Elizabeth, today’s guest blogger, is probably better to known to you as Busy Mom. She has been writing about her life and family at the Busy Mom Blog since 2003. Her full-time job in healthcare also makes an occasional appearance on her blog. She likes to engage with brands that have something relevant to her life and interesting for her readers, and reviews products on Busy Mom Reviews. However, she hates bad pitches, as regular readers of Marketing Roadmaps may already know from her comments on my bad pitch posts. She lives in Nashville with her husband and three children.
Elizabeth responded to my call on Twitter for brand experiences at BlogHer, good and bad. Her e-mail had such good, specific advice for brands, I asked if I could run it as a guest post.
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While I don’t think we’ll ever resolve when/where brands choose to have parties (I think it’s going to happen no matter what, and people need to just conduct themselves properly), I noticed a theme among the events and expo booths I visited.
This was the year of “forced engagement.”
I get it. I wouldn’t want to be in the brands’ position, with freebie grabbers and all. I think companies should get something out of our visits. I also understand my attendance was voluntary at the events and places I visited, but I just I felt like I was performing everywhere I went.
Don’t misunderstand. I have met some great people and was honored to be invited to the events I attended. They took the time to find me (for the most part) and I tried to stop by as many as I reasonably could.
The events I attended were quite lovely, but it’s as if some didn’t know if they were throwing a blogger summit, usually held over 1-2 days where I would expect to perform, or a party.
It may just be my personality, but the videos, going from station to station and the creating/making this, that and the other thing are getting a little old at something that’s supposed to be a party. What ever happened to just drinks, hors d’oeuvres, music/entertainment, conversation, a display or two and a gift bag at the end?
It’s one thing to be contracted to host or perform in some way at an event, and another to politely stop in expecting a traditional cocktail party and find yourself doing crafts and smiling for the camera at every turn.
If there’s a problem with swag-grabbers, then maybe they need to take more time with the guest list. I’m continually amazed at some of the folks I see at every event. Clearly there is little research into online reputation by some of these companies.
One party that I thought did a good job, and full disclosure, I was paid to be a host, but was NOT involved in the planning, was the Schick Intuition Kiss and Tell party. The brand was represented through the decor, there was a brief product speech and the rest was a memorable time with fabulous entertainment, an open bar and product (the razor, not the bar) samples at the end. Follow-up engagement is a contest and a coupon on Facebook.
Hallmark and the CheeseburgHer party did a good job, too. Both were good times, but there was no doubt about the sponsors. Hallmark had a pertinent holiday theme, and you knew right away what the new McDonald’s product was, but we didn’t have to perform for them.
I’m not sure what the answer is as far as engagement in the booths goes, but clearly it’s not accosting attendees at the door and coercing them into attending a show. Note: I’ve not been to other tech conferences, this may be a “thing” I’m not aware of, but it doesn’t happen at medical conferences.
And, contrary to popular stances, I don’t think swag is the problem. Getting doo-dads and such can be fun (blasphemy! I know!) and there’s nothing wrong with it.
At a booth, I am expecting to hear what’s new with the company, try the product out if it’s brief, chat with the rep, and maybe throw a card into a fishbowl for a drawing/follow-up later, and get whatever doo dad if they have it (and I’m interested.) I’m not wild about being asked to sign up for their service on the spot (but having the option is good, I suppose) or to fill out some complicated form. I’ll spin a wheel if I must, but enough with the other games. Again, maybe just my personality.
I get that both the blogger and the brand should get something out of the interaction, and I know my presence is voluntary, but I’m just weary of performing all the time. And the feeling that they want to get as much out of us as they can is getting a little creepy.
Parties should be parties. Do something memorable, have a brand presence and follow up later.
Booths should be booths, have a small something “fun” if you must, but give me the information, let me enter your drawing or whatever by giving you my card, and personally hand me the promotional material or swag stuff.
Connect with me.
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In my final BlogHer Marketing Lessons post, I’ll share my thoughts about some brands that I think did get it right. It’s not an all-inclusive list — there was no way any one person could experience everything going on over those four days, so please chime in with your experiences. Try to be specific in both your criticism and your kudos. This helps my readers use your opinions to improve their marketing programs — SG
Amie aka MammaLoves says
I’m glad you brought this up Elizabeth. It hadn’t really occurred to me what was different, but you’re right. The brands want our attention, right? Why are we performing for them? I have to say the Nikon party gave me a good opportunity to talk to both friends, sister photo-enthusiasts AND Nikon employees. I didn’t feel pressured and it was nice.
A real conversation with the brand is what works on me. Talk to me about why I should try it out, or how we can work together and I’d be happy.
Deb says
This is an excellent analysis of what doesn’t work at meet & greets, which is what a party tacked on someone else’s conference should be. The engagement should be before and after. Take time to provide a great connection with your product/service before. Let people enjoy time just as humans meeting your company’s humans, without demonstrations. Then follow up with a great connection afterwards. One good example is Avery, who were one of the sponsors of Social Luxe. Instead of trying to have a single brand party (oh, there were so many making too much noise and competition with each other) they sponsored a blogger-planned event. Before the event attendees received an emailed code to make a binder at their Zazzle personalized interface. At the party you could meet a rep if you wanted–having used the interface gave you something natural to talk about if you wanted, and as a followup you received a code to make another one. Seamless exposure, habits built, no pressure, focus on the bloggers. A good model to follow, as long as party hosting isn’t your only investment in blogger outreach. It should only be a layer or coordinated outreach, not a random act of cocktails. Much as I love cocktails.
Susan Getgood says
Deb, I agree about the Avery binder. I thought it was very clever. It was personalized, gave bloggers a chance to try out the Zazzle interface and provided a bit of motivation to get yourself to the party amidst all the competing events. If you’d taken the time to create the thing online, you sort of wanted to see how it turned out. Some of the other stuff in the various gift bags is in use around the house, and I love, love the purse hook that Blogalicious gave at their party. But the Avery binder and the Ghiradhelli thumb drive are the only things on my desk. That I see every day.
Julie @ The Mom Slant says
For me, what’s awesome about parties is the opportunity to socialize. Activities are a bonus if you’re into them, but making them compulsory just brings out the rebel in me.
The expo hall kind of reminded me of a Turkish bazaar. I was afraid to even make eye contact. The one booth I really dug was Ubisoft – the Just Dance 2 stage – and that’s because I got up there and danced with my friends. So even the expo hall came back to socializing for me.
Petit Elefant says
This is such a good discussion to be having, since I think everyone’s in the re-hash mode of *what really happened at BlogHer?*. The engagement has to be done so carefully, or it won’t be successful. I liken it to buckshot vs. target shooting {I live in a small town with gun enthusiasts, forgive me}.
SocialLuxe Lounge tries really hard to be targeted, careful, and tasteful. And for that matter, all the brands involved this year did an excellent job of measuring what would/wouldn’t be successful/respectful of bloggers.
Esther Crawford says
One thing I was a bit dismayed by was the behavior of some of the brand reps. I’m not going to blog about it but I know of at least 3 people (myself included) who were very overtly hit on by men at booths. I’ve got a ring. I talked about my husband AND my kid, yet the guy had the nerve to actually TEXT me (my cell # is on my business card) – inviting me for a private drink. Whaaaat?!
I think there will always be minor glitches to any event of this magnitude, but by and large, I was really pleased to see how professional bloggers & brands were this year.
Personally, I prefer private brand parties to the booths. I think I made one connection that may turn in to something in the expo hall, whereas the brand parties gave me the chance to meet & greet in a smaller venue. I got to see friends and chat with reps at the same time which felt like a win-win. The tough thing was that the parties all conflicted with the conference – I’d rather have a separate day where brand events were scheduled back-to-back so I could do both the official conference activities and the private brand events.
Yvonne DiVita says
This is amazing. It confirms the reason I did not sign up or attend any parties. I know what they would be… I go to Blogher to learn and connect. I love swag, at booths in the exhibit hall. I like learning new things from brands, and would enjoy being part of a blogger outreach, but not if it’s totally focused on the brand.
I did participate in the Pepscico breakfast (thank you Blogher for that) and it was really good. It was more a social conversation and showed that the brand was actually interested in OUR ideas. Thumbs up to Pepsico for that. Now, if they would just engage with me online, too.