4 Lessons I Learned from Speaking at the Traffic and Conversion Summit

Do you ever wonder what it’s like to be at a big conference and to be a speaker up on stage? A few weeks ago, I was at the Traffic and Conversion Summit, one of the biggest conferences out there, and I got to teach about Instagram. I met some amazing people and went through a needed transformation, and there are some key takeaways that I have to share that’ll help you in your business journey. Here are 4 lessons I learned from speaking at the Traffic and Conversion Summit.

 

 

If this is your first time hearing about the Traffic and Conversion Summit, it’s specifically a conference for AI-powered marketers and those who aspire to be. At this conference, you’ll learn a ton about how AI marketers are thriving in the marketing world right now and tips you can take back and apply to your own business. As you can imagine, I was thrilled to be a part of the speaking lineup and network with a bunch of amazing people. 

And I’m even more excited that I now get to share what I learned with all of you! Sharing tips and strategies with you is what makes my business heart so happy. I love doing what I do and it’s because I get to connect with you and help you feel motivated in starting and growing your business. It’s one of the best feelings to see you have success in your business as you grow your reach and influence. 

 

 

4 Lessons I Learned from Speaking at the Traffic and Conversion Summit

Speaking at this conference was a new experience for me because I normally speak at events where the audience is already familiar with Instagram. They understand the benefits of it and just want to get better at it. This audience at the summit did not know about Instagram strategy and, dare I even say, they did not like Instagram. 

As I learned about the deep feelings people had about Instagram when chatting with them at the summit, I started to doubt myself. My thoughts were spiraling about why I even committed to speaking. I thought I was going to say something dumb and people would judge me for it. No one was even going to find value in what I say, etc. Has this negative thought spiral happened to you? 

This has happened to me time and time again, and it usually does right before something amazing happens. Have you noticed that? To help myself get out of this funk, I reminded myself that it’s not about me. My speech is not about me–just like my podcast is not about me or my Instagram reels. It’s about how I serve. 

 

Lesson #1: Say yes to the hard stuff. 

Putting myself out there and connecting with certain people that led me to apply to speak at the Traffic and Conversion Summit were very hard things. It was uncomfortable and took a lot of work to make them happen. It also took a lot of emotional regulation to stay committed throughout all of these things.

You are going to have times in your life when people ask you to stretch for them. They will ask you to stand up and do something you’ve never done before. Those stretching times are some of the most beneficial moments of your life. They can be the things that accelerate growth so much faster than anything else could. 

 

Lesson #2: Invest in beneficial relationships.

Surround yourself with really good people who have big dreams and are connected to people doing big things. When you connect with them and show up as your true self, owning your expertise, then it makes it easier for them to connect you with their network. 

The longer you are in business, you are going to find that relationships are the things that get you where you want to go. Investing in people who want to invest in you and have big things going on is going to lead you to who you want to become. 

 

 

Lesson #3: Invest in yourself.

A little while ago I invested in myself by signing up for a mastermind about using guest podcasting to increase your sales. (Check out my post HERE to learn more about this.) This is one of the steps that helped me meet the right people and land the speaking job at the summit. Yes, it costs money and time to join, but it’s helping me get better at what I do. 

When you push yourself outside of your comfort zone and learn new things it’s a way for you to grow faster and stay focused on where you want to go next. There are always new things you can learn and new ways to look at situations and you do that by taking courses, committing to mastermind groups, etc. Anytime you can learn more and expand your knowledge and experience, the better.

 

Lesson #4: Success breeds success. 

When you start getting yourself in the right rooms, talking to the right people, and saying yes to the right hard things, your name gets passed on and your success starts to grow. The more you network, the more you give, the more you stand up, the more you say yes to yourself, and the more you say yes to the right things, the more your success grows. 

It doesn’t happen right away, In fact, it slowly builds up, but each step is so important because it’s leading you to where you are meant to be. Taking those steps will get you to a place where you can live in your fullest version of yourself, serving your audience and owning a booming biz that is making the world better. It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. But the result is so much worth it. 

 

 

Bonus: My Biggest Takeaway from the Traffic and Conversion Summit

When you are creating ads or any kind of content you should start by talking directly to your audience and calling out their problem. Now, we all know we need to talk about the problem–but it needs to be the very first thing we say. And immediately follow up with how you can solve it for them. 

This advice is going to help me better market my products to my target audience. For example, when I talk about my Insta Social Society I usually list out all the amazing things you can get when you sign up for it. But now I will speak to the pain point of my audience instead of cluttering them with all of the offerings. 

I want you to implement this into your marketing strategy too. Try to be more straightforward when talking about how you can solve your audience’s problem and let them know right away what their problem is and how you can solve it. 

 

 

4 Lessons I Learned from Speaking at the Traffic and Conversion Summit

Owning and running a business is a super hard thing to do. It stretches you, tests you, and ultimately shapes you into a better version of yourself. You get to decide what your journey looks like. Don’t let doubts or fears keep you from saying yes to things that scare you. As you step out of your comfort zone and into a new place of opportunities, you will experience the most amazing miracles! 

The best part is that you don’t have to do this alone. Some people have walked this path before you and now they share what they’ve learned, so you don’t have to go through it alone. (Cough, cough…like me!) I’m here to coach you and cheer you on every step of the way. The best place to start is by signing up for my weekly newsletter HERE. And make sure you’re following me on Instagram @iammichellegifford!