Use Your Blogger Status to Promote Your Brand at Conferences - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Use Your Blogger Status to Promote Your Brand at Conferences - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career This week, Im an official blogger at the World Innovation Forum in New York City. To tell you the truth, Im really excitednot only because the conference has some pretty awesome speakers and because Ill get to meet people from a top innovation consultancybut also because this is a great, great opportunity to promote my personal brand. Making the most of opportunity Now, I agree it sounds funny that Im approaching my Official Blogger status as a way to get my name out there. But, its actually a great opportunity for several reasons: Reason 1: Being an Official Blogger instantly turns you into a semi-celebrity.  There wont be too many of you, and youre likely to be set apart in some way.  You could have BLOGGER on your name tag, or you could be sitting in a special section.  This is great because it sets you apart.  Youre no longer one of the many anonymous conference attendees youre one of THE BLOGGERS! Reason 2: Youll get special access to Bigwigs at the conference.  Whether its an exclusive interview, or a couple follow-up questions following a presentation, your official status gives you an excuse to get to know important people in your field.  And since youre a BLOGGER and will be writing about them, you can ask penetrating questions and get their contact information to follow up later. Reason 3: Blogging about the conference will drive lots of new people to your blog! Conference attendees will want to see what the bloggers are saying about the conference, both to see what they missed and as a refresher. Conference presenters will be interested in what youre saying about them and will come over to your blog for a peek.  And, people who couldnt make the conference will stop by to see what theyre missing. As you can see, blogging at a conference actually has the potential to bring great visibility to your personal brand. The key to taking advantage of that potential is to come prepared to throw everything you have into making a great impression to everyone who is exposed to you at the conference. Benefit your personal brand Heres what I recommend for making sure you get the most personal brand benefit as possible from the conference: Make sure you come prepared. Be ready to explain what youre doing as an official blogger, and why youre qualified to do it.  It doesnt hurt if you conveniently have a business card handy with the name of your blog on it so people dont have to wrack their minds trying to remember exactly how they can find your blog later.  (Get their card in return, by the way!) Know who the speakers are, and have some interesting questions you can ask them, or an angle you can write about. Throwing everything together haphazardly wont endear you to either the speakers, the conference organizers, or the attendees.  Be ready to prove you know your stuff. Make sure you create great content in your own distinctive way. Be very informative, and dont be afraid to put your own unique spin on the events youre writing about. After all, if youre invited there as a blogger, the organizers already like your style. Just make sure that style doesnt disappear into a boring recount of the conference! Finally, spend a lot of your time using your status as an official blogger to meet as many interesting people as possible and then write them a short friendly note after the conference to remind them to take a look at your blog. While most people dont think of being personal branding as the best part of being an official blogger for a conference (usually, the potential free entry is the major appeal), its actually a great opportunity.  If you get the change to be an official blogger, dont let a chance to catapult your brand slip through your fingers! Author: Katie Konrath writes about “ideas so fresh… they should be slapped” at getFreshMinds.com, a top innovation blog.