Recently, I attended my first Techweek event on the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. My goal was to get to know the local startup community better and be on the lookout for any undiscovered great young startups that could be good candidates for raising capital on SeedInvest.
Many of the companies I met presented themselves quite well. However, I was surprised by the number of entrepreneurs whose presentation shortcomings could have been easily remedied. Here are three simple things startups at Techweek and other conferences can do to maximize their impact at these events.
Clear and Concise Brand Statement
Make it clear what you do before I come and talk with you. Have a one-liner, a mantra or tagline that is concise, acts as a teaser to capture people’s interest, and is tailored for your audience. Be sure to answer the questions: what problem does your company solve? Why should I care about this solution? Create an emotional connection that leaves me interested and wanting to learn more. Guy Kawasaki has a great short video about mantras vs mission statements.
Attract and Engage
Make your message visible. Techweek’s small booths and large crowds have everyone standing in very close quarters. If your sign is at table level or lower, it is very unlikely to be seen in the crowd. Put your one-liner up high where everyone can see it. Is there something creative you can hand to engage people passing by? Traditional collateral works but a gift that is useful after the conference is sometimes more compelling. Examples include branded water bottles, USB drives, or portable chargers. Need more inspiration? Head to www.4imprint.com
Brand Your Team
Get some team uniforms and make it clear who can answer questions. For a minimal cost, you can purchase embroidered shirts, t-shirts, or even branded pins for all team members in attendance. Given the tight quarters of the event this lets me know who is available to talk to about your product and also shows a level of cohesiveness and commitment within your company that helps your brand stand out. At SeedInvest, we use CustomInk but it’s worth checking around to see who’s the most startup focused t-shirt business in your area.
These three simple steps will help you engage with people who are actually interested in what you do and add a layer of value that is worth the additional costs. Engaging interested parties leads to better outcomes and reduces the chance that you will be wasting your limited time engaging with uninterested investors.