Next week, I'm going to PubCon in Las Vegas to hang out with my friends and meet new people. This has lead me to start thinking deeply about how important it is to meet people face-to-face in the offline world.
Can meeting other bloggers in person directly help my blog?
Chris Brogan calls people who are seen as authorities in their areas of expertise “trust agents”, which means that people take your word seriously and cite you as an expert. The result is that if you become a trust agent, bloggers might reference your blog online and you build free back links. In a way, these back links are Google's trust share since they will trust your blog more if more sites link to it, which will result in you getting more viewers through natural searches.
Sharing is caring
Sharing readers – readers of one blog might start reading your blog once they're exposed to it.
Sharing trust – the readers of the bloggers who reference you might already trust the blog they read on a regular basis and are thus more likely to trust your blog.
Talk to strangers
Walking up to someone you don't know, shaking hands, and chatting not only creates good connections but also can be a learning experience for both parties. You can learn delicious kernels of advice, and you're there to connect with other bloggers; the best way to do this is to take a “shotgun approach” and introduce yourself to as many people as possible. Don't be discouraged if you don't meet anybody after a few parties; there's a lot of variance meeting new people and two people's ability to click with each other plays a big factor.
You can help the process by working on advanced conversation skills. One of my favorites is having an open loop conversation. By open loop, I mean that you don't immediately give people answers, and you don't ask questions that can only be answered in a closed way. For example, somebody asks you what your job is, you could respond by directly telling them, or you could describe your job and slowly reveal what you do without ever directly stating your title. This causes them to be interested in what you say, whereas if you'd simply said “I'm a blogger” the conversation is likely to become a series of awkwardness-breakers, or end altogether.“ It's a lot like saying “I have a secret” as a kid and then not telling anyone what the secret is: Everybody wants to know!
A great chance to meet people is at the PubCon after party. I’m throwing at Zuri Bar in the MGM Grand on the night of Wednesday, November 9th. You're invited and I'd definitely like to meet you!
About the author:
Murray Newlands and his company Influence People do blogger relations outreach for a variety of clients. Murray is also the author of numerous blogging and online marketing e-books, including Content Monetization.
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