Virtual Event Success

A week ago, I published a blog post on Why Hybrid Events Are Nothing New. Got some great feedback. Well, now, I’d like to put together a panel featuring people who have used virtual events to fill non-virtual events eg. a workshop, seminar, etc, or vice versa.

To be clear, I’m looking for those who have used this as a strategy in growing their business and/or income. I’m not necessarily looking for people who put them together. Booking a room or calling the caterer isn’t what I’m looking for.

Instead, I’d like to feature business owners who have hosted virtual events, such as virtual group coaching programs, virtual bootcamps, virtual workshops and have used them to feed people into non-virtual events, such as a reunion event or a 3-day workshop hosted in a city.

If that’s you, drop your name in the comments area below or click here to open a ticket on my helpdesk.

I’m happy to announce that the 2010 Social Media Telesummit is now open for registration. This is the annual virtual event that I host which features dozens of speakers and sessions over an 8-day period.

This is the 3rd and last year that I’ll host the Social Media Telesummit. There are many reasons why and one of them is that this year’s sessions will focus more on the strategy and less on the tools. For the 2008 & 2009 events, I looked for social media experts who could teach how to use a specific tool. However, for the 2010 event, I invited experts who are using social media to build brand awareness and make money. To me, once the strategy is covered, there’ll be no reason to continue hosting this annual event.

The one thing that will make the 2010 Social Media Telesummit unique is the format. Yes, there’ll be speakers offering great content, however, the emphasis will be through active listening. In other words, attendees will be active participants in each sessions and not passive observers.

Also, each attendee will be assigned to a small group where they can mastermind with other attendees. And each small group will be facilitated by a coach. There’s no better way to apply the things you’re learning at the 2010 Social Media Telesummit than to use your mastermind buddies and coach to hold you accountable.

Plus, every attendee gets a complimentary 30-day membership in the International Social Media Association. This association was founded by Mari Smith, a speaker at the 2009 Social Media Telesummit and who was named by FastCompany.com as “the Pied Piper of the Online World” by FastCompany.com. I’m thankful that Mari extended this bonus to attendees of the 2010 Social Media Telesummit.

Click here to get more details about the 2010 Social Media Telesummit and to get access to the preview calls.

Ali Brown, Self Made Multi-Millionaire

I know, I know, I’m all about virtual events, but as I’m attending Shine in Las Vegas, there’s still TONS of value in attending offline events as well.

So, as Ali Brown, the host of Shine, teaches me how to create a powerful business plan, here’s one of her articles on why you should attend live events. I will follow up in a few days with why you should attend virtual events.

5 Reasons to Learn via Live Events by Ali Brown

I remember six years ago making a decision that would change my life and business forever. I decided to travel across the country to attend a marketing seminar. A few things about this were completely new to me.

1. The fact that I was going to spend over a thousand dollars of my own money to invest in myself. (And also maxing out one of my credit cards to do so – yes, things were pretty tight back then!)
2. Traveling across the country alone and paying for my own flight, hotel, ground transport, meals, etc.
3. Throwing myself into a new environment where I didn’t know anyone else.

I’m so glad I made that decision. Not only did I learn amazing information to help my online business (which was brand new at the time), but I met some folks who remain my friends to this day. And my investing in myself in that manner also sent a message to the universe that I was stepping up and “ready to play big.”

[...]

I stumbled upon this video recording that Sanyika Colloway-Boyce did for me while we both attended Milana Leshinsky’s The Bliss Factor workshop back in April 2009.

I had a chance to share with the attendees how they can use social media to attract coaching leads to their business.

This is a small clip of the 60-minute presentation that I did. In it, I share with attendees how they can release their social media fears. As you view this, I invite you to follow the exercises to release your own fears about social media, podcasting, virtual events or any other online marketing tactic. I’d love to hear your fears in the comments section below.

In Part 2, I’ll share the part of the presentation where I show you how to shake those fears so you can tackle social media, podcasting, virtual events or any other online marketing tool with confidence.

I was flipping through the pages of my book, Podcasting for Profit recently and I was amazed at how many similarities there are between producing a podcast and producing a virtual event.

Looking through the pages of Podcasting for Profit made me more aware that the planning and producing that goes into a podcast are the same techniques you’d use to plan a virtual event.

Here’s what I discovered:

Whether you’re producing a podcast or a virtual event, you need to choose a titillating title. As I stated in my book, the title of your podcast can either create intrigue and interest or it can bore the person to tears. Your virtual event is no different. You need to choose the right name so that people feel compelled to attend.

A podcast and a virtual event both need to have compelling content. As a podcast or virtual event producer, taking some time to plan your podcast episodes or your virtual event sessions will help you identify the right experts to provide that content. By planning the content, you’ll be able to give your audience exactly what they’ve been asking for.

Both a podcast and a virtual event require intelligent, brilliant guests. Expert interviews are the fastest and most inexpensive way for you to build content for your podcast and virtual event. That’s why you need to decide which guests will give you the best information. You not only have to invite that person to participate in your podcast or virtual event, but you also have to ask engaging questions so that you get the desired content that will help your target market.

The outcome of a podcast and a virtual event results in multiple streams of income. Recording your content is essential to helping you leverage it for other uses. You can use a podcast to market your virtual event and then you can use the recordings from your virtual event as a podcast episode.

In my book Podcasting for Profit, I listed a dozen ways you can develop several income sources from your podcast recordings. Membership websites, training programs, e-books, CDs, DVDs, paid syndication and downloadable transcripts are just some of the ways you can leverage the recordings created from your podcast into many sources of income. Of course, this same model can be used for virtual events as well.

You can use a podcast and a virtual event to position yourself as an expert in your industry. People get to hear your voice, they get to witness you rubbing shoulders with some of the top names in your field, and they become familiar with your personality. All these are recipes for building your own following of fans, friends, and foes in way that text alone can’t do. Your podcast and virtual event helps you to connect with people in a dynamic way which then makes it easier for you to attract customers to your business.

If you’re writing articles, blog posts, and relying on text alone to market your business online, you’re missing out on a rich and lucrative way to build rapport with people. If your business has slowed down quite a bit, it may not be due to the economy. Instead, it may be a result of you not allowing people see and hear your unique personality.

Over the next 90 days, I encourage you to either launch a podcast or produce a virtual event to give your target market another way to experience you and your brand.

• If you need help launching a podcast, get my book Podcasting for Profit at Amazon or any other online bookseller. It contains exercises and activities that will help you launch a podcast with confidence.
• If you need help producing a virtual event, click here to join the Association of Virtual Event Managers, Organizers & Hosts. You’ll get access to many resources, including forums, where you can ask anything about producing a virtual event.

People always ask me: “Leesa, how do I create meaty content for my podcast, blog or virtual event?” Here are 7 ideas to get you started.

Interview Experts

Put out a call to clients whose area of specialization compliments yours. Run through your list of online
connections – the professionals who contribute their ideas to the same social networks as you do. Think about this in terms of audience intrigue. Who else might your subscribers learn and benefit from, besides you?

Dig up Recordings from Teleclasses or Workshops

Maybe you ran a telecourse last summer that went over big. To you, that class feels like old hat – but remember there are still plenty of people out there who will really appreciate the information. Syndicate portions of your old learning materials, then package in podcast or video format and upload to your blog.

Check Your Inbox

Did you email some spot-on advice to a client or colleague recently? Well, turn your advice into a blog post or a teleclass.

Check Your Website’s Referral Keywords

Make your back end work for you. Use Google Analytics or a similar tool to find out who’s landing on your pages via which keyword phrases. Do some research on those topics of interest and share your findings with blog readers. Sometimes your web traffic results can surprise you.

Be the Answer Guy (or Girl)

Post a question on your blog. “What are the top 3 questions you have about ?” Have podcast listeners call in their question via a telephone recording line set up Virtual Event Audio. Write up your responses as a blog feature or record as a podcast interview.

Get Success Stories

Other people’s success stories inspire and motivate us. It develops confidence, builds trust in our readership and brings more business. Why not add a category to your blog called Success Stories? Each month, highlight a recent victory or milestone – yours, a client’s or a colleague’s. Win-win for all involved.

Provide Updates from a Conference or Trade Show

Create a buzz around your next trade show or exhibition. Bring the digital camera or video recorder along. When you return, take a few moments to jot down event highlights. Share commentary and footage with your audience.

Leesa Barnes is an award winning author, virtual event marketing specialist and CEO of Marketing Fit Inc., a training & development company that teaches business how to get active online using profitable tools.

If you liked these tips, you’ll LOVE the virtual event tips found at the Association of Virtual Event Managers, Organizers & Hosts. To start your membership for 50% off the regular price, click here for more details.

Virtual events are becoming more popular, however, not everyone knows how to host one the right way. If you plan to feature a variety of speakers over a variety of days, this is the most lucrative way to bring you new leads, increase your income and help you to be seen as an expert in your field.

Despite this, you may be making costly mistakes when producing your virtual event due to inexperience or because of your sole focus to make money or build your list.

I asked some of my friends and colleagues – millionaire coaches, best selling authors and sought after speakers – for the most common mistakes they’ve seen virtual event organizers make. They shared with me some of the pains they went through to speak at virtual events.

I’ve taken those mistakes and put together 5 habits that you must embody so you can be known as a highly effective virtual event manager. If you develop these habits, you’ll not only get a reputation for organizing stellar virtual events, but you’ll be highly profitable as well.

Join me on August 12, 2009 at 1pm ET as I share with you these amazing habits. On this call, I’ll also make a special announcement about a new association that I’m launching. Just enter your first name and email address in the box below to get the call-in details.

I’ve managed my own virtual events and participated in a few as a speaker.

I know first hand what can happen if virtual event hosts don’t have a speaker release form in place so they can protect themselves, the speaker they’re working with and the content that’s being co-developed.

I have many horror stories, for example:

• There’s a virtual event host who took my recording (along with the other speakers) and allows others to resell it in their membership website. I didn’t mind that the virtual event host was selling my recording, but I didn’t give permission for it to be resold by others.
• Another virtual event host suddenly starting giving away the speaker recordings for free even though she charged for access just 2-months earlier. Needless to say, I wasn’t happy since I developed a unique topic for her paying audience.
• Yet another virtual event host required me to give 3-hours of my time in pre-interviews, prep sessions and panel discussions, in addition to my 90-minute session. As you can imagine, I wasn’t happy about this.

Seems like I’m not alone in my frustration with virtual event hosts.

I asked some of my friends, top experts in their fields, about their virtual event horror stories and they didn’t hold back. Over 25 of my colleagues shared their virtual event tales experienced at the hands of unethical and/or inexperienced virtual event hosts.

In most cases, a simple Speaker Release Form would’ve solved the problem. Not having your speakers sign a Speaker Release Form can damage your reputation. You may not know it, but people talk and if you have a reputation for treating speakers badly, you’ll soon find it difficult for anyone to say “Yes” speaking at your next virtual event.

A Speaker Release Form should:

1. Remind the speaker which virtual event they’re speaking at
2. Tell the speaker how you plan to use the recording in the future.
3. Let the speaker know if you’ll be sharing a complimentary copy of the recording and/or transcripts.
4. Whether or not you plan to share future proceeds from the sale of the finished product with the speaker.

Your Speaker Release Form doesn’t have to be long. All the content should fit nicely on just one page. However, the main goal of the Speaker Release Form is to let the speaker know how you plan to use her content.

If you’re looking for a Speaker Release Form, do NOT download one online. I even include a sample in the Virtual Event Marketing Blueprint, but I advice my students to seek legal council. Get a lawyer to craft one up for you. It’s better to spend the money getting a really good one crafted for your business than to get into trouble in the long run.

photo courtesy world2worlds