Indie Beauty Network member Jamila White is a busy woman these days. In addition to working on a lucrative e-commerce consulting project for the Smithsonian Institution, she serves several clients one-on-one and also runs j.blossom, a bath and body products company aimed at young girls.
I caught up with Jamila yesterday at the Mocha Moms conference where her j.blossom lip balm, bath/shower gel and body lotion were flying off the table. The squeals of happy mothers was music to Jamila's ears and made my day too.
Jamila connected with Mocha Moms when I recommended her as the keynote speaker for my former Mocha Moms chapter's annual Business Extravaganza last year. Jamila joined Mocha Moms even though she's not a mom herself, because she supports the platforms of the organization, one of which is to encourage mothers who work at home.
Since her products are aimed at little girls, and each product label contains a positive message to inspire girls, the Mocha Moms conference was the perfect venue for Jamila. So here's the tip: don't overlook niche conferences as a way to expand your brand. There are mom's conferences, dad's conferences, kid's conferences, marriage conferences, sports conferences and conferences for just about every topic you can think of, and many of them have vendor tables.
For example, companies with products aimed at young mothers and children should sell their products at pediatric, parenting and family conferences. You can find them through resources like All Conferences.com where I found tons of conferences related to children all over the word including in the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, India, Iran, Canada, Turkey and Argentina.
Whatever your niche, chances are good there's a group of people holding a conference to support it. Conferences large and small can generate new customers, word of mouth advertising (the best kind!) and expand not only your brand, but your personal horizons as well. Like Jamila, if you join the organization, you will probably enjoy even more sales at their conference. Jamila's signage indentified her as a Mocha Moms member and several moms said that was the icing on the cake of doing business with her. Cha Ching!
Conferences are sometimes held in exotic locales or on cruise ships! This provides an interesting opportunity to combine business with pleasure and enjoy the tax benefits too. If you have a tip or story about how selling your products at a conference helped expand your brand, please share it.
