Virtual Event Success

Earlier this year, I hosted the very first Social Media Telesummit. It was so challenging and exhilarating, I decided to do it all over again.

The 2009 Social Media Telesummit is an 8 day virtual event taking place entirely over the phone from January 21 to 30, 2009. It features 24 sessions from 26 speakers who will teach you how to attract attention and traffic to your website, blog or list using social media.

I’m super excited about this year’s event because I’ve got some of the top names in social media to say “Yes” to speaking at this virtual event. People like:

David Meerman Scott, Deborah Micek, Scott Stratten, Mari Smith, Chip Lambert, Lou Bortone, The Blog Squad, Fred Castaneda, Kim Dushinski, Shannon Cherry, Des Walsh, Sherman Hu, Nancy Marmolejo, Jeff Herring, Adam Urbanski, WendyY Bailey, Shama Hyder, Nicole Simon, Maria Reyes-McDavis, Carrie Wilkerson, Michael Port, Elizabeth Marshall, Sarah Robinson and yours truly…

The topics are innovative as well and I tried my best not to duplicate any of last year’s content. Here are just some of the topics you’ll hear about:

• How to Use LinkedIn to Boost Your Leads and Grow Your Network
• Ways to Integrate Mobile Marketing Into Your Social Media Efforts
• How to Attract, Engage & Convert Prospects To Customers Using Live Video Broadcasting
• Social Article Marketing: How to Create More Prospects, Publicity and Profits 300 Words at a Time
• How to Use the Fine Art of Social Bookmarking to Build Traffic
• Creating Triggers That Get Millions Of People To Spread Your Ideas And Share Your Stories

There are tons of changes I made to this year’s event:

• Less, but longer sessions. The 2009 event will feature 24 sessions, 9 less than in 2008. We have 3 sessions a day and they’re 75 minutes long. That means that each speaker can really teach you a single strategy step-by-step. You won’t be overwhelmed since you can focus on 3 meaty topics per day.
• Socially interact with other attendees and the speakers. This year, I created a secret group on Facebook for 2009 attendees. You’ll get to see other attendees and upload videos, photos and other content you feel will help your peers.
• Daily hot seats. Every day, up to 2 businesses will be featured in the hot seat. You have to choose the right plan to be considered for one of the hot seats. That means if you hear a strategy and you have a specific question about how to apply it to your business, you could be featured in a hot seat to get a few minutes of personal coaching. Cool huh?
• Quick delivery of content. I decided not to sell CDs or transcripts as part of the packages this year. One reason is because I had such a bad experience getting the 2008 content ready on CDs and transcripts that I’m kind of gun shy about the whole experience. But more importantly, I want to help you look current and cool. Depending on the plan you choose, you can get the recordings sent to you on a portable media player (see picture of last year’s MP3 player on the right) or you can download the recordings via an RSS feed (I’m using Premiumcast.com) to add the recordings one by one to a portable player if you already own one.

Want to register? Click here to read more information about the event and to secure your spot before all 247 spots are sold out.

A few weeks ago, I used a Twitter Hashtag called #smmb during my virtual event called Social Media Marketing Blueprint. Towards the end of the live call, it became a trending topic on Twitter Search. That means it was one of the Top 10 most talked about topics on Twitter.

Making the top 10 trending list on Twitter is key as it brings additional traffic to your event. If it makes the trending list, it means that there’s a buzz going on and people will want to know about it. The curiosity prompts people to follow the conversation on Twitter which then prompts them to register for your event.

About 2 weeks after the Social Media Marketing Blueprint teleclass, I ran another virtual event called Social Media With Curves using the hashtag #smwc. This event also become a trending topic on Twitter Search.

Here’s the screenshot from Current.fm which tracks trending topics on Twitter on a hour by hour basis. You’ll see my event #smwc listed below under Blu-ray, Dark Knight and Santa.

I’ve been trying to figure out the best practices when using hashtags as this is now the 2nd event I’ve hosted that has made the top 10 trending list.

The problem is that both events had totally different factors:

1. Both were run at different times. I ran the Social Media Marketing Blueprint call in the morning at 11am EST, while the Social Media With Curves was held in the evening at 8pm EST.
2. Both had different price points. The Social Media Marketing Blueprint call was free while the Social Media With Curves event was $27.
3. Both had different number of participants. Over 300 people registered for the Social Media Marketing Blueprint and we maxed out all 200 phone lines. The Social Media With Curves had just under 100 people registered with half calling into the live event.

How does one then become a trending topic on Twitter so you can boost attendees to your event (virtual or offline)?

• Encourage interaction. The reality is that people are not 100% focused on any particular session at an event. So, celebrate the multi-tasker and encourage attendees and speakers to tweet their reaction to the event. In essence, encourage everyone listening to pass notes during the session.
• Teach what hashtags are all about. Not every Twitter user understands what hashtags are or why they are important. Spend a minute at the beginning of your event explaining this. Your attendees will reward you with loads of tweets.
• Just pray that a major news event doesn’t trump your “trending topic” attempts. I’ve been fortunate that there wasn’t a plane crash, an Obama muckup or a Britney Spears melt down during my events. It helped me to ascend to the Top 10 trending topic list with ease.

The first time, it’s a fluke. The second time, it’s a curiosity. The third time, it’s a system. Let’s see what happens when Part 2 of Social Media With Curves rolls around on December 16, 2008.

Dave Forde, an influential Canadian blogger, recently asked the question about who is Canada’s Most Influential Women in Social Media after reading that I made Ron Hudson’s Top 50 list a few weeks back.

He is now asking people to vote on the Top 3 Most Influential Women in Social Media in Canada based on 31 nominations.

To vote for me…ahem, I mean, for one of the ladies on the list (me), click here to submit your vote. Voting closes December 20, 2008.

Are women changing the social media landscape? Are women better at using social media to form relationships and build trust?

These are the questions I’m going to pose to a panel of social media and marketing experts over the phone on December 9 & 16, 2008 at 8pm EST (New York time).

I invited the speakers from the 2009 Social Media Telesummit to weigh in on this issue.

The women from the 2009 Social Media Telesummit will answer this question on December 9th. They will offer their opinions and feedback.

The men from the 2009 Social Media Telesummit didn’t want to be left out, so on December 16th, you’ll hear the men answer this question.

Consider this event a social media battle of the sexes!

The first 247 people to register for this event save $70 of the registration fee. Click here to register your spot.

I really enjoy teaching social media to specific professions. So, when Deborah Rubin, the found of YogaSpirit.ca asked me to share ways yoga instructors can use social media to grow their studios, I jumped at the chance.

If you’re a yoga instructor or a spiritual guide, you can join Deborah’s YogaSpirit.ca for free until December 31st. That will then give you the members discount to the class I’m doing on December 1st.

All participants get an activity book to use during the call and a social media checklist after the call. There’s also a follow up teleclass on December 10th to go through Social Media Best Practices. To register, click here and be sure to listen to the preview interview I did with Deborah. I reveal some things in this interview that I NEVER revealed before.

I’m heading down to Knoxville, Tennessee to do a keynote and breakout session for America Outdoors annual general meeting.

I’ll be sharing with outdoor and adventure operators how to use social media to convert leads and create an enjoyable experience with their brand online. My breakout session following my keynote will focus on specific case studies.

I’m rather excited about this event because it fits the Marketing Fit angle so nicely. I love being outdoors, I love adventures and speaking to this group is right up my alley.

If you own or operate an outdoor adventure company, join me in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you’re an outdoor adventure company using social media, I’d love to talk to you. Leave your comments and let me know how you’re using social media.

Does the whole thought of learning how to use Facebook, blogs, Twitter and podcasts in your business give you the hives? Without understanding how to use social media to grow your business, you’ll run around in circles.

Well, I’m happy to announce the launch of my coaching and training program called the Social Media Start Up Kit: A Step-by-Step Roadmap on How to Get Started With Social Media for Complete Newbies and Absolute Beginners. I kept hearing from so many people that they just wanted a click-by-click, step-by-step guide to help them make sense of social media.

The introductory price of the Social Media Start Up Kit for Complete Newbies and Absolute Beginners is $597. However, if you buy it between November 28 and December 2, 2008, you can save anywhere between $100 to $300 depending on the day you buy the kit.

I’m calling this my Black Friday Fire Sale. The table below shows you how much you can save on which days:

The longer you wait, the more you pay. So, click here to read more details about Social Media Start Up Kit for Complete Newbies and Absolute Beginners and get the kit so you can end 2008 with a bang.

If you want to be successful with social media, you have to take small steps.

In Episode 004 of Marketing Fit TV, Leesa is joined by her friend, Simone, as they talk about how eating 5-6 small meals per day is comparable to taking small steps with social media each day.

Don’t forget to listen to the Marketing FIt Action Tip so you can learn what action Leesa wants you to take.

Click here to view Episode 004 of Marketing Fit TV.