This week I had the pleasure to attend MarketEdLive, a fab one day conference held in my home town of Nottingham – always nice not to have to go far, and even more amazed at the variety of people who made it all the way to the Midlands!

I met people from far away places like Australia, New York and Slovenia all here in little Nottingham. The pull for people to want to learn and socialise with each others is great – we really are social animals.

But alongside the meeting of new and old friends I got to hear from some amazing speakers and they got me thinking about how I do things and ultimately how I could do things better, so I wanted to share them with you.

So here’s the top 8 things I learned at MarketEdLive

1.      Be the Wikipedia of your industry

Now we all know that we need to create content that answers our ideal customer questions, that gives them value and raises our expertise status.

But what about going one step further. What about seeing yourself as the Wikipedia for your industry.

So you become to go to source of information for your industry. Giving me advice, guidance and ultimately helping me make a decision in the buying process.

Because when it comes to making a decision who am I going to trust? You! The person who gave me all that valuable information.

So what questions are your customers asking? Can you create a bank of how to’s, blogs and videos supporting them and sharing knowledge?

2.      Lets get personal

Everyone wants to be an individual and in this age of mass communication how can we make our customers feel like they’re special and important to us. That our marketing speaks to them and they’re not just part of the crowd?

We heard from Loughborough University sending golden tickets to new students with their name on and website advancements that tailor the experience based on the users decisions.

How can you personalise what you do with your customers?

3.      Be the best

Goes without saying really. But you need to make sure that you’re delivering excellent customer service. If you don’t someone else will.

4.      You’re never ‘just’ anything

The words we use are so important. It’s how we see ourselves and ultimately how others will start to see us.

You’re never just a coach, hairdresser, jewellery maker – you are…

5.      It’s not about the numbers

We can all get a little obsessed about the numbers. How many likes, comments and clicks. What really counts is the impact. How many people are you actually connecting with and making a difference with?

We heard from one podcaster who makes $150,000 a year from his podcast. Guess how many monthly downloads he has?

368 monthly downloads.

But they’re spot on engaged listeners. He has a small niche and is killing it.

Engagement is where it’s at.

Create content that builds trust with your audience rather than obsesses over the numbers.

6.      Make sure you business is listed on Google my business

Voice search is where is at in the future and getting your business listed here is the first step to getting your business ready.

Just google ‘google my business’ and go from there.

7.      Be what people are interested in

Trying to sell your products and services and finding that people are scrolling on past?

Be what they’re already interested in, rather than disrupting their time on social. Tap into what’s already happening in culture and make yourself and your brand part of that conversation.

8.      70% of people read reviews and do research before buying online

So make sure you’re asking for reviews on google, facebook and linkedin as this gives you social proof and makes people feel safer choosing you.

 So there you have it, my top 8 takeaways from MarketEdLive.

There really is something special about being part of a community and taking time out of your business to learn something new.

If you didn’t already know I run the Blue Stocking network for entreprenurial women and you can join us here for free: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bluestockingssociety we meet monthly

Or listen to me and Amy on the Women who Create podcast, we’re told it’s good: http://debbiedooodah.co.uk/podcast/