#BlogHer16: How GoDaddy Connects With Bloggers and Businesses at Conferences

I’ve been at quite a few conferences where GoDaddy has been a sponsor. However, most attendees only see parts of what they do. At #BlogHer16, I decided to take a deeper look into what GoDaddy does to connect with bloggers and Business at Conferences.

The purpose of most brands are to connect with their targest audience. Sure, the end game is getting people to buy, but at conferences, it’s about engagement and building a relationship with the individuals they connect with. That relationship could be a business opportunity for a blogger or a collaboration with a small business owner. It could be spreading awareness of what the company is about, or getting a feel on what people need and filling that need. There’s a lot of things that companies can learn when face to face with their target audience at a conference, instead of just behind the computer screen.

#BlogHer16: How GoDaddy Connects With Bloggers and Businesses at Conferences

GoDaddy was a big sponsor of #BlogHer16. With so many bloggers and businesses, their brand was a perfect fit. I use them for my domain names, and quite a few of my clients use them as a web host.

In regards to GoDaddy’s purpose at an event like #BlogHer16, Andrea Rowland, who is the managing editor of GoDaddy’s Blog, said, “Every blogger is a solopreneur. We’re here to get to the tools online and offline, while also finding out what the need. We love to listen to their stories because it helps us do our job.”

At #BlogHer16, GoDaddy had a lot going on. Their team was extremely active, so I’m going to number the events in this article. I’m sure I missed one or two, but all were just as fun and important.

1. The Pitch – This was an extraordinary event that GoDaddy hosted, and gave money to a very deserving small business owner. The contest allowed each small business owner to give their pitch about what they do, and then they got feedback from a panel of professional business owners. #BlogHer16 were encouraged to vote, and at the end, one small business was awarded $10,000 plus extra consulting and prizes to help their business.

The stories that were shared ranged between heartwarming, motivational, sad, and everything in between. I was really impressed by each pitch.

For female entrepreneurs, Andrea Rowland mentioned that SheKnows and The Pitch, allowed GoDaddy’s involvement to rise to the next level. I can definitely agree on that part. I think it’s amazing to see larger company’s and media outlets give back to the small business owner. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Aside from the main event at the conference, GoDaddy also had a booth for a contest, also called The Pitch, that GoDaddy is a part of, and the event will last until October 2016.

2. The sponsor booth – This was a great area for attendees to interact with some of the GoDaddy team, as well as have a little bit of fun.

Attendees were able to charge their cell phones, relax on the cushions set up, and watch a funny little video commercial, which I’m including below.

To connect with the video, they even had little hats just like the cats that attendees could take pictures. I found it really funny and cute.

Aside from the video and hands-on activity, attendees could enter a Giveaway to receive a ticket to #BlogHer17. When asked about what her favorite thing about their sponsor booth she liked, GoDaddy Social Advocacy Specialist CJ Feierabend said, “My favorite part of the giving away of the prizes is that we (GoDaddy) purchase them from our customers so we’re supporting them.”

3. Video Interviews – GoDaddy set up an area for interviewing bloggers and experts. This was lead by Heather Dopson.

4. Individually sponsored bloggers – Some bloggers were sponsored by GoDaddy to help with expensese on lodging and travel for #BlogHer16, in exchange for social media and blog exposure.

(Note: I will say that I’m deepy gateful for GoDaddy being one of my sponsors, and helping to fund my trip to #BlogHer16. This post was not part of the sponsor package I had, but because it makes sense to show my readers what brands like GoDaddy do at conferences.)

BONUS: I will say during my first WordPress General Q&A session that I ran, Andrea Rowland provided a lot of valuable questions directed for newbie WordPressers. That was great, because some newbies either don’t know what to ask, or don’t know what to exactly ask, so it was great to discuss basic WordPress information that they needed to know. It’s the same way online. Sometimes a WordPress newbie has trouble finding the right search term to Google, so sometimes help is needed.

So, as you can see, GoDaddy has invested in a lot to engage with #BlogHer16, and provide a lot of value to the attendees. In observing their staff, I found that they’re consistent with other conferences, where they’re very welcoming, very patience, and very willing to help.

Did you attend #BlogHer16? Did you get to see the GoDaddy sponsor booth? Did you get a chance to connect with any of the GoDaddy staff that were at the event?