Conferences, workshops, trainings… oh my. They can be exhausting.
Between the schmoozing and searching for swag, and all the information presented, you’re lucky if you walk away with a few tidbits of knowledge. And a sloth. Hopefully, you got a stuffed sloth wearing a t-shirt.
As I write this, I’m sitting on an airplane coming back from the Content Marketing World Conference in Cleveland, Ohio and struggling to open a bag of pretzels. (Don’t judge me. It’s been a long week.) There’s finally time to process the deluge of information that I took in and to accept the fact that due to my poor ring toss skills, I am not traveling home with an adorable Corgi stuffed animal. They promised to mail me one, but I suspect the only thing I’ll be seeing is a great deal of marketing emails.
Moment of silence.
You may not have made it out to the conference, and your business may not be primarily content creation, but you can still benefit from the five lessons you’re about to learn.
Lesson # 1: You don’t have to do everything.
If you’ve built a business or are in the process of building one now, you’ve likely attended oodles of workshops and learned about hundreds of platforms, tools, techniques, and products that will help you grow your business, reach your audience, increase your sales, manage your customers, etc., etc., etc.
You my friend, are suffering from Shiny Object Syndrome or Shiny Squirrel Syndrome. Let’s discuss content creation since it’s something many people battle with. You’ve signed up for Facebook and LinkedIn… but then someone tells you how amazing Instagram is and how you can really grow your business by establishing a presence there. So now, you’re on Instagram.
Then you hear that you YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine and off to create videos you go! But wait… there’s more. Twitter is out there, and as we speak, something else is being developed that you ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO BE ON. Did you forget about blogging? Don’t forget blogging! You need content for your website, and you can post it elsewhere like Medium. And you HAVE to have a podcast…
I’m tired just typing all that.
The problem with playing Content Whack-a-Mole is that there will always be another varmint (I think I just channeled Yosemite Sam), coming on to the scene. And when you try to be everything to everyone, everywhere, you fail. Epically, in fact.
Welcome to living half-assed.
So, what should you do? One or two platforms – really, really well.
And how do you choose? Figure out where your ideal clients are and go there.
And what medium do you use (video, audio, text)? Whatever you’re most comfortable with.
Take a deep breath; you don’t have to do everything.
Lesson # 2: There’s no point in resisting technology.
Yes, I just said you don’t have to use every technology, but you do have to use some.
I actually learned this lesson twice in the same afternoon. I was walking around with the printed program that came in my bag when I checked in. It served me well, so I saw absolutely no reason to download the conference app on my phone. I’ve got enough apps on there! And it would have to stay on the last screen because anytime I move anything, it moves everything and drives my muscle memory insane for the next three weeks.
That printed program worked just fine… until they cancelled a session.
I had just trekked the entire length of the Huntington Convention Center. I try to avoid sports references (because I’m terrible at them), so we’ll just say it was the length of several football fields. I walked into the room, sat down, and waited. About fifteen minutes later, someone finally announced that the session had been cancelled, and “they marked it cancelled on the app.”
Grrr. My handy dandy printed program did not update.
When I finally accepted the hike back to the main area, I wandered into a session on voice technology. Apparently, within the next few years, the majority of searches on the internet will be conducted through voice programs like Siri, Alexa, and Cortana. Therefore, the content we create must take voice instructions into consideration. We are now playing by new rules.
I don’t think you have to be an early adopter running out to snag every new gadget or tech creation… but, the future is here. You can accept that technology is here to stay (and update every 11 minutes) or you can be left sitting in an empty conference room.
Lesson # 3: You shouldn’t contribute to the cesspool of crap that is the internet.
Not sure if you’ve been online lately, but cat videos are now the least of our problems.
Whatever your industry, you’ve probably been encouraged to create content (or hire someone else to do it for you). This isn’t bad advice. Creating and releasing content allows you to establish yourself as an expert, provide information for your current and potential clients, get in front of people who can hire you now or in the future, and much more.
However, what do YOU bring to the table? Unless you’re revolutionizing business as we know it, the information you’re sharing is probably already available out on the interweb… so what makes your content special? What makes it different? Are you actually adding something useful to the world, or are you just regurgitating what’s already out there?
Share your personal experiences. Discuss the ways in which you’ve applied (whatever it is you’re talking about) to your clients or your business. Be funny. Let your personality shine through.
Whatever you do, don’t add more blech content to the world.
Lesson # 4: Deliver what you promise.
I actually learned this before the conference, but it was certainly reinforced there.
A few months ago, I hired a coach to help me construct my keynote. Last month, I needed a shorter version of it for a speaking engagement and reached out for some guidance.
We hopped on the phone and his first question was, “What did you promise them?”
I supplied the cricket noises.
“Did you send them a synopsis of your program with takeaways?” He asked.
“Yes!”
“Then, that’s where we start. What did you promise them?”
Ohhhhhhhh.
Then I got to the conference. I went into two sessions that had me wondering if I’d walked into the wrong rooms. I do have a terrible sense of direction, so that is completely possible, but it’s also possible that those presenters didn’t consider their “promises” when preparing their talks.
No matter what service or product you provide to your customers, make sure that you actually deliver.
Lesson # 5: Storytelling trumps everything.
Seriously, everything.
On the 2nd day, I sat down for lunch with a man I’d been introduced to (by email) a few days earlier. While we were eating, he complimented my writing style (*takes a bow* Thank you. Thank you very much) and said that he loved the article I’d recently posted on LinkedIn.
“Oh yay! Which one?”
This time, he provided the crickets.
I laughed, and honestly, I wasn’t insulted. We’ll get to why in a minute.
He took a minute to recover and then mentioned the story I’d written in the post. Once he did that, he remembered the takeaway.
Why wasn’t I upset? Because about 10 minutes before he complimented my writing (*takes a bow* Thank you. Thank you very much) he asked what my favorite part of Day 1 was.
“Definitely the keynote by Scott Stratten. He was amazing!”
“Oh yeah? What did he talk about?”
Those damn crickets.
It took me a few moments to remember. And what did I remember?
The story! Scott talked about how he was reading 5-star comments on a new cellphone company billing app and noticed that something was a bit fishy. After some digging, he discovered that they were all written by employees of the cellphone company. He wrote a blog and the poop hit the proverbial fan.
Integrity. He was talking about integrity. How we need to be integrous in the content we create, the marketing we release into the world, and the business we do.
I remembered because of the story. Whether you’re giving a speech to a group, writing a blog, creating a video, or talking to a potential customer one-on-one, don’t forget to tell a story!
Stories are not only how we connect to one another; they are how we remember information. If you want to be memorable, share a story. If you want to make it a good one, get free storytelling tips for your business at _____________.
As I finish this piece, I’m sitting in Chicago’s O’Hare airport waiting for my connecting flight. I’ve just had awful pizza, I’m looking at a delightfully fluffy dog, and I’m ready for my trip (and this blog) to come to a conclusion.
Here’s a quick recap of the lessons:
- Lesson # 1: You don’t have to do everything.
- Lesson # 2: There’s no point in resisting technology.
- Lesson # 3: You shouldn’t contribute to the cesspool of crap that is the internet.
- Lesson # 4: Deliver what you promise.
- Lesson # 5: Storytelling trumps everything.
How can you apply these lessons to your own business? Please share in the comments.
About the Author
Sheryl Green has always enjoyed writing, however, it wasn’t until a divorce shook her world, that she discovered the power of story. Having penned three novels, she now brings her penchant for storytelling to nonfiction and content writing, working with businesses and individuals who want to position themselves as experts in their field. She leverages the power of story through website content, book coaching, and speaking engagements.
She is the author of “Surviving to Thriving: How to Overcome Setbacks and Rock Your Life,” “Once Upon a Bottom Line: Harnessing the Power of Story for Sales,” and “Book Writing for Busy People.” Her latest book, “Do Good to Do Better: The Small Business Guide to Growing Your Business by Helping Nonprofits” is due out Fall 2019. She’s also a firm believer that everything looks better covered in pet fur.
Learn more at www.sherylgreenspeaks.com.
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