasm.

  • http://www.ahaingroup.com/ John twohig

    I feel the listening is important but I also rate the ability to understand peoples qualities and failings. The failings are key because a leader will not put a person who is not capable in a position to fail. A leader will always protect his people and promote their strengths. As this shows the leaders people and company/organisation in the strongest light.

  • http://about.me/Lindeskog lyceum1776

    Gregg Schwartz: As an experienced purchaser, I have seen many of these examples during the years. Thanks for sharing your viewpoint and solutions to the problems.

  • http://twitter.com/writerlyderv Derbhile Graham

    Very wise advice. Particularly the slow response rate. A quick response demonstrates that you’re reliable, which builds trust.

  • http://www.facebook.com/elish.bulgodley Elish Bul-Godley

    Thank you for the Post- I do believe in every business the imperative is there to redefine, or refine even, their core competencies as they evolve and ask the very important question – What is the Business really about whilst thinking beyond the 4 walls of the store itself. Rather than see technology as a threat , its time Retailers start looking at it with a positive mindset as another tool to expand their pontential – lots of scaremongering around.

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