Last week we talked about the importance of building your community in the real world by attending in person events. Today we’re talking about three things that can help you stand out at events!
1. Business Cards
Business cards may seem old school, but they are still an important part of your marketing and networking tool kit. They are a way to stand out and help people remember you. With an eye-catching logo and a clever tagline, you make a memorable impression when you hand someone a card. And of course, if they have your name and contact information, they are more likely to keep in touch.
Your cards don’t have to be complicated or elaborate. Concentrate on expressing what you do and your personality through color choices and your tagline. You can write a fun tagline by starting with your personal logline. Shorten it and use punchy, vivid words to create a tagline.
I get my business cards from moo.com. They have hundreds of fun designs, or you can design your own in Canva.
2. Name Tags
Some bigger conferences have attendee badges that have your name on them. But those are often hard to read, or they get flipped around. And most smaller events don’t offer name tags. To stand out and help people remember your name, wear a name tag.
I got the idea from a couple of clubs I belong to that have name tags. It makes the meeting so much more fun when you’re not worried about remembering everyone’s name. These are plastic name tags with a magnetic back so they don’t ruin your clothes. I just ordered mine from a company called newbart.com. Here’s the rough design.
3. QR Codes Plaque
If you have a table where you’re selling merchandise, like at a comic convention or book fair, have a plaque with QR codes to your website and social media. I got this idea from my chiropractor. Hers is fancy with the social media icons molded in plastic, but you could print one, put it in a frame, and it would look great. It’s quick and easy to make a QR code at free sites like adobe.com.
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An important part of marketing yourself and your work is networking. And while we have all gotten used to connecting over Zoom, nothing beats in person events for connecting and building relationships. For the Hollywood crowd, the biggest event of the year is Comic Con in San Diego. But you don’t need to jet off to big-ticket events to make magical connections. Stellar opportunities are knocking at your doorstep every single day – if only you know where to look!
How to find networking events near you:
Ask friends and colleagues.
Google
Your LinkedIn feed
Meet Up
Creator newsletters like this one.
Podcasts
Join industry groups.
Alumni groups
I had an absolute blast at a meeting of the League of Romance Writers last weekend! The best part? Meeting the fabulous Jami Albright and diving deep into her newsletter wisdom. The meeting was half an hour from me, and I could have attended over Zoom, but I wanted to meet people in real life. Also, I was thrilled to find such a cool event in my hometown.
I learned about it from Jami and Sara Rosett’s podcast, which I have recommended to ya’ll before – Wish I’d Known Then. I love this podcast because it’s authors talking with other authors, and I learn something from every episode. It was really cool to meet someone I had been listening to for over a year. I felt like a fangirl!
So, here’s your mission for the week: Seek out an in-person event. Dive into lively conversations. Expand your universe, one connection at a time. Remember, the wider your network, the brighter your constellation of opportunities!
Stay connected and keep shining!
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September is marketing month! One of the most important pieces of your marketing is being able to talk about all of your projects. My challenge for you this month is to craft killer project cocktail pitches for every single one of your projects.
While this challenge seems squarely aimed at the at writers, it is also important for executives to be prepared. One time my boss turned to me in a meeting and spontaneously asked me to pitch our entire slate to investors. Even if you are in something very traditional, like finance, you still need to talk in a compelling and memorable way about what you’re working on. And that is where the project cocktail pitch comes in!
I know a lot of you are on strike and this homework assignment may feel needless. But what better time to work on getting all of your project pitches in fighting shape than when you have this extended downtime with no pitch meetings? Also, I’ve heard from a lot of you about the great networking you’ve been doing on the picket lines. As you guys know, one of the first things people ask you is what are you working on or what have you done. So I bet even though you’re not having formal meetings, you are pitching daily. And if you’re not, you should be!
You can read the blow by blow article here about how to craft your cocktail pitch. I’m going to do a quick refresher below.
First, the Boy Scouts have it right; be prepared. Be prepared to pitch any project anytime. Because when opportunity knocks, you want to be ready.
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We are getting started early with September as the month marketing. As creatives, a lot of us cringe when we have to market ourselves and our projects. Whether you have a corporate job, you’re a freelancer, or a solopreneur, no one is going to hire you or buy what you’re selling, if you are not talking about it.
For the next four weeks as we talk about the different ways you can pitch yourself and your creative ideas, I encourage you to shift your perspective around marketing.
Marketing is just storytelling in another format. Embrace the creativity around talking about yourself and your ideas. If you start with the attitude that marketing is fun and creative, you’re going to see results.
Be Easy to Find – Have a Website
Be easy to find is a marketing mantra that I teach my clients. If someone is interested in hiring you, optioning one of your screenplays, or buying a book, you want to be easy to find. The most effective way to market yourself is to have a website. A website that explains who you are, what you do, what you have done, and how to get in touch with you. If you have something like books or art to sell, be sure to feature your work with a handy buy button.
Your website doesn’t need to be complicated. It can be one page that you add to as needed. You can build and maintain your own website even if you aren’t techie. If I can do it, you can do it.
I built my website on WordPress. WordPress started off as a blogging platform. Now 60% of websites are built using WordPress. When you build on WordPress, you choose a theme, which is the architecture for your website. I use the Divi theme because it offers lots of design possibilities and it’s very easy to use.
You will need a domain name. I suggest using your name or something similar like yournamewrites.com. And you will need to pay for web hosting. I use and recommend Siteground for domains and hosting. Their tech support is amazing. They only work with WordPress sites, so if you have trouble with WordPress, they will help you too.
Author Media has a free course – How to Make Your Author Website Amazing – that walks you through building your site in a day. While this course is aimed at authors, it will help any kind of creative build their site with wonderful tips about how to appeal to site visitors.
I can’t to see what you create!
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Last week we talked about how being helpful can make you feel good, build your network, and help your career. There was one situation that I didn’t cover.
Sometimes you don’t even know you can ask for help.
When we feel that we are in an impossible situation, it doesn’t occur to us to ask for help. Don’t panic. There is always a solution. It may not be the one you hope for or the one you like, but there is always a way to make your problem a little better.
Don’t assume that you know all the answers. And secondly don’t assume you can’t ask questions. If you are in a real bind, discuss your situation with a trusted friend and brainstorm solutions.
Ask for help, brainstorm, and you will be surprised at the outcome.
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