Today I’m welcoming savvy business owner and expert community builder, Kelly McCausey, to the blog. I’ve been part of her online community for a while now. I love her Facebook group, have joined in with her 30 day challenges, and recently started moving my websites over to her web hosting company, Mom Webs.
In August, Kelly is hosting her annual event (now in its 5th year), Exposure and Profit, and she’s kindly agreed to tell us more about it, and share some of her networking and community building tips, as well.
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Q: Hi Kelly. Thanks so much for joining us here at The Savvy Solopreneur to talk about your upcoming event, Exposure and Profit. I’ve been following you online for a long time, but just in case my readers haven’t, would you like to tell us a little about yourself?
A: Sure! Thanks for the invitation Karen!
When it comes to online marketing, I’m a curious enthusiast who over the years picked up valuable experience and a few questionable opinions about how it all works. I have been helping others create what they want with content marketing and community building since mid 2004. I blog, podcast, create courses, develop PLR, host events/retreats and do both group and private coaching.
Personally, I’m turning 52 this year. My son is grown and married and has given me a sweet grandbaby I am treasuring every day. We decided to embrace multi-generational living for a season and for the most part, I really like it. It gives me a lot of freedom to travel and not fret about what might be happening at home.
Q: What can you tell us about Exposure and Profit? Who is it for? What topics will you be covering? How can we get a ticket?
A: EP is a content marketing conference with a heavy focus on community building too. My 14 speakers are hand picked for how to rock their own content marketing and community growth.
I host EP in Atlanta, Georgia and the next event is coming up August 10-12th, 2018. Tickets are available at ExposureandProfit.com.
I run a single track event, which means we’re in one room and everyone gets to hear every speaker – rather than choose between multiple tracks or breakouts. The event runs Friday through Sunday. There’s a generous schedule with lots of free time built in for maximizing your relationship building.
EP is for content creators, entrepreneurs who want to attract and serve a community of people they love and profit at the same time.
Q: Live events are scary. Especially for us introverts, but I love the sense of community when I force myself to go to one. What would you tell someone who’s wary of attending this, or any, live event.
A: I’m not an introvert but some of my best friends are, that’s one of the reasons I’ve designed a lot of margin into the event, I know people need time to recharge. EP is a smallish event. I’m expecting between 50 and 60 people this year, so it’s not overwhelming at that size and a great ‘starter’ event.
Q: You’re an amazing community builder. What are your top three tips for bloggers, marketers and other solopreneurs trying to build thriving, engaged communities?
- Have something to say. Communities grow around people who have a point of view to share. Don’t be afraid to express opinions. Create content that meets needs and be consistent about it.
- Shine a light on your community. Keep in mind, it isn’t all about you. Sure, you want to get attention and make offers – but they’ll be more open to you if you show interest in them first.
- Create a space for engagement. Facebook groups are the easiest tool for that these days. Have an intention for your community’s interaction – just don’t try to overcontrol things. A community develops from within. You can guide it with principles and help to design the culture but be prepared to roll with what grows naturally to some extent.
Q: I heard a crazy rumor that you’re going to shave your head live on stage at this event. Is that true?
A: It’s true! I’m shaving my head to raise $5000 for St. Baldrick’s Foundation. They support childhood cancer research with an intention of improving cancer treatment and reducing side effects and lifelong consequences of the treatment.
This will be my second ‘shaving’ and I’m surprised how much I’m looking forward to it. It’s not that I love being bald – growing hair back in is a pain in the butt! What I love though is that it reflects my passion for bringing people together for good.
Coming together at EP, we are all going to be getting smarter and creating more possibilities for our businesses. If we can take a chomp out of childhood cancer at the same time, I’m thrilled!
Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to us, Kelly!
Find out more about Kelly and the work she does over at her website, Love People and Make Money. Or head over to Exposure and Profit to find out more about the event.
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