Using The Power of Conferences for PR Business Growth and Effective Communication

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Welcome.

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This is the Public Relations Review Podcast, a program to discuss the many facets of public relations with seasoned professionals, educators, authors and others.

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Now here is your host, peter Woolfolk.

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Welcome to the Public Relations Review Podcast and to our listeners all across America and around the world.

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This podcast is ranked by Apple as being among the top 1% of podcasts worldwide, so thank you to all of our guests and listeners for making this possible, and please leave us a review for the podcast at the end of the show.

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We certainly would appreciate it.

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Now a question for you what is a podcast?

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At the end of the show?

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We certainly would appreciate it.

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Now a question for you what is a valuable opportunity that many of us overlook as we work to enhance our integrated communication strategies?

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Well, my guest today has an answer for you.

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During her 20 years of public relations communications experience, she has managed diverse media branding and communications programs for B2B clients in finance, transportation and innovation.

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Several clients include Harvard Business Review, press, cognizant, ge and Lockheed Martin, and prior to joining Next, she was Senior Vice President at Stern Strategy Group.

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Earlier, she enjoyed a career at NBC and Network On-Air Operations.

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So joining me today, from New Jersey, is Tara Baumgarten, director of Public Relations and Strategic Communications at Next.

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Tara is here to discuss the growing importance of integrating conferences into communication strategies.

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For example, she suggests that media relations focuses on the present.

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However, conferences play the long game by providing long-term platform for relationship building, brand exposure and executive visibility, and more so joining me.

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Oh, let me welcome now Tara Baumgarten.

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Welcome to the podcast.

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Thank you, peter.

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That was a really nice introduction.

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Hopefully I live up to it.

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Well, look, you said that, giving us an overview of why conferences deserve an increased utilization in communications planning.

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Yeah, sure.

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So I've been in PR, like you said, for almost 20 years and throughout that time there's obviously been a heavy emphasis on media and more recently on social media and obviously strategies around those platforms and channels makes a ton of sense.

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But conferences is definitely a more overlooked opportunity for executive teams and leaders, just for the mere point that it puts you, you know, in direct contact with people that you're trying to reach and influence and sell to.

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So those opportunities are often, I don't want to say more important, but equally as important and mutually reinforcing to the rest of the communication strategy.

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I think the reason people don't often consider it is because when I guess, when people are in school and they're going through their major, a lot of the emphasis is on media and social media, and so conferences seem to be a little bit more nebulous or scary for some folks in PR, but it really doesn't need to be.

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The methods and ways for building relationships with media still apply to conferences, with some nuances, and so people should definitely be considering this as part of their marketing mix.

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So, now that you've identified conferences as an opportunity, let's get into the nuts and bolts, if you will, of how to benefit.

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What do we need to do once we get to the conference?

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Because once we get there, we're among hundreds of people.

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How do we identify who we are talking to or need to talk to?

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And also, we also maybe look at conferences as either is it a conference of a single company or could it be a conference of an organization where we have multiple companies.

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So how do we go about identifying what we should do when we're at certain conferences?

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Yeah, that's a great question.

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I'd say that strategy starts even before you're even at the conference, when you're even pitching the conferences and where you want to be right.

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So thinking all the way back even before you're there.

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But why do you want to be there?

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What is being at that platform going to help you do or accomplish, either as a speaker or an attendee?

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Because a lot of times you don't necessarily need to speak at the event, although that's the goal.

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Sometimes just attending and having a really great business development or networking plan is equally as important.

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So if you're a speaker, I would say working with the conference organizer ahead of time to see what information they're allowed to share.

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Sometimes the information they have is really exclusive to sponsors, but sometimes the platforms are a little bit more liberal with the information and they'll share maybe not names of who's there, but they'll share titles and businesses that are going to be in attendance.

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So you can do some reverse researching trying to find who's going to be there, either by looking at people's LinkedIn and seeing who's saying they're attending, and then proactively reaching out to them to see if you can meet up.

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In person is one way.

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Also, too, if you're a speaker, other speakers that are there are going to be worthwhile for you to be networking with, so understanding.

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If you're a speaker, other speakers that are there are going to be worthwhile for you to be networking with, so understanding.

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If you're on a panel, who are your fellow panelists?

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Where are they?

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Do you have their contact information?

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Is there going to be a pre-call set up so that you can meet your fellow panelists and talk about potential questions?

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And how can you use that as kind of a launching pad to kind of scheduling a meeting with them or meeting up with them before or after the session and getting to know them a little bit better?

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And then too, like some people just don't like networking or don't like taking advantages of opportunities like that.

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Maybe they're shy, maybe they're introverted or maybe it just feels really, really awkward for them.

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So what I like to tell people is, if they're going into a conference or a situation, they should just kind of create three canned questions that they have ready in their head that they can ask literally anybody.

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It doesn't matter if they're a speaker or another attendee or a sponsor or somebody at a booth.

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It could be silly things like you know what session has been the most interesting to you today.

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Why, or which one are you looking most forward to?

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Or why are you even here today?

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What are you looking to accomplish?

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Are you looking to meet somebody?

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And that usually a couple of questions like that usually help kickstart a conversation and make that networking a lot easier.

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So one of the things I think maybe we should establish first is that if we're looking at conferences, they fall in, I would say, two basic categories One, which focuses on the industry you're involved in, or two, you could be in some other sort of conference, but you could be a guest speaker talking on a specific subject that perhaps all conferences might be involved in, such as, maybe, public relations.

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Does that make sense?

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Actually, can you say that one more time?

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Well, in other words, I mean we could be going to a public relations conference which is put on by, let's say, the PRSA Public Relations Society, a conference there, to be a speaker, or you could be going to a speaker of furniture or furniture manufacturers, but you're Got it where you are the only PR speaker there, right, and you're talking about communications.

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So I mean, that's the sort of thing I was looking at.

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Yeah.

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So the question then is what are the advantages or disadvantages, or how do you take advantage of those opportunities?

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That's right.

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Yeah, so it's a good point.

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So usually if you're a PR speaker just for the sake of our industry, speaking at a PR industry event, it's going to be a little different type of opportunity than if you're invited to say like an editorial type conference.

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So editorial, like you know, like New York Times, wall Street Journal, bloomberg or even, you know, industry trade magazines they will also have a platform and then there's an opportunity for some editorial element to it.

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Usually, when you're at your own industry events, the level of understanding around the industry is really high, and so the nature of your conversation at that event needs to be very different and very nuanced, because the people's understanding is just much deeper, as opposed to being at an industry event where you might be the only communications person there and then you can speak at a little higher level or something that's really specific to the group that you're talking to.

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So, for example, maybe you're at an investor's conference and they want to talk about investor communication or startup communication.

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Or you're at, you know, a regulated industry conference and they need to talk about investor communication or startup communication.

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Or you're at a regulated industry conference and they need to talk about regulatory communications and things like that.

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Or it's an innovation conference and they just want more creativity and they want to talk about creative communications or marketing and that aspect, where then you're really positioned as an expert and really the only expert in the room that kind of has that domain expertise.

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Yeah, opportunities are a little bit different.

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So in those industry events you're less preaching to the choir.

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So if you're going there for a business development opportunity, I would say your chances are higher than if you were at an industry event where you're one of a sea of many people.

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So say you worked at an agency and there's like 100 people from other agencies and only 50 brands.

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Then there's competition there for conversations where there wouldn't be the same type of competition at an industry type event.

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So part of the initial strategy is deciding what type of conferences you want to go to or would be most effective for you going to.

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Yeah, absolutely.

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It all starts with the strategy.

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So before you're even getting there and trying to figure out your networking strategy, there's a whole platform strategy that needs to go into it, and you know that varies by company than media, in the sense that I think media supports the sales process, as this conference is, but conferences really get you more deeper and directly into a sales conversation than a media opportunity would, which I see media as being slightly more passive than a conference because you're in person in dialogue with somebody talking to them.

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So how does one go about identifying the opportunity at conferences?

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I mean, people have conferences, I shouldn't say people, but organizations have conferences all the time.

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How far in advance should they begin to plan to do the outreach to conferences and how do they go about identifying, maybe, what conferences are doing what?

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Yeah, that's a great question and I think this is where the biggest difference between media and conferences come into play.

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So media is a more short term.

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I mean it doesn't need to be if you're working on something big and complex but a lot of times media is, you know, same day, same week, breaking news, things that are happening quickly, as opposed to conferences, which still need to address that type of subject matter, but they do so on a longer timeline.

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So most conferences happen annually.

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There are some platforms where they have multiple conferences.

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One of them is a flagship that happens annually, and then they have other conferences that happen throughout the year.

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And it's really important to do your due diligence because there's lots of different formats that these conferences come in.

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Some of them are purposefully large, some of them are purposefully large, some of them are purposefully small.

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Some can be regional meetings that lead up to national meetings, so like a PRSA local chapter versus a PRSA national conference, for example, and understanding the differences between the platforms and who's in the audience for those will help dictate your strategy.

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So sometimes people that I've worked with, they want really big platforms, big name recognition, kind of like a feather in their cap, just to say, you know, I spoke on X platform but it has almost no direct business value to them, whereas maybe their target buyer is at a much smaller, more regional event where maybe it doesn't hold the same name cache but from a business development standpoint it holds a lot more opportunity, is at a much smaller, more regional event where maybe it doesn't hold the same name cachet but from a business development standpoint it holds a lot more opportunity.

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And so, really trying to take the ego out of the speaking opportunities and really focusing on why it is you want to go down this path to begin with, and then what the platforms are that are going to be most important for your business objectives, I would say, is how to think about it.

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And then, of course, you can always have on there your stretch goals.

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So, like, while you're going after your top industry event, you can also be going after you know, that other really big event that's very well known.

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And I would say having a mix in there is really important because you're trying to reach probably a wide variety of people.

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So, going back to the example I used at the industry event and again just using PR as an example, there might be really amazing regional events that are geared toward different levels of practitioners.

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So if you wanted to reach senior practitioners, you'd pick a very specific conference within the PRSA portfolio, but maybe recruiting and onboarding is your focus focus, and so you might want to go to a conference that has a more junior attendance.

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So maybe it's not the VPs and the CEOs, but it's, you know, manager and director level, or even below, and those would be good platforms, depending on your objectives.

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So, again, it really depends on what the business goals are, and then there's a lot of different ways to vet an event and to decide whether or not it might be the right fit for that strategy.

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I think the other thing that we also should consider is the packaging for the presenter.

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You know, if I want to pitch myself as a speaker at a conference, let's talk about the packaging that I need.

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What sort of information do I need to send about myself, my experiences?

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past speaking engagements to the organizers?

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Yeah, another great question, peter.

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This is important and I would say this is where communications also differs from media.

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So there's really important information that the media needs, but usually the media wants to understand the idea and the story and then understand who the spokesperson might be.

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But with conferences, because the speaker is the product like, credentialing them is really important and that includes, you know, obviously bio headshots, things like that if there's speech descriptions or speech topics that are available, past links to speaking opportunities, links to social media where there's evidence of this person speaking on the topic for which they're being pitched about, to show that there's connection between what's being pitched and the fact that they can actually deliver and have a point of view on it.

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Those are all really important things, but the video is the most important and is also usually the most challenging, because if somebody is just getting started, they oftentimes don't have the video.

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Or maybe they've given a presentation but they haven't been given the video yet.

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A conference organizer, in addition to having the subject matter expertise, they want to know that you have some dynamic personality or charisma in some way that you can command attention on the stage.

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So at the end of the day, the conference organizers aren't just looking for the topics.

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They're looking for the people that are going to sell tickets, and that's what the conference organizers are measured on.

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So you need to remember that you're working for them a little bit too.

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You're trying to help them put together a good show and making sure that your speaker is really qualified for that as a good thing.

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If you don't have video, I would say do a talking head video.

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So if you're giving an internal presentation at your company and somebody can film it, or if you're maybe, do a talking head video with your point of view on a specific topic that you just post to social media, that counts too.

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Essentially, the organizers they're just looking for an example of your presentation style.

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They want to understand, kind of, how you come across.

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Are you energetic?

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Do you like to move around?

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Do you use your hands?

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Do you like to bounce ideas off other people?

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Might you be better on a panel?

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These are all things that they're looking for when you share video information.

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But I would say that is kind of the complete packet, with the video being the most important aspect.

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I like to say something like that it's refined showmanship.

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You know, having been a public speaker myself.

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You just can't stand there and read from your presentation.

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You do need to move around, you do need to look your audience in the eye.

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Hand gestures, add a little humor where it is maybe an opening and closing of some humor, that sort of thing.

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I totally agree.

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Help them, relax and, as you said, know your stuff, that's the most important thing.

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Know your stuff, that's the most important thing.

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Know your stuff because if you don't, it's going to show and it's going to be a big problem for you if you're not prepared.

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One hundred percent agree.

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I cannot agree more.

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And I would say the other thing in addition to knowing your stuff, another important thing is including the audience.

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So a lot of people get up there and they just start.

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They might be good presenters, but it's all about them, right, and they're just talking, talking, talking.

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I would say the best presenters keep the audience in mind, check in with them, involve them in some way.

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A lot of times people in the audience feel awkward when a speaker jumps on the stage and is like, hey, how's everyone doing?

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But a lot of times that's the thing that gets people to kind of feel connected.

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Or if they ask questions or poll you during the conversation, that's another way to get really good audience engagement too, and then your message kind of sticks out to them or is more memorable as a result.

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Let's talk now, maybe real quick, about follow-up.

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Okay, fine, you've gone to this, made this presentation to this particular group.

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What are you expecting to get out of it?

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And then, how do you follow up with that?

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With the people that you meet or with the organizers themselves.

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Well, let's talk about the people that you meet.

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That might be too different.

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I think there are two different approaches to that, but let's talk about both.

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Yeah, perfect.

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So with the people you meet, and again, I guess it depends on kind of where fit in in terms of your overall goal and plan.

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So if there's a specific subset of contacts that you meant and those people are potential new business, then obviously you'd get your sales team involved just with some language and just some nice follow-up and see if there's a follow-up meeting that can happen or a quick call.

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If it's contacts that are potential collaborators, I would say, again, a follow-up, maybe, follow them on social media and a check-in quickly to see if a follow-up call to talk about potential ideas and ways you can partner would be possible.

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And with other folks that you just met that are just really interesting people and good contacts, I tend to follow them immediately on social media and check in with them as it makes sense to do so based on things that they're posting.

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But I also like to do a follow-up and a recap after the conference with things that I've heard interesting quotes from people, making sure to tag them and just kind of doing your part in terms of helping them promote themselves, and then there'll be some reciprocity that way too, and I feel like that goodwill generally leads to some good conversations.

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So this is an opportunity for people in two different categories.

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One, my full-time job, is being a public speaker, so I mean I have to have certain things and be prepared to go.

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The other part of it is representing my organization and then speaking to your group about some things as well.

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My organization could be my PR firm and I want to make sure that I can talk to you about doing some business with you in the near future.

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Yeah, absolutely so those two perspectives make sense.

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Okay, well, I know we're sort of running low on time.

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Is there anything that you think that we have maybe missed here?

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Yeah, the only other thing that I would mention is some people like to understand how to measure the success of a conference, and I would say there's so many ways you can do that, and so, just when you're considering your time and energy going to it, think about the things that you want to get out of it as well, and then have a plan for following through on that.

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So, again, if somebody wants to be there and they're measuring the value or the success of the event based on the fact that they didn't sponsor it, then that's a big win for them.

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Some people are selling books, some people want to meet a certain number of contacts, some want to get a boost on social media or an article.

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Just think about what your goals are and set some metrics and KPIs for it, so that you have a way of evaluating yourself whether the platform was worthwhile either to speak at or even attend in the future for you and for others in your organization.

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So I would just make sure that there's some kind of evaluation process at the end to ensure that the platform was both worth your time and their time.

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So that's just the one thing that I would add.

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That kind of wraps everything up in a bow.

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Well, tara, let me say thank you so very, very much for joining us here on the Public Relations Review Podcast, and to my listeners I just want to say I hope that you know you were able to benefit from this, and so we certainly would like to get a review on from you in the very near future.

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So thank you both again both you, tara, and the audience for listening, and be sure to listen to the next edition of the Public Relations Review Podcast.

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This podcast is produced by Communication Strategies, an award-winning public relations and public affairs firm headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

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Thank you for joining us.