Have you ever attended a seminar or a conference and in the first hour you feel like you’ve already learned enough to make the whole day worthwhile?
That was me last week. Despite the pouring rain here in Sydney last Monday more than 300 mums, many bringing with them their young babies and toddlers, made the effort to attend the Mums and Co MPowered Conference.
It was terrific. 👍
At one point I admitted to not being a mum and they said: “That’s OK, that’s what the “&Co” is for.” Sweet.
There was so much to enjoy about this conference. The energy was terrific and for me a noticeable difference was the lack of loud, booming, dance music to bring everyone back into the room. The sessions just started and off we went.
Tracy Harris from Mums with Hustle and Olivia White from The House of White were generous with information about how to work with influencers. This truly is a fast growing trend as a way to attract attention to your business and you will read countless mixed opinions as to how well an influencer strategy can work. As well as plenty of examples of huge successes, and abysmal failures.
An effective influencer is:
- an opinion leader
- draws targeted attention and
- creates authentic and engaging content.
Truth is, influencing is not new. There have always been influencers, but the difference today is that pretty much anyone can be an influencer.
Tracey and Olivia gave these tips to working with an influencer:
1. Follow them! This is critical. “Know who they are and what they are about.”
2. Email the influencer directly – introduce yourself and your business. “Keep it real.”
3. Explain why you believe this influencer is a great fit for your business. “It’s business, stick to the facts. Keep the emotion out of it.”
Olivia said “It doesn’t impress me if you are giving 10% to XYZ charity. Everyone is doing that and I certainly don’t want to hear your sad story. I want to know why you believe your business fits with my tribe and why I should pay attention to YOU.”
4. Don’t take rejection personally. “It happens, move on.” The influencer may feel she (or he) is not the right fit and perhaps a rejection is actually doing YOU a favour.
5. Engaging an influencer is a business transaction! “If you send a gift, is it a gift? Or is it a product sample? Be super clear.”
There were examples of lack of clarity about products being sent to influencers and the influencer taking a photo for Instagram and not crediting the business …. “IF you want product placement and credit, then make it clear.”
I truly found their honesty and generosity and ‘no BS’ approach to business and influencing refreshing.
The panel session was recorded and when they make the video available I’ll share it with you to listen in.
Self proclaimed hipster mum, Amantha Imber spoke about Innovation; her definition is “Change that adds value”.
She encouraged us to ask our community, our tribe, a key question. So here we go, I am asking YOU:
“When was the last time you felt frustrated with my business, what have I done that frustrates you?”
There you are. I’m truly keen to know, to understand what I might be able to do differently. Please click reply and let me know if there is something I’m doing that frustrates you! I mean it, hit me with the truth!
Have a terrific week and let’s go take care of our great clients and customers…..
There has never been a better time to start a business; to be in business.
Thanks for reading this –
My guess is that you are here because you are curious about what it might be like to start a business?
Perhaps you’ve been wondering if you have what it takes? If your idea will work or even how much it actually costs to build a successful business?
I’ve written a book that can answer pretty much all your questions “So You Want to Start a Business” and you can order your copy click here
15 years of experience working with start up businesses are condensed into this book.
It’s your step by step guide to launch your business smarter and faster and I’m so excited to be sharing it with you and can’t wait to hear about your progress.
Happy reading!