My friend Rebecca Kelley recently gave search conferences their walking papers, fiercely stating why she’s over them. And I definitely feel her pain. I attend between 5-8 search conferences a year and sometimes they’re so similar, not even I can tell you which show I’m at. However, people like me and Becs need to remember something pretty important. Do you have a pen? You’ll want to write this down.
We’re not normal.
Becs and I attend search conferences for different reasons than many of the other attendees – we’re they’re for clients. However, as an affiliate marketer, you’re probably going for information, the networking and the events. And if that’s the case, then search conferences are absolutely still valuable for you and you shouldn’t be writing them off. Here are some tips for how to get value from attending conferences that may even help non-normal people like me and Becs.
Pick Better Search Conferences
When I was younger, my father would have a single chicken breast, vegetable and some form of potato every night for dinner. Even as a kid, the thought of having the same thing, served the same way, every day, made me cringe. You’d probably cringe, too. So then why are you on your fifth year attending Search Engine Strategies New York?
Don’t get me wrong, SES NY is a great show – but if you’ve been attending it since 2001, I can see how it’d get a little stale. Anything would. So start switching it up, making better choices, and looking for conferences that can offer you more reward if the same show isn’t cutting it year after year. [Switch out "conferences" for "mate," if needed.]
If you typically go to every SES NY, maybe this year try Affiliate Summit to expand your palette. If you’re tired of going to search shows completely, then hit up a newcomer like BlueGlass to help you get your SEO with a flavor of entrepreneurship. If you want something more intimate, then maybe it’s time you register for Elite Retreat. The point is, if things are starting to get stale at one show – THEN FIND ANOTHER ONE. That’s the upside to there being a new marketing conference popping up every week – there are alternatives to the “same old shows.” Take some responsibility and pick smarter.
Attend With A Purpose
The best way to get no value out of a conference is to have just a vague idea of why you’re there. Instead, know what you want to learn, who you want to meet, and what you want to accomplish. If you’re a small business owner and you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around all the changes going on with local, write down the top questions you need answered and make it a point to get them resolved at the show. If you’re trying to decide which affiliate program is right for you, then arrange face time with some of the representatives or track down people with experience. Whatever your goal for the show is – have a plan. Otherwise, you risk spending your day idly walking around the exhibit hall seeing how many pens and squishy balls you can pick up. Ooo, fun!
Get Out Of The Sessions
Before you even arrive at the conference, print out the session schedule. Pick two or three sessions a day that you think will be valuable for you and/or will help you solve one of your noted Things to Tackle. Attend only those sessions. Just because you’re at Search Marketing Expo, doesn’t mean you have to spend your entire day in sessions. And you can thank people like me for that – I liveblog Internet marketing conferences. Actually, I liveblog the crap out of them. You don’t have to be present all day to get the information.
The fact is, the best part of attending conferences is not to sit in on the sessions. It’s to create those connections and find people who can be your unofficial mentors over the next year. People you can team up with and learn from. That’s why you’re there. So get out of the goddamn sessions and introduce yourself to those around you. Make dinner plans. Take a long lunch with interesting people. You’ll learn way more there than you will in the session on Keyword Research For Beginners.
Get Out Of The Circlejerk
It’s inevitable. If you keep attending search conferences, you’re going to start to see the same faces over and over again. On one hand, this is great. It means you’ve made friends with smart people and have built relationships with them. However, it can also provide a really damaging safety net. So cut out of it.
Just because many of the shows include the same faces, doesn’t mean you have to hang out with them. If you’re attending PubCon and hanging out with the same fifteen people you see at every show – that’s YOUR fault. Thousands of people attend PubCon Vegas every year. Cut the security cord and go make some new contacts. That’s part of why you’re there. Stop being such a baby. You never know who’s sitting next to you at the hotel bar. Find out.
Act On What You Learned
Hopefully you’re arriving home with the answers to the handful of questions you jotted down before you got there. Now that you have them – act. Put the knowledge that you gained at the conference to use. Otherwise, yeah, you just dropped a few thousand dollars to get a week behind on work and drift further away from your significant other. Make sure you’re bringing something back; otherwise, what the hell were you doing out there?
Use the Feedback Forms
If you’re tired of sucky speakers, then do something about it. Don’t tweet in session about how much the speaker is dropping the ball, use the feedback form and tell the conference organizers who can actually do something about it. If there’s no form available, drop the organizers an email and let them know. Will this totally eradicate the number of speakers who get on panels based on politics and charm? No, it won’t. But you’ll put the ball in motion to help make things better.
The truth is, while search conferences aren’t always a perfect experience, then can provide value if you’re an SEO or affiliate trying to problem solve a particular issue or if you’re looking for ways to connect with other people in your industry. My two business partners today are people I met and created friendships with via search conferences. Had I not attended, we would have our baby, Outspoken Media. There is value there, but sometimes you have to create it yourself.
About the author...
lisabarone – who has written 2 posts on ShoeMoney.com.
Lisa Barone is Co-Founder and Chief Branding Officer of SEO consulting firm Outspoken Media. You can find her blogging daily on the Outspoken Media blog or causing trouble on Twitter at @lisabarone.
Images provided by ShutterStock
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{ 48 comments… read them below or add one }
Personally I never had attended one, but I think in 2011 I will try to get around to as many as I can.
“Black Seo Guy “Signing Off”
I’ll be attending ASW for the first time next year. I already have an idea which sessions to attend. Looking forward to it.
How much is the registration fee?
There are four types of passes – you can see prices and differences at http://www.affiliatesummit.com/register/#types
Affiliate Summit is a good choice. I’m located on the East Coast so I make sure to hit the ASE when it comes to New York. Missy and Shawn put on a great show.
Glad to hear about the liveblogging! I can probably afford to attend two events a year. It’d be great to get some highlights from the other conferences that I’d miss.
Great post Lisa. These tips could apply to conferences on affiliate marketing, online advertising, or whatever type of events you attend every year. Step one is definitely having a plan when you go to a conference. If you just wing it when you get there, chances are you won’t get nearly as much out of it.
didn’t have a plan the first time. spent the whole time winging it.
Ugh, YOU’RE WRONG AND I’M RIGHT. Kidding — nice post presenting ways to milk some value out of search conferences. I’m personally just burned out on them, plus I don’t have nearly as much of an SEO focus in my job now so there’s little reason for me to attend, anyway.
I would probably feel the same way if I were you.
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I always enjoy your post lisa, Thanks
Lisa, do you really extract value from every conference? Is it worth the time and the effort? In my experience they seem to be a rehash of the same tired material.
I’ve been to a few that didn’t live up to the hype. But it wasn’t a complete waste of time and money since I was able to meet more people, some of them even became clients.
Exactly.
I guess, at the end of the day, it’s all up to you. I mean, even the worst conference you’ll have the misfortune to attend may not be totally useless. You could build your network or something.
I usually get a tidbit or something useful out of every conference I attend, but I make it a point to do that. It’s different for me because attending conferences and blogging them is part of my job so I spend a lot of my time IN the sessions. I think I’d get even more out of them if I spent more time in the bar networking, but I still find them pretty useful. Of course there’s always that one speaker that’s been giving the same presentation for three years hoping people don’t notice, but thats when you have you to drop the organizers an email after the event and let them know. For all the complaining people do about bad speaker quality, I wonder how many people really speak up and try to get it fixed.
I’ve only been to 1 conference this year. It’ll probably take some time yet before the novelty wears off. Nice post, by the way.
Nice article! I plan to attend at least one next year. I’ll keep the tips you shared here in mind.
I remember the first time I attended an affiliate marketing conference. I was at a loss and felt like I was wearing this big sign that screamed “newbie” the whole time. But I couldn’t agree more with what Lisa said. It’s really more about creating connections. Honestly, there were instances when I learned a lot more from some of the people I met than in the sessions themselves.
Considering the cost of passes and related expenses like airfare and accommodation, it sure helps if you have a plan on how to get the best value for your money.
I’ve always considered conferences as opportunities to discuss best practices within the industry with people I get to chance to meet in them. Getting different perspectives helps me change or improve on ideas or strategies.
Me too! If I could I’d definitely attend more.
I haven’t been to an SES conference. It seems to be organized across the globe. I hope I get to attend one in London.
I’m always on the lookout for copywriting related sessions. Always worth the cost of the ticket.
I attended my very first SES three years ago. I learned a lot not just about search strategies but on how to choose sessions in the conferences I attended after that. In my eagerness to learn as much as I can, I signed up for some sessions that turned out to be way over my head. I agree with what Lisa said here, you need a plan to get the most out of any event you sign up for.
I’m still learning the ropes of Internet marketing so I often feel like everything’s way over my head.
One of the lessons I learned from attending conferences was to never, ever, forget to bring business cards.
I’d love to attend Elite Retreat but I heard it’s not the type of conference suited for those who are just starting out.
Interesting read! The 5th tip’s my favorite. Act. Even access to the best conferences and resources would get you nowhere if you don’t act on what you learn.
I make sure I get audio CDs recorded during sessions, if available. Helps me go back to the more important parts that I may have missed.
what is Search Conferences
I’ve been to conferences were some of the speakers were a total disappointment. They clearly were not as qualified to talk about the topic. I don’t know why they got picked to speak at all.
Same here — it’s frustrating, especially when you see these people inexplicably pop up at various conferences despite their lack of qualifications.
That sucks.
It’s definitely frustrating. Sometimes its because they can con their way through their pitch, other times its politics, other times who knows. But don’t just sit through a bad presentation. Make sure you go back to the organizers after the fact and mention it. If people don’t SAY anything, then they don’t know who not to bring back.
Exactly – feedback on speakers (and everything else) is essential.
With Affiliate Summit, we read every bit of feedback submitted to us, as well as anything we can find on blogs, forums, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
I don’t care about politics – if people think a speaker is bad, we want to know and never have them back.
I prefer smaller conferences since it’s much easier meet with other attendees who do things similar to what interests me. But I usually sign up for the bigger events since it’s where I get to make a number of new contacts.
Conversations with other attendees often yields interesting information or tips. That’s why I try to meet as many people as I can during industry events. Most of the ideas I come across with are well worth the trip.
Great post! Thanks for the heads-up on the liveblog!
I can’t wait to attend my first Internet marketing conference! I don’t when that would be though.
The social aspect of conferences are offers invaluable learning as much as some great sessions do. Unfortunately, some conferences don’t offer the best value from both. I’d say if the sessions don’t interest you or are not potentially useful to you then it’s best not attend.
Haven’t been to a conference for ages. Maybe next year.
I think its also important to go seminars and expos related to the field for a different look at what other people are doing and maybe attend one that does a great job of marketing. Pizza Expo in Vegas gives a well rounded look at whats happening in the food field and how they market. While NRB,National Religious Broadcasters offers up marketing tips on content done by some of the best branding and marketing cats out there.
I was fortunate to work at a large expo hall in Chicago and saw that every field has something to offer up and can be adapted to what you do.
I also agree with Jeremy and Lisa in that networking outside the seminar is where the real ideas come to lite.
Sadly I live in Australia. Not many conferences down here except CEBIT.