The popularity of Twitter has become, in a word, UNREAL. People "tweet" about waking up in the morning, what they are doing during the day, and what they just ate for breakfast. Others are "tweeting" valuable information and content, linking to articles, and sharing links to music that they enjoy.
Then you have "blatant" spammers. Like with any social media site, they are "blasting" their links in hopes of getting their next "sale". Some of them know better, some don't, and some could care less.
Either way, the majority of users are wondering how to get followers on Twitter?. It is that magical "mystique" that surrounds the average Twitter user. How is it done? How do these Top Twitterers do it? Is there some type of magical formula on how to get followers on Twitter?
Some of these so-called "Gurus" will tell you YES, there is. Follow "my secret system" and get 18,937 Followers in 30-90 Days. But the truth is, that the Top Twitterers don't do it "magically", they do it "systematically".
"Get followers instantly and on auto-pilot" seems to be the trend online marketers are using these days to "hypnotize" people into buying their systems. After all, who wouldn't want to "easily" learn how to get followers on Twitter ( completely on auto-pilot ) while making an extra $200 to $1,000? And on top of that, doing it ALL from the comfort of their living room chair while watching the latest episode of their favorite television program. Are you kidding? Sign ME up for that program NOW!
But realistically, the pure "hype" of these systems are usually enough to turn the average Twitter user off. When enough people start "over saturating" the market, it begins to become old news. People aren't "tweeting" anymore, they are just posting self-serving links. This is not the proper way to gather a large following of people, and in most cases, will get you unfollowed.
So what's the big deal with Twitter anyway? Well, Twitter can be a very valuable business tool if used properly. Dell knows it, and so does CNN. So why is it so hard for the average person to crack the code on how to get followers on Twitter?
In one word, RELEVANCY. Learn who your "customer" is. Don't just spam random links to anyone and everyone in hopes of getting "bites". Knowing your "customer" and offering them "relevant" information will get you much more Twitter followers than random "spam" techniques.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Mass Mass Media Wars
Call it the ‘Social Media Revolution’. Or ‘The Fans Strike Back’. Better still the ‘Mass Mass Media Wars’!
In new unprecedented twist the people – the minions and the masses – are no longer quietly accepting the overarching power of major corporations and are making their opinions felt, rapidly and virally.
Take the case of Harry Potter. The Potter franchise is the heftiest in history making $4.5 billion in box-office revenue worldwide. Its fans are a big part of that success and although its producers, Warner Bros. have accorded the fans their respect, they vastly underestimated how quickly the tide could turn against them if the fans didn’t appreciate any decision they made.
Within hours of Warner Bros’ August 2008 decision to postpone the release of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” to July 2009, hate mail and death threats began pouring in. Warner Bros executives’ private email addresses circulated via the Web and Youtube posts of angry homemade videos flooded the Internet. The studio retreated with an apology and the promise that “Half-Blood Prince” would now open closer to the studio’s seventh planned Harry Potter film, due out in November 2010, which still didn’t appease die hard muggle fans who’re still muttering about it.
Then there’s the Twitter Effect, the make or break power of tweets, which last week broke Bruno’s poise. Sacha Baron Cohen’s offbeat comedy about an oddball Austrian stylista made $30.4 million in its opening weekend. However the sharp drop from Friday to Saturday in box office figures implied that the film’s apparently insipid comedy and bland writing didn’t wash over with most moviegoers — fans just didn’t dig it and they twittered heavily about their disappointment leading experts to speculate and conjecture about Brüno being the first movie to be defeated by the Twitter Effect.
Another brand getting browbeaten by the social media multitudes is Jamba Juice. Bliss is only being found in their blackberry shake flavour as the company fights off accusations of ripping an ad concept from cult cartoonist David Rees’ Get Your War On. The news broke on Twitter and the masses have made their angry protests, but the Jamba Juice still haven’t said a pip … nor responded on their on its Web site or Facebook page.
Its obvious that brands, corporations and entertainment juggernauts are now more vulnerable to the masses, the consumers, bloggers and growing twitter community and are either unaware of the growing influence of social media, and if they are, are unsure of how to deal with it or handle its unrestrained power.
Rohit Bhargava (Fast Company) says that launching a blog, or a Facebook page or Twitter account isn’t the hardest thing for a major corporation to do – “The hard part is deciding how to use these tools. Ironically, the thing that most brands have to worry about isn’t negativity (as they often fear), it is indifference. The most common “backlash” against company sponsored social media initiatives are the embarrassing sounds of crickets. No one visits and no one cares.”
Rohit goes further and advices corporations to understand their audiences first. To do what they first did before they launched their product – research! Then “Instead of focusing on your shiny new blog or cool new Facebook app, the place to start is to figure out who will be the people behind it. Find the individuals who will be interacting on behalf of your brand in social media, and then give them the tools and support to do it well. All the companies that get credit today for doing social media well – Zappos, Dell, Comcast – have all become comfortable with letting individuals from their company become the faces for their brand. These are the voices that I often call “accidental spokespeople.” Within them is the real secret to using social media to be a brand that actually matters: offering a real human connection.”
Social Media is here to stay so corporations can either ignore it at their own peril, misunderstand it at their own demise or approach like you would any wild animal; slowly, quietly, reassuringly and consistently and in doing so, master social media whispering for the best results. Peace Out!
In new unprecedented twist the people – the minions and the masses – are no longer quietly accepting the overarching power of major corporations and are making their opinions felt, rapidly and virally.
Take the case of Harry Potter. The Potter franchise is the heftiest in history making $4.5 billion in box-office revenue worldwide. Its fans are a big part of that success and although its producers, Warner Bros. have accorded the fans their respect, they vastly underestimated how quickly the tide could turn against them if the fans didn’t appreciate any decision they made.
Within hours of Warner Bros’ August 2008 decision to postpone the release of “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” to July 2009, hate mail and death threats began pouring in. Warner Bros executives’ private email addresses circulated via the Web and Youtube posts of angry homemade videos flooded the Internet. The studio retreated with an apology and the promise that “Half-Blood Prince” would now open closer to the studio’s seventh planned Harry Potter film, due out in November 2010, which still didn’t appease die hard muggle fans who’re still muttering about it.
Then there’s the Twitter Effect, the make or break power of tweets, which last week broke Bruno’s poise. Sacha Baron Cohen’s offbeat comedy about an oddball Austrian stylista made $30.4 million in its opening weekend. However the sharp drop from Friday to Saturday in box office figures implied that the film’s apparently insipid comedy and bland writing didn’t wash over with most moviegoers — fans just didn’t dig it and they twittered heavily about their disappointment leading experts to speculate and conjecture about Brüno being the first movie to be defeated by the Twitter Effect.
Another brand getting browbeaten by the social media multitudes is Jamba Juice. Bliss is only being found in their blackberry shake flavour as the company fights off accusations of ripping an ad concept from cult cartoonist David Rees’ Get Your War On. The news broke on Twitter and the masses have made their angry protests, but the Jamba Juice still haven’t said a pip … nor responded on their on its Web site or Facebook page.
Its obvious that brands, corporations and entertainment juggernauts are now more vulnerable to the masses, the consumers, bloggers and growing twitter community and are either unaware of the growing influence of social media, and if they are, are unsure of how to deal with it or handle its unrestrained power.
Rohit Bhargava (Fast Company) says that launching a blog, or a Facebook page or Twitter account isn’t the hardest thing for a major corporation to do – “The hard part is deciding how to use these tools. Ironically, the thing that most brands have to worry about isn’t negativity (as they often fear), it is indifference. The most common “backlash” against company sponsored social media initiatives are the embarrassing sounds of crickets. No one visits and no one cares.”
Rohit goes further and advices corporations to understand their audiences first. To do what they first did before they launched their product – research! Then “Instead of focusing on your shiny new blog or cool new Facebook app, the place to start is to figure out who will be the people behind it. Find the individuals who will be interacting on behalf of your brand in social media, and then give them the tools and support to do it well. All the companies that get credit today for doing social media well – Zappos, Dell, Comcast – have all become comfortable with letting individuals from their company become the faces for their brand. These are the voices that I often call “accidental spokespeople.” Within them is the real secret to using social media to be a brand that actually matters: offering a real human connection.”
Social Media is here to stay so corporations can either ignore it at their own peril, misunderstand it at their own demise or approach like you would any wild animal; slowly, quietly, reassuringly and consistently and in doing so, master social media whispering for the best results. Peace Out!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Social Bookmarking Provides Handy Information
Social bookmarking is the essence of efficiency. It takes a very time consuming task and pares it down into quick easy access. What it is, is the ability to save a bookmark to a website that's public, and then 'tag' it with relevant keywords.
If you're simply 'bookmarking' a site, then you save it for future reference. When you utilize 'social bookmarking', you need to register with a bookmarking site where you can store and edit your bookmarks, and not have to keep them on your computer.
The defining of keywords within your social bookmarking is called by the name - 'folksonomy'. It's the act of using a tag for searching all your resources assigned to that particular tag. Soon your whole community of users develop a 'string' or 'structure' of keywords that define the particular resources.
It opens up the doors to opportunities for like-minded people to share ideas and resources on a certain topic of mutual interest. They soon build a whole community centered around a relevant theme. This can be invaluable in research, as using the search engines could take way more time to find the same information.
The reason the search engines take so much more time, is the way that searches can return something 'similar' to what you're looking for, but not quite there. So you have to glean through your searches in order to find a resource that has exactly what you need. Whereas your social bookmarks put you a couple of clicks away from exactly what you need.
If there's any downside to social bookmarking, it's that not everyone makes proper use of their tags. You may have an interest in, say, 'deer hunting'. And one of your users uses the tag 'hunting', without specifying 'deer', then you may end up on a site for duck hunting, elk hunting, hunting equipment, or any number of things. Specificity in keywords is important.
As you can see, social bookmarking is the essence of efficiency. It saves you lots of time when you need information on subjects that are related to your bookmarked topics. And new information is added daily, as more people tag different sites. It really is a good way to get things done for the busy web surfer. There are many social bookmarking sites out there, like Facebook, del. Icio. Us, Furl it, My Space, Digg, Twitter, and many more. So get started with some bookmarking of your own. You'll soon see the efficiency factor involved.
If you're simply 'bookmarking' a site, then you save it for future reference. When you utilize 'social bookmarking', you need to register with a bookmarking site where you can store and edit your bookmarks, and not have to keep them on your computer.
The defining of keywords within your social bookmarking is called by the name - 'folksonomy'. It's the act of using a tag for searching all your resources assigned to that particular tag. Soon your whole community of users develop a 'string' or 'structure' of keywords that define the particular resources.
It opens up the doors to opportunities for like-minded people to share ideas and resources on a certain topic of mutual interest. They soon build a whole community centered around a relevant theme. This can be invaluable in research, as using the search engines could take way more time to find the same information.
The reason the search engines take so much more time, is the way that searches can return something 'similar' to what you're looking for, but not quite there. So you have to glean through your searches in order to find a resource that has exactly what you need. Whereas your social bookmarks put you a couple of clicks away from exactly what you need.
If there's any downside to social bookmarking, it's that not everyone makes proper use of their tags. You may have an interest in, say, 'deer hunting'. And one of your users uses the tag 'hunting', without specifying 'deer', then you may end up on a site for duck hunting, elk hunting, hunting equipment, or any number of things. Specificity in keywords is important.
As you can see, social bookmarking is the essence of efficiency. It saves you lots of time when you need information on subjects that are related to your bookmarked topics. And new information is added daily, as more people tag different sites. It really is a good way to get things done for the busy web surfer. There are many social bookmarking sites out there, like Facebook, del. Icio. Us, Furl it, My Space, Digg, Twitter, and many more. So get started with some bookmarking of your own. You'll soon see the efficiency factor involved.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
How to get started as an event planner
Event planning involves the organization of special events that may be for business purposes, education purposes, social purposes, or somewhere in between. Product launches, conferences, graduations, fashion shows, tradeshows, fairs, weddings and anniversaries, all are specializations of event planning that need to be handled with expertise and appropriate coordination.
Landing a job in the field of event planning is not as complex as it may seem. Although it requires a high degree of professionalism, many people are, in effect, event planners when they organize social gatherings for their friends and family. Planners are people who start in one particular aspect of events. They may be caterers, owners of audiovisual companies, hotel owners and so on. Often, the small events for friends and relatives are their first, cautious steps before getting professionally involved in event planning. This explains how event planners have the exceptional ability to coordinate their events by providing diverse services.
By its nature, event planning involves a risk; the risk of failing to meet clients’ expectations by holding an unsuccessful event. If this happens, clients have no return on their investment, and event planners may experience a severe decline in their reputation. To avoid all these consequences, an event planner conducts a research beforehand to make sure there is demand for the event. Research may mean collecting information about similar events or learning the etiquette of the particular type of event. It may also mean finding out about suppliers and vendors and looking for the right event venue. But, it definitely means asking clients lots of questions in order to get the full idea of their needs and keeping lots of notes. Anything that can guarantee a well-planned event without compromising its success it's a first step towards event planning business.
All the notes kept during the interview with the clients are included in a creative design. This enables an inexperienced event planner to get the feel of the event. As the notes are written down, the design becomes clearer. At this phase, event planners check the clients’ answers and, before making any suggestions, they decide on the feasibility of the event in relation to the event budget.
The next step is to think about the site selection. Even experienced event planners are aware that a trivial omission in the site selection process may cause tremendous problems in event execution. Coordinating event facilities, catering services, meeting rooms, audiovisual equipment, décor, and transportation to/from the event are extremely important in order to decide on the best venue that meets the clients’ requirements at the lowest price.
Experienced event planners admit that, more than the business approach to the profession, what plays a decisive role in becoming a successful event planner is good communication skills and exceptional coordination abilities. Clients need a committed professional, who will be available on weekends, holidays, evenings, and peak seasons. Event planning does not operate 9 to 5, neither strictly downtown. An event planner should be available 24/7 in order to coordinate and supervise the events whenever and wherever is required.
If there is a natural instinct for event planning and a good understanding of the new business arena, then with optimism, dedication and professionalism it is very likely that someone can turn from amateur into a professional event planner.
Landing a job in the field of event planning is not as complex as it may seem. Although it requires a high degree of professionalism, many people are, in effect, event planners when they organize social gatherings for their friends and family. Planners are people who start in one particular aspect of events. They may be caterers, owners of audiovisual companies, hotel owners and so on. Often, the small events for friends and relatives are their first, cautious steps before getting professionally involved in event planning. This explains how event planners have the exceptional ability to coordinate their events by providing diverse services.
By its nature, event planning involves a risk; the risk of failing to meet clients’ expectations by holding an unsuccessful event. If this happens, clients have no return on their investment, and event planners may experience a severe decline in their reputation. To avoid all these consequences, an event planner conducts a research beforehand to make sure there is demand for the event. Research may mean collecting information about similar events or learning the etiquette of the particular type of event. It may also mean finding out about suppliers and vendors and looking for the right event venue. But, it definitely means asking clients lots of questions in order to get the full idea of their needs and keeping lots of notes. Anything that can guarantee a well-planned event without compromising its success it's a first step towards event planning business.
All the notes kept during the interview with the clients are included in a creative design. This enables an inexperienced event planner to get the feel of the event. As the notes are written down, the design becomes clearer. At this phase, event planners check the clients’ answers and, before making any suggestions, they decide on the feasibility of the event in relation to the event budget.
The next step is to think about the site selection. Even experienced event planners are aware that a trivial omission in the site selection process may cause tremendous problems in event execution. Coordinating event facilities, catering services, meeting rooms, audiovisual equipment, décor, and transportation to/from the event are extremely important in order to decide on the best venue that meets the clients’ requirements at the lowest price.
Experienced event planners admit that, more than the business approach to the profession, what plays a decisive role in becoming a successful event planner is good communication skills and exceptional coordination abilities. Clients need a committed professional, who will be available on weekends, holidays, evenings, and peak seasons. Event planning does not operate 9 to 5, neither strictly downtown. An event planner should be available 24/7 in order to coordinate and supervise the events whenever and wherever is required.
If there is a natural instinct for event planning and a good understanding of the new business arena, then with optimism, dedication and professionalism it is very likely that someone can turn from amateur into a professional event planner.
The best way to find sponsors for your event
Great business ideas need to be regarded as great sponsorship opportunities. In the competitive business realities of today, enticing an organization to sponsor an event requires a harmonization of multiple factors.
One of the most common reasons that an organization would be interested in sponsoring an event is if a large audience or a particular target market could be reached. Sponsorship is, in effect, investment of time and money and sponsors trust a company and its reliability to gain exposure and promote a product to a large cluster of professionals.
To ensure that a large audience will attend a particular event, event planners need to keep an updated attendee database by avoiding inviting the same people one year over another and by asking prior attendees to refer them to potential future attendees. It is extremely important to keep expanded guest lists in order to ensure high attendance rates at events.
Besides, event planners need to think ahead and beyond of their business. This implies to involve a broader range or professionals that are indirectly related to their business and may attend the event thus increasing attendance. For instance, if event planners own a travel agency, they may invite hotel owners, employees from airlines and other professionals from the tourism industry.
Another important consideration for an organization to sponsor an event is the enthusiasm the event planners will show when presenting the event to them. Typically, event planners prepare a 20-second pitch that enables them to expose their event as a great sponsorship opportunity, while explaining to the potential sponsor the benefits of sponsorship. A very important detail is that the style of the call should be appropriate to the type and size of the organization. For instance, if the event planners contact a small, local firm, they most likely speak directly to the owner(s) of the company. In this case, the decision will be immediate. If they contact a medium or large organization, they will speak to an officer from the marketing or the human resources department. This means that the decision will take longer because larger companies construct their sponsorship budgets once a year.
Event planners contact also advertising and public relations companies for sponsorship ideas. These companies have a great cluster of clients, which can offer great exposure to the event and an interesting list of sponsors.
Written proposals are sent out to the organizations that have expressed interest in the event. Typically, this should be done well in advance of the event so that organizations have time to review the invitation and take their final decision. In a professional document, event planners include all the necessary details about the event focusing on the exposure gained through the sponsorship. If similar events have been held in the past, event planners include a track record with copies of newspaper clippings and all necessary information. This builds credibility into the event and ensures the benefits of sponsorship. Besides, invitations should include what the sponsors get in return such as advertising, speaking opportunities, distribution of promotional material, naming rights and so on.
Follow up is extremely important in the business world. Two or three weeks after the proposals have been sent out, event planners should follow up the submissions with a phone call to find out which organizations are interested in sponsoring the event.
When the final list of sponsors is prepared, details of the sponsors should be included in the advertising campaign and media releases of the event making sure that all the sponsors receive copies of the promotional materials. Sponsors should also receive any type of updates and should be included in any meeting held in regards to the event.
After the event is held, event planners should send a letter of appreciation, photos of the event, newspaper and magazine clippings and any coverage of the event by the media.
Corporate sponsorship requires encouraging the participation of the sponsors in the event by working closely with them in all stages. Sponsorship is, in effect, a way to build associations with an organization aiming to have a return on investment for all parties involved.
One of the most common reasons that an organization would be interested in sponsoring an event is if a large audience or a particular target market could be reached. Sponsorship is, in effect, investment of time and money and sponsors trust a company and its reliability to gain exposure and promote a product to a large cluster of professionals.
To ensure that a large audience will attend a particular event, event planners need to keep an updated attendee database by avoiding inviting the same people one year over another and by asking prior attendees to refer them to potential future attendees. It is extremely important to keep expanded guest lists in order to ensure high attendance rates at events.
Besides, event planners need to think ahead and beyond of their business. This implies to involve a broader range or professionals that are indirectly related to their business and may attend the event thus increasing attendance. For instance, if event planners own a travel agency, they may invite hotel owners, employees from airlines and other professionals from the tourism industry.
Another important consideration for an organization to sponsor an event is the enthusiasm the event planners will show when presenting the event to them. Typically, event planners prepare a 20-second pitch that enables them to expose their event as a great sponsorship opportunity, while explaining to the potential sponsor the benefits of sponsorship. A very important detail is that the style of the call should be appropriate to the type and size of the organization. For instance, if the event planners contact a small, local firm, they most likely speak directly to the owner(s) of the company. In this case, the decision will be immediate. If they contact a medium or large organization, they will speak to an officer from the marketing or the human resources department. This means that the decision will take longer because larger companies construct their sponsorship budgets once a year.
Event planners contact also advertising and public relations companies for sponsorship ideas. These companies have a great cluster of clients, which can offer great exposure to the event and an interesting list of sponsors.
Written proposals are sent out to the organizations that have expressed interest in the event. Typically, this should be done well in advance of the event so that organizations have time to review the invitation and take their final decision. In a professional document, event planners include all the necessary details about the event focusing on the exposure gained through the sponsorship. If similar events have been held in the past, event planners include a track record with copies of newspaper clippings and all necessary information. This builds credibility into the event and ensures the benefits of sponsorship. Besides, invitations should include what the sponsors get in return such as advertising, speaking opportunities, distribution of promotional material, naming rights and so on.
Follow up is extremely important in the business world. Two or three weeks after the proposals have been sent out, event planners should follow up the submissions with a phone call to find out which organizations are interested in sponsoring the event.
When the final list of sponsors is prepared, details of the sponsors should be included in the advertising campaign and media releases of the event making sure that all the sponsors receive copies of the promotional materials. Sponsors should also receive any type of updates and should be included in any meeting held in regards to the event.
After the event is held, event planners should send a letter of appreciation, photos of the event, newspaper and magazine clippings and any coverage of the event by the media.
Corporate sponsorship requires encouraging the participation of the sponsors in the event by working closely with them in all stages. Sponsorship is, in effect, a way to build associations with an organization aiming to have a return on investment for all parties involved.
Ways to increase attendance at business meetings and events
As a matter of fact, people do enjoy attending events. This is because they want to get informed; to come in contact with the leaders in their field; for networking; for being acknowledged for taking their time to attend; out of curiosity; for entertainment; for gossiping; or just for the free food offered, always in a warm and friendly environment for all participants.
Poor attendance at meetings and events is always your worst nightmare as hosts. You may use an online survey to determine why potential customers do not enroll. You may ask customer service representatives about the most frequent objections. You may even initiate a promotional phone call to find out about the objections with your own ears. However, no matter what you do, the event will be a disaster if you don't come up with ways to overcome these objections.
Designing a successful event aims at increasing your profitability and the potential of your attendees. In your effort to discover the needs and wants of your attendees it is advisable to ask attendee-focused questions that require attendee-centric answers. For instance, questions like 'what would drive greater success in my business?', 'what my customers need?', 'how could I satisfy my customer needs?' may help you design an event that will create interest in your attendees.
Promoting your event requires primarily creativity and persistence. High attendance is important for the success of your event and your business. Emphasizing on your attendees will allow you to generate more awareness for your cause and, ultimately, more success for your event.
Here are some guidelines you may follow to increase attendance when hosting business meetings or events:
> Target the right audience
One common factor that makes people restraining from an event is because they are not really interested. In other words, they do not belong in the right target group. If you host the event for the first time, it will take some time for finding the right target audience so as to achieve high attendance. In contrast, if you are already hosting the event for many years, you may experience a decline in attendance rates as a result of inviting the same people without expanding your guest list. You need to keep an updated attendee database and make sure that you target the right audience. This can happen by asking existing attendees to refer you to potential new attendees so that you increase your attendance rates for next year.
> Invite your audience well ahead the event
Once you start inviting people, you should continue at a constant rate. Inviting people well ahead the event is important because it gives you time to remind them about the event even if they have confirmed attendance. The point is to generate excitement and to make them enthusiastic until the date of the event is hosted. You can mention the event to your guests before sending them invitations and then send an electronic or paper initiation including agenda highlights. After one or two weeks, you may call guests and give them a personal formal invite to the event.
> Build credibility and interest in your event
To participate in your event, people need to be convinced that is worth their time and money. To achieve that, you need to choose major sponsors to advertise your happening, esteemed guest speakers to attract the audience and nicely organized promotional material to communicate the benefits of attending at your event. In doing so, you will able to build credibility into your event, convincing people that is exceptional and worth attending.
> Choose the right location to host your event
Choosing the right location may skyrocket your attendance rates. Don't forget that people enjoy attending events. So, simply offer them an opportunity to detour from their routines and enjoy your happening. When choosing the location for hosting your event, consider a venue that can be conveniently reached because people are busy and do not have too much time. Also, it makes sense to use a venue that has been previously used for other events and people are familiar with. Offer discounts for early enrollment and offer also mail enrollment for people that do not have home computers.
> Provide incentives
Providing incentives raises additional interest. Offer additional discounts for the next year's event that can be prepaid this year. Offer new activities, perhaps workshops, handouts, signed books for a famous guest speaker for the first ten people, who register; anything that can make your event unique, different than the previous years and worth attending.
As there is no magic stick that can increase attendance in your next event, you need to design your events around their needs. In that way, you will host an event that will be a memorable experience for your attendees, who consequently will drive higher attendance to your next meetings.
Poor attendance at meetings and events is always your worst nightmare as hosts. You may use an online survey to determine why potential customers do not enroll. You may ask customer service representatives about the most frequent objections. You may even initiate a promotional phone call to find out about the objections with your own ears. However, no matter what you do, the event will be a disaster if you don't come up with ways to overcome these objections.
Designing a successful event aims at increasing your profitability and the potential of your attendees. In your effort to discover the needs and wants of your attendees it is advisable to ask attendee-focused questions that require attendee-centric answers. For instance, questions like 'what would drive greater success in my business?', 'what my customers need?', 'how could I satisfy my customer needs?' may help you design an event that will create interest in your attendees.
Promoting your event requires primarily creativity and persistence. High attendance is important for the success of your event and your business. Emphasizing on your attendees will allow you to generate more awareness for your cause and, ultimately, more success for your event.
Here are some guidelines you may follow to increase attendance when hosting business meetings or events:
> Target the right audience
One common factor that makes people restraining from an event is because they are not really interested. In other words, they do not belong in the right target group. If you host the event for the first time, it will take some time for finding the right target audience so as to achieve high attendance. In contrast, if you are already hosting the event for many years, you may experience a decline in attendance rates as a result of inviting the same people without expanding your guest list. You need to keep an updated attendee database and make sure that you target the right audience. This can happen by asking existing attendees to refer you to potential new attendees so that you increase your attendance rates for next year.
> Invite your audience well ahead the event
Once you start inviting people, you should continue at a constant rate. Inviting people well ahead the event is important because it gives you time to remind them about the event even if they have confirmed attendance. The point is to generate excitement and to make them enthusiastic until the date of the event is hosted. You can mention the event to your guests before sending them invitations and then send an electronic or paper initiation including agenda highlights. After one or two weeks, you may call guests and give them a personal formal invite to the event.
> Build credibility and interest in your event
To participate in your event, people need to be convinced that is worth their time and money. To achieve that, you need to choose major sponsors to advertise your happening, esteemed guest speakers to attract the audience and nicely organized promotional material to communicate the benefits of attending at your event. In doing so, you will able to build credibility into your event, convincing people that is exceptional and worth attending.
> Choose the right location to host your event
Choosing the right location may skyrocket your attendance rates. Don't forget that people enjoy attending events. So, simply offer them an opportunity to detour from their routines and enjoy your happening. When choosing the location for hosting your event, consider a venue that can be conveniently reached because people are busy and do not have too much time. Also, it makes sense to use a venue that has been previously used for other events and people are familiar with. Offer discounts for early enrollment and offer also mail enrollment for people that do not have home computers.
> Provide incentives
Providing incentives raises additional interest. Offer additional discounts for the next year's event that can be prepaid this year. Offer new activities, perhaps workshops, handouts, signed books for a famous guest speaker for the first ten people, who register; anything that can make your event unique, different than the previous years and worth attending.
As there is no magic stick that can increase attendance in your next event, you need to design your events around their needs. In that way, you will host an event that will be a memorable experience for your attendees, who consequently will drive higher attendance to your next meetings.
Friday, July 10, 2009
The Best Way To Get Fresh MLM Leads – Get Them Yourself
There are hundreds and hundreds of different companies out there that say that they provide people with fresh MLM leads. But there is a challenge with these so called leads, you do not own them. Let me say that again for all of the people that have been going out there and paying thousands of dollars to buy these so called fresh MLM leads, you do not own these leads.
This industry is based around people needing new leads to talk to about their business opportunity. So companies started up with to sell leads to the industry at large. But like I said, you do not own them. Normally when you buy a fresh MLM lead, there is a time restriction on it meaning that you can only call that lead for a period of time, them after that, you have to give the lead back.
Now this is a very funny thing because people do not join a company in the network marketing industry, they join a person. Since this is the case and you buy a lead that you can call for a month, how on earth are you going to build a real relationship with this lead? It might take you 2 weeks just too finally talk to the person and how are you suppose to build any type of real relationship with someone that you have just met via telephone. Your odds are not that good.
But if you went out there and learned how to create your own fresh MLM leads, you could slowly build the relationship over time. And since you own the lead yourself, if they don’t decided to join you for 12 months, no big deal. And the bonus part of this is that by the time that they have joined you, you two will have a strong relationship, which is exactly what you need to be successful in MLM.
So take the time and learn how to create an endless amount of fresh leads for your own MLM business. Through this process of learning, you will master one of the most essential skills in network marketing and you will truly turn into a leader.
This industry is based around people needing new leads to talk to about their business opportunity. So companies started up with to sell leads to the industry at large. But like I said, you do not own them. Normally when you buy a fresh MLM lead, there is a time restriction on it meaning that you can only call that lead for a period of time, them after that, you have to give the lead back.
Now this is a very funny thing because people do not join a company in the network marketing industry, they join a person. Since this is the case and you buy a lead that you can call for a month, how on earth are you going to build a real relationship with this lead? It might take you 2 weeks just too finally talk to the person and how are you suppose to build any type of real relationship with someone that you have just met via telephone. Your odds are not that good.
But if you went out there and learned how to create your own fresh MLM leads, you could slowly build the relationship over time. And since you own the lead yourself, if they don’t decided to join you for 12 months, no big deal. And the bonus part of this is that by the time that they have joined you, you two will have a strong relationship, which is exactly what you need to be successful in MLM.
So take the time and learn how to create an endless amount of fresh leads for your own MLM business. Through this process of learning, you will master one of the most essential skills in network marketing and you will truly turn into a leader.
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