Virtual Event Success

In 2008, I hosted what was at the time the very first virtual event on the topic of social media. Thirty-three sessions, 36 speakers over 8-days.

Since then, everyone and their mama has launched a virtual event on the topic of social media.

My coach at the time encouraged me to go for it (it was originally called the Podcasting Telesumimt, but he strongly suggested I switch it to the Social Media Telesummit).

My friend and telesummit pioneer, Milana Leshinsky, gave me a virtual hug and loads of advice on how to get it done right.

The sales page went up, the promotions began and both registrations and negative feedback started to pour in.

[...]

When I was 30-years old, I had an awakening. I had gone through my 20s very angry about many things. When I finally reached the big 3-0, I was:

• Single after ending a 5-year relationship
• Back in church after not stepping foot in one for over 8-years
• Hopelessly bouncing between periods of wild wealth and abject poverty and wondering how I would break the cycle

It was the summer of my 30th birthday when I attended T. Harv Eker's 3-day intensive Millionaire Mind seminar. From 8:30am til about 6:30pm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on a hot, humid and muggy weekend, I crammed into the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto with a couple thousand other people to develop our millionaire mindset.

And what a powerful experience.

I still have the notebook filled with all the notes I copied down from that 3-day event. We did tons of exercises on how to have a better relationship with our money. As I look at my notes, a couple things stood out that changed my destiny for good...

That if I don't respect my money, it won't stay where it's not wanted.

Why Social Media Is No Longer About Marketing

If you haven't figured it out, people don't need you in order to talk about your brand. They'll go to Twitter, Facebook and blogs, meet up with your fans (or foes) and carry on a conversation.

[...]

Elizabeth PW, Live Your Truth

Elizabeth PW, a faculty member of the 2010 Social Media Telesummit, recently wrote 2 blog posts that got me thinking.  Actually, her blog makes me think all the time. However, there were 2 things that she wrote recently that is prompting this blog post:

1. As a woman, I need to tap into my feminine energy.
2. That authenticity and transparency is great, but being vulnerable is way better.

Leesa Barnes: The Tomboy Turned Tough Gal

Growing up, I was a tomboy.

I found more interest playing soccer in the field with the boys than skipping in the playground with the girls.

What the girls did was so very boring. Talking about hair, makeup and which boy was the cutest.

Whatever.

What the boys did was fun. They played sports, they talked about cars and they could have a fist fight one minute then go out and pick each other to play on the same team the next.

From elementary school to university, my only focus was basketball. Anything "girlie" I stayed away from. I paid no attention to my hair, my nails or what I wore. I still attracted guys as a tomboy, so in my eyes, there was no need to change.

Leesa Barnes: The Tough Gal Turned Alpha Female

The last serious relationship I was in ended when I was 30-years old. He was a great guy, but after dating for 5-years, the relationship ran its course.

Plus, I started going back to church and he was so not interested.

Because my God was more important, I ended the relationship. Interesting, huh? I gave up an earthly man after falling in love with a Heavenly One.

Heh.

The one thing my ex told me was a huge problem in our relationship was that I was a poor communicator and I never leaned on him for help.

Boy, I sound like I was the dude in the relationshp, huh?

Yup, that was the tomboy in me. "I can do it all by myself." So, like a dude, I shrugged off his complaint, calling him bitter and went on with my so-called life.

[...]

I used to be very obsessed with the numbers. It started in high school. I was one of those kids you hated in math class who could carry the one (Dee you'd want to avoid me) and do fractions without a calculator.

I was the one the math teacher called on when no one else had the answer. He knew I did. Every time.

Then, social media came around and my obsession became a super obsession (no, that's not a typo). I was in it to win it. I was competing with others to see how quickly I could get my 1,000th follower on Twitter. Or my 15th friend on Facebook. Or my 2-millionith connection on LinkedIn.

I Only Cared About How Much I Scored

When I was in university, I played 2-years of varsity basketball. At the time, I was dating this ultra-competitive guy. He too played basketball, but at the college level (in Canada, there's a BIG difference between university and college - there's a Wikipedia entry that explains it all).

Despite the fact that we would never, ever play on the same team due to our different genders (if you didn't get it - I'm a gal, he's a guy) and different collegiate playing levels, he always wanted to know what I scored after each game and how many minutes I played.

My coach liked to huddle with the team after the game ended. We would shake our opponents' hands, tell them that it was a good game, then meet our coach at the end of the bench for a post game pep talk.

Instead of running to the huddle, I would boot over to the scorer's table to review my points scored and the minutes played so I could stuff those hefty numbers down my (ex) boyfriend's throat.

After doing this several times, my coach beat me to the scorer's table after one game, removed the scorer's sheet and promised to bench me the rest of the season if I ever checked my points before huddling with the team.

So, I stopped looking at the numbers.

And shortly thereafter, I broke up with my ultra competitive, shallow, insecure boyfriend.

But, I digress...

I'm often amazed at how some measure authenticity in social media. Utterly amazed.

I've heard some people say that if you don't push the publish button on your blog, type and publish your tweets in Twitter and update your status in LinkedIn, then you're not using social media authentically.

Really? Is that how we're measuring authenticity? By being push button communicators? This is a silly way to measure authenticity and this is what's ruining social media.

And this quest to be the most authentic and the most transparent is killing productivity. If I have to push out every tweet, every blog post and every status update on the kazillion social media websites I belong to, when will I ever get work done?

That's why I don't have a problem with automating and outsourcing some social media tasks. In particular, I typically say:

"Outsource the tasks, not your voice."

This has helped me to evaluate what I should and should not outsource when it comes to social media. And it's helped me to become more productive and less bitter towards the very tools that were once eating up so much of my time. Because having tons of followers on Twitter, tons of connections on LinkedIn and tons of friends on Facebook mean diddly-squat if it means that I'm not making money.

That's the honest truth. If I add a new marketing tool to my marketing arsenal and my business doesn't grow - or worst - things start to decline, then I have to re-evaluate the tool and how I'm using it.

And sadly, many are so disillusioned with social media right now because they put all their hopes and dreams into Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and have seen little return on their investment.

Social media is still very important. It's important to my marketing plan and it helps me stay connected to my clients and customers. And that's why I'm hosting the 2010 Social Media Telesummit for the last time in January 2010. Out of the 14 speakers, there are only 3 I would consider social media experts. The rest are business owners who have used social media to really boost their business. Non-social media gurus giving you social media tips. I can't wait to hear their advice on how to do a social media "do over."

So, at the end of the day, I do believe I'm being authentic even if I outsource and automate some social media tasks. Just as long as I don't outsource my voice, then I can happily use social media tools with vigour and enthusiasm.

How would you answer the question - Are you being authentic when you outsource or automate social media tasks? Leave your response below.

I got the idea for the title of this post from Milana Leshinsky's wonderful report on how to add coaching to your business in 48-hours or less.

So, I often get asked what is the difference between a teleclass and a virtual event. The difference between the 2 is that virtual events are set up like a serial. According to Wikipedia.org, serials are:

Stories that rely on a continuing plot that unfolds in an episode by episode fashion. Serials typically follow main story arcs that span entire seasons or even the full run of the series, which distinguishes them from traditional episodic television that relies on more stand-alone episodes. Worldwide, the soap opera is a notable derivative of the serial.

With your virtual event, you put together stories that unfold with a specific beginning and end. Even though you may be interviewing different people during your virtual event, each expert is presenting material that feeds into the main story arc or theme of your event.

Also, the serialized virtual event is much more financially lucrative. Attendees keeps tuning in to each session that takes place over consecutive days and weeks to learn more. Also, attendees feel your virtual event is well worth the investment because they get a mountain of content for a low price. Think about it - if you offer 18 sessions for $497, the actual cost per session is $27 (and there's no money spent on travel or hotel).

Therefore, a 3-min clip of you singing the Facebook blues isn't a virtual event. It's a video online. However, if you prepare a series of videos that explain complicated terms in plain English, they can be considered a virtual event.

Let's take a look at other examples of virtual events you can start in the next 48-hours or less.

1. Podcasting - This is an audio or video series that's syndicated. You produce a daily or weekly episode and share it via iTunes with your audience. Just posting a recording on your blog from your recent teleclass or posting a video to YouTube is not enough. You need to commit to a schedule and syndicate the content in order for it to be considered a podcast.
2. Telesummits - This is a series of teleclasses that feature a variety of speakers over consecutive days or hours. Examples of these are the Social Media Telesummit, Adwords Advantage or Practice Building Virtual Conference.
   
3. Virtual Workshop - This is a series of teleclasses or webinars that feature only one or two speakers who train you on a specific task. Each week is a module that leads into the next. Examples are Couples Transformations and my Virtual Event Launch Secrets program.
4. Virtual Coaching - Whether it's one-to-one or in a group setting, you can coach your clients virtually. Just make sure to do so over consecutive days or hours so it qualifies as a virtual event. Kendall Summerhawk  wrote about a full day virtual retreat concept where you meet with your client hourly in one day and Milana Leshinsky  lists 20 exciting ways to coach your client (#1-#9 are virtual formats).
5. Virtual Job Fairs - Employers and job candidates meet virtually and share resumes and job leads. This type of event takes place over consecutive hours and may feature expert speakers. Examples are eFairJob and Monster's Virtual Job Fair.
6. Virtual Trade Shows - Complete with exhibitors on a virtual trade show, sponsors and speakers, these huge events attract thousands of attendees. Although the cost to set up this type of virtual is high, the profit margin is equally high.

In my examples above, just remember that the tool doesn't matter. Whether you host your virtual event over the phone or online, just make sure you don't book a conference room. What matters, however, is the strategy.

Are there any other virtual events you would add to this list?