I never thought this could happen to me. First of all, I’m a residential contractor, and with an occupation such as this, you always spend a lot of time meeting people…
One night I was working late on my computer and out-of the-blue, I got an email from LinkedIn. It was from a woman who was referred to me by a mutual friend. She desperately needed my help on her house. The pictures she included showed off her enormous living room, a blonde perky kitchen and voluptuous bathroom…that had been neglected for years. After some quick correspondence via LinkedIn, we agreed I would come by the house the next morning; I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her house.
She met me at the door as I came up her driveway, standing there all alone on her ivory shag rug. I jumped from my truck, grabbed my tools and was slipping out of my boots before I knew it. We immediately went to the bedroom and I surveyed the trouble. We moved lustfully from room to room and I repositioned her house from every angle. She was shrieking from excitement!
I was there all morning, taking measurements and carefully caressing her house. Finally, I gave her my best offer; a complete overhaul was required to keep the inside of her house hot…and the outside wet. She didn’t hesitate and signed at once, while licking her luscious lips.
The Moral of the Letter
More and more, professionals and consumers use Social Media as their first point of reference and research before reaching out via email or phone. And with the power of being connected online, they can ask someone in their network about your service/product very quickly. You should assume they have already asked and received the feedback before reaching out to you. You don’t need to be a social media junkie, but you do need to keep your profile information current and spend an hour a week making and maintaining your connections; it will generate business for you and you will find yourself saying to a friend “I never thought this could happen to me.”
Until Next Time,
Steve
thestevereport@gmail.com
Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Tuesday, 22 November 2011
The Economic Genius of Charlie Chaplin
I'm tired of being asked to "figure out" online video...justifying the costs or how to monetize it. Online video is already part of your DNA and all you need to do is recognize this fact.
For my 10th birthday party my Mum went to the local library and rented a movie projector (yes with actual film reels) and several Charlie Chaplin movies. My friends and I were allowed to watch the movies, rewind them as much as we wanted to re-watch the funniest parts, and change from movie to movie whenever we felt like it.
By comparison, the six year old in my life surfs YouTube for his favorite Disney and Thomas the Tank Engine videos...pausing, rewinding and jumping from video-to-video on demand using either my laptop or iPad.
Online video is no different than the silent films of Charlie Chaplin. The medium has not changed…just the content, technology and tools to view them with. Think of video as an evolving medium. Black-and-white silent films to colour movies with sound...television...and now online video. Would anybody care to argue the point that television, pre-Internet, was an experiment or should be ignored and not invested in? Or maybe that Hollywood
Watching educational or entertainment video content is as natural to humans as breathing. Here's the secret...there is nothing to figure out except to ensure your online strategy includes video...or you may just miss the "television" of the next 30 years.
Until next time,
Steve
Tuesday, 15 November 2011
Awesome Example: An Awful Emcee
Sometimes we overlook how important an emcee is to your event. After attending a swanky gala event last Saturday night, I was reminded of this via a shocking experience.
Let me set the scene, there were about 200 people who attended this fundraising awards gala. Tickets were a premium, there was a silent auction, gourmet meal, wonderful decor and professional a/v. The awards were sponsored and three people were being recognized for their lifetime contributions to their industry.
The emcee is a household name and flew in for the event. It became appallingly apparent nobody had briefed her nor had she read the script before getting on stage. Other than the name of the event she didn't know how to pronounce the sponsoring organizations, the winner’s names nor their respective organizations. To be blunt she butchered the live event execution and at one point called to "roll the next video" 30 minutes too early. The video was to present the next lifetime achievement award...kind of critical to the program.
In all the hustle and bustle of getting an event out the door, we can't forget the most basic of details. The lesson learned? Your emcee can crash your event roll-out just as easily as your venue, a/v or food. However when your emcee crashes and burns at the podium…there is little you can do to recover. Spend the time to fully brief your emcee, especially if they are not from your industry.
Want to know the best punch line of the event? The final award recipient intentionally butchered the emcee's name several times calling her Shannon Tiegs...getting only half her name right.
Until next time,
Steve
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
A Tale of Two Worlds
I admit it; I’ve entered a new world and am enjoying it very much. Although, six weeks into my new world, I’ve leveraged relationships and applied skills learned in my old world.
Allow me to back track, earlier in 2011 you may recall that Business Information Group (BIG), a division of Glacier Media purchased several magazines from Rogers Publishing – one of which was Meetings & Incentive Travel and their IncentiveWorks show. In that deal, over 15 magazines were sold; two of them being Hardware Merchandising and Canadian Contractor. In September, a career opportunity presented itself to join BIG and lead the teams on Hardware and Contractor. Frankly, it was the kind of tremendous opportunity you just don’t say no to.
In a nutshell, Hardware Merchandising serves the home improvement retail industry – our readers are owners and decision makers at Rona, Home Hardware, Home Depot etc. Canadian Contractor serves the residential construction industry – our readers are renovation and custom home builders like Mike Holmes and Jim Caruk. This is a brand new world; a stretch from the meetings and incentive travel industry…sort of.
Hardware Merchandising has an awards program…and produces a gala event to present the awards that is co-located with another industry conference. The event was approximately five weeks after my start date and we had no sponsors and no attendees registered. The winners had been selected and thanks to our co-location had a date and a venue.
You’ve heard it time and time again; relationships are the secret key to any successful event. My story is one of many, which proves this theory (again). In just four weeks we had secured seven sponsors; all of them our industry’s national and regional associations from Newfoundland to British Columbia to Nunavut. We had registered 90 attendees, on par with past years attendance. We had produced seven 4 minute high-definition videos and developed the awards gala program including staging, audio visual, signage, menu and timing with the hotel. There were even custom chocolate logos made to enhance the dessert course, florals for décor and the event photographer was ready to roll.
I am very fortunate to have existing, strong relationships with the audio visual provider, the organization that owns the conference, the florist, venue and photographer. Without these relationships the process would not have gone so smoothly and, I dare say, the event would not have been the success it was without their tremendous support.
As many of you know…I’m a self confessed social media junkie. But this tale reinforces that face-to-face relationships will never be replaced with online ones.
Until next time,
Steve
Now known as…
Stephen (Steve) Dempsey, Publisher
Hardware Merchandising | Canadian Contractor
sdempsey@bizinfogroup.ca / P: 416 510 6780
Allow me to back track, earlier in 2011 you may recall that Business Information Group (BIG), a division of Glacier Media purchased several magazines from Rogers Publishing – one of which was Meetings & Incentive Travel and their IncentiveWorks show. In that deal, over 15 magazines were sold; two of them being Hardware Merchandising and Canadian Contractor. In September, a career opportunity presented itself to join BIG and lead the teams on Hardware and Contractor. Frankly, it was the kind of tremendous opportunity you just don’t say no to.
In a nutshell, Hardware Merchandising serves the home improvement retail industry – our readers are owners and decision makers at Rona, Home Hardware, Home Depot etc. Canadian Contractor serves the residential construction industry – our readers are renovation and custom home builders like Mike Holmes and Jim Caruk. This is a brand new world; a stretch from the meetings and incentive travel industry…sort of.
Hardware Merchandising has an awards program…and produces a gala event to present the awards that is co-located with another industry conference. The event was approximately five weeks after my start date and we had no sponsors and no attendees registered. The winners had been selected and thanks to our co-location had a date and a venue.
You’ve heard it time and time again; relationships are the secret key to any successful event. My story is one of many, which proves this theory (again). In just four weeks we had secured seven sponsors; all of them our industry’s national and regional associations from Newfoundland to British Columbia to Nunavut. We had registered 90 attendees, on par with past years attendance. We had produced seven 4 minute high-definition videos and developed the awards gala program including staging, audio visual, signage, menu and timing with the hotel. There were even custom chocolate logos made to enhance the dessert course, florals for décor and the event photographer was ready to roll.
I am very fortunate to have existing, strong relationships with the audio visual provider, the organization that owns the conference, the florist, venue and photographer. Without these relationships the process would not have gone so smoothly and, I dare say, the event would not have been the success it was without their tremendous support.
As many of you know…I’m a self confessed social media junkie. But this tale reinforces that face-to-face relationships will never be replaced with online ones.
Until next time,
Steve
Now known as…
Stephen (Steve) Dempsey, Publisher
Hardware Merchandising | Canadian Contractor
sdempsey@bizinfogroup.ca / P: 416 510 6780
Sunday, 21 August 2011
The Results of Steve's Social Experiment
The Question
Social Experiment: It's 10:20pm in Toronto on Thursday night...when did you read this?
The Results
This very non-scientific experiment was intended to test a few theories about online groups I have been reading about. Given the comments and pattern of comments, I was pleasantly surprised. Here are my top four results...there are plenty more we could deduce...feel free to add/comment!
Key Assumption: For every comment I am assuming there are ~10 additional people who passively followed along during the experiment. This ratio is based on common feedback best practices.
The Parameters: The Steve Report group had approximately 323 members last Thursday and this question elicited 17 comments in total. Thus, if you follow my assumption, 170 members viewed this discussion or approximately 53%, a number I'm very pleased with.
#1 - Email Still Works
3% of members saw this discussion in their LinkedIn news feed - your home page "wall" - thanks to Tammy Carey at Frischkorn. The balance of the group, or 97%, saw the discussion via email when LinkedIn deployed group discussion updates. Regardless of time zone, most members took relatively immediate action as a result of receiving the email: opening it, clicking on the link and taking some action (in this case posting a comment).
I have read dozens of expert opinions that email, as a form of marketing, is already going the way of the dinosaur. These results (at least for our group) demonstrate that email is still very effective. And thanks to my good friend Duncan Payne at DX3, he proved that sending multiple emails with the same message are important as Duncan missed the first email around Friday lunchtime (in Toronto) and reacted to the second email on Saturday (24 hours later).
To further show that email marketing is still very effective, the analytics that power Blogger (the platform that I use to house The Steve Report and are Google owned) also verify that the group gets the most traffic after a LinkedIn group email deployment.
#2 - Content...King?
Anyone who knows me has heard my speech that content is king. What's interesting about this experiment is the discussion had no real content or strong opinion that would elicit a comment. The question provided no value to the audience. So why did 53% respond? My answer is two-fold,
(A) Guarded Socialization - the seemingly unassuming question was not personal or professional in nature and answering it allowed members to participate in the conversation without any real commitment of themselves.
(B) Opportunity - in the absence of a content direction, members will add their own content. Thanks to Sandy Biback if Imagination+, we had an embedded conversation about the Big Bang TV show.
#3 - Conversation
One of the pillars of any community, online or face-to-face, is conversation. If your community can engage in conversation - regardless of how mundane - then you truly have a community. I would challenge you that if your business event(s) are not generating conversations, then your business event(s) will become the proverbial Dodo birds of your industry.
Mad Scientist Footnote...These results may be skewed as the first email wave hit mid-day on a Friday in August...a time when many folks are already thinking about the weekend and possibly more likely to be enticed by an online discussion!
#4 - Commitment
The real reason I think 53% of members followed this discussion is a direct result of commitment; in this case my commitment to the group. I would hypothesize that members answered the question with blind faith knowing that I am committed to the group...and I would not waste any one's time by starting a discussion (or conversation) that I am not prepared to follow up and see through to the end.
In today's economy, without commitment, your value to any partnership/conversation is very low or zero. If you are going to have a Twitter feed, a YouTube channel, a blog, or any form of "engagement" with your audience around your event, you need to be totally committed to it 365/24/7.
Thank you for everyone who posted a comment or passively followed along, I truly appreciate it. I hope you've enjoyed our little Social Experiment and that there are some insights you can apply to your organization.
Until next time!
Steve
thestevereport@gmail.com
Social Experiment: It's 10:20pm in Toronto on Thursday night...when did you read this?
The Results
This very non-scientific experiment was intended to test a few theories about online groups I have been reading about. Given the comments and pattern of comments, I was pleasantly surprised. Here are my top four results...there are plenty more we could deduce...feel free to add/comment!
Key Assumption: For every comment I am assuming there are ~10 additional people who passively followed along during the experiment. This ratio is based on common feedback best practices.
The Parameters: The Steve Report group had approximately 323 members last Thursday and this question elicited 17 comments in total. Thus, if you follow my assumption, 170 members viewed this discussion or approximately 53%, a number I'm very pleased with.
#1 - Email Still Works
3% of members saw this discussion in their LinkedIn news feed - your home page "wall" - thanks to Tammy Carey at Frischkorn. The balance of the group, or 97%, saw the discussion via email when LinkedIn deployed group discussion updates. Regardless of time zone, most members took relatively immediate action as a result of receiving the email: opening it, clicking on the link and taking some action (in this case posting a comment).
I have read dozens of expert opinions that email, as a form of marketing, is already going the way of the dinosaur. These results (at least for our group) demonstrate that email is still very effective. And thanks to my good friend Duncan Payne at DX3, he proved that sending multiple emails with the same message are important as Duncan missed the first email around Friday lunchtime (in Toronto) and reacted to the second email on Saturday (24 hours later).
To further show that email marketing is still very effective, the analytics that power Blogger (the platform that I use to house The Steve Report and are Google owned) also verify that the group gets the most traffic after a LinkedIn group email deployment.
#2 - Content...King?
Anyone who knows me has heard my speech that content is king. What's interesting about this experiment is the discussion had no real content or strong opinion that would elicit a comment. The question provided no value to the audience. So why did 53% respond? My answer is two-fold,
(A) Guarded Socialization - the seemingly unassuming question was not personal or professional in nature and answering it allowed members to participate in the conversation without any real commitment of themselves.
(B) Opportunity - in the absence of a content direction, members will add their own content. Thanks to Sandy Biback if Imagination+, we had an embedded conversation about the Big Bang TV show.
#3 - Conversation
One of the pillars of any community, online or face-to-face, is conversation. If your community can engage in conversation - regardless of how mundane - then you truly have a community. I would challenge you that if your business event(s) are not generating conversations, then your business event(s) will become the proverbial Dodo birds of your industry.
Mad Scientist Footnote...These results may be skewed as the first email wave hit mid-day on a Friday in August...a time when many folks are already thinking about the weekend and possibly more likely to be enticed by an online discussion!
#4 - Commitment
The real reason I think 53% of members followed this discussion is a direct result of commitment; in this case my commitment to the group. I would hypothesize that members answered the question with blind faith knowing that I am committed to the group...and I would not waste any one's time by starting a discussion (or conversation) that I am not prepared to follow up and see through to the end.
In today's economy, without commitment, your value to any partnership/conversation is very low or zero. If you are going to have a Twitter feed, a YouTube channel, a blog, or any form of "engagement" with your audience around your event, you need to be totally committed to it 365/24/7.
Thank you for everyone who posted a comment or passively followed along, I truly appreciate it. I hope you've enjoyed our little Social Experiment and that there are some insights you can apply to your organization.
Until next time!
Steve
thestevereport@gmail.com
Sunday, 7 August 2011
Speakers: A Critical View
As buyers of speakers for our event(s), have we built the wrong model?
With the recent global economic reports of another potential rebound-recession, meetings and events could once again come under scrutiny. Have we overcome the "meetings are fluff" perception? Delivering real applicable content is critical to ensuring your meetings deliver the return for your audience and organization.
In my high school economics course I learned about supply and demand. Fast forward 25 years, and the same economics apply. As buyers, we create the demand and, by default, determine the price and type of products being supplied to us.
Take speakers for example. We have built a model that supports a speaker being paid for, on average, a one hour presentation. I don't know what an average speaker's rate is (perhaps our friends at CAPS could tell us?) but it is no secret the range is hundreds of dollars to as much as $250,000 plus travel etc. For some event budgets, the speaker expense line item is as much or more than the audio-visual, facility rental and F&B combined!
Rest assured, I'm not suggesting all speakers are overpaid nor am I saying that the being a professional speaker is an easy profession. I am saying, however, that as buyers of this product we need to start putting some industry-wide expectations in place because I see this expense category continuing to rise without any checks or balances.
Let's look at facility rental: if you were returning to the same venue to run your annual event and you were using the same space for the same time period, you would likely expect the rate to increase 0-5%. In the same scenario, by comparison, the same speaker could be as much as 100% more expensive. How can we mitigate the annual increases on speakers?
One suggestion is the type of speakers we are sourcing. Far too often, we want to hear from the person that has a Cinderella story or the one-in-a-million success story. This category of speakers typically commands very high speaker fees and often come with a prima-donna complex. Let's assume their presentation and presence delivers the WOW factor you seek. Can your audience truly apply this type of content to their personal or professional lives? Rather than chasing these types of speakers, I think we should be seeking speakers that have failed big and failed often. These are the people from whom we can learn the most.
Content is only one part of an event's total experience. Delivering solid content that your audience can learn from and apply will give your event(s) the edge they need to thrive not "just survive" another recession. I highly doubt my views and opinions will change the speaking industry on a dime. But I do know that collectively, as buyers, if we change what we demands from these suppliers/partners, the industry will change for the better.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this,
Steve
thestevereport@gmail.com
With the recent global economic reports of another potential rebound-recession, meetings and events could once again come under scrutiny. Have we overcome the "meetings are fluff" perception? Delivering real applicable content is critical to ensuring your meetings deliver the return for your audience and organization.
In my high school economics course I learned about supply and demand. Fast forward 25 years, and the same economics apply. As buyers, we create the demand and, by default, determine the price and type of products being supplied to us.
Take speakers for example. We have built a model that supports a speaker being paid for, on average, a one hour presentation. I don't know what an average speaker's rate is (perhaps our friends at CAPS could tell us?) but it is no secret the range is hundreds of dollars to as much as $250,000 plus travel etc. For some event budgets, the speaker expense line item is as much or more than the audio-visual, facility rental and F&B combined!
Rest assured, I'm not suggesting all speakers are overpaid nor am I saying that the being a professional speaker is an easy profession. I am saying, however, that as buyers of this product we need to start putting some industry-wide expectations in place because I see this expense category continuing to rise without any checks or balances.
Let's look at facility rental: if you were returning to the same venue to run your annual event and you were using the same space for the same time period, you would likely expect the rate to increase 0-5%. In the same scenario, by comparison, the same speaker could be as much as 100% more expensive. How can we mitigate the annual increases on speakers?
One suggestion is the type of speakers we are sourcing. Far too often, we want to hear from the person that has a Cinderella story or the one-in-a-million success story. This category of speakers typically commands very high speaker fees and often come with a prima-donna complex. Let's assume their presentation and presence delivers the WOW factor you seek. Can your audience truly apply this type of content to their personal or professional lives? Rather than chasing these types of speakers, I think we should be seeking speakers that have failed big and failed often. These are the people from whom we can learn the most.
Content is only one part of an event's total experience. Delivering solid content that your audience can learn from and apply will give your event(s) the edge they need to thrive not "just survive" another recession. I highly doubt my views and opinions will change the speaking industry on a dime. But I do know that collectively, as buyers, if we change what we demands from these suppliers/partners, the industry will change for the better.
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this,
Steve
thestevereport@gmail.com
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Awesome Example of Thank You Email
This is one of the best post-event thank you emails I've seen for some time.
Courtesy of my friends at Fraser & Hoyt (fraserhoyt.com), I joined thier foursome at the Labatt Charity Golf Classic in Toronto on June 20. The tournament raises money for Friends We Care, an organiztion that sends Easter Seals Kids to Camp. Fraser & Hoyt donates thier services to the charity. Labatt is the title sponsor and goes all out to make the day an unforgettable event.
Below is the post-event thank you email I received from Labatt. Here is why it is possibly the best post-event thank you email, period.
Timely - the email arrived 2 days after the event
Product Launch - on one of the holes they launched a new Alexander Keith's beer. Using the thank you email, they have reinforced the message.
Personalization - while visiting the hole, they took a foursome picture. The below email is custom tailored to me and my foursome photo. In addition, in the original email, I can easily download/save the just the photo - slick and user friendly.
Content - utilizing today's online best practices, the email is not all sell. They've included real content. In this case a recipe using the new product. BONUS POINTS - as part of thier hole sponsorship activation, they were serving the below recipe! Great tie in that takes you back to the experience at the hole.
Engagement - at the bottom of the email, they ask you to join thier Facebook page and explain the benefits for me to join. So in addition to making a great impression at the golf tournament, they have engaged me beyond the actual event.
This email has it all. Congratulations to Labatt for setting the bar really high.
Steve
thestevereport@gmail.com
Courtesy of my friends at Fraser & Hoyt (fraserhoyt.com), I joined thier foursome at the Labatt Charity Golf Classic in Toronto on June 20. The tournament raises money for Friends We Care, an organiztion that sends Easter Seals Kids to Camp. Fraser & Hoyt donates thier services to the charity. Labatt is the title sponsor and goes all out to make the day an unforgettable event.
Below is the post-event thank you email I received from Labatt. Here is why it is possibly the best post-event thank you email, period.
Timely - the email arrived 2 days after the event
Product Launch - on one of the holes they launched a new Alexander Keith's beer. Using the thank you email, they have reinforced the message.
Personalization - while visiting the hole, they took a foursome picture. The below email is custom tailored to me and my foursome photo. In addition, in the original email, I can easily download/save the just the photo - slick and user friendly.
Content - utilizing today's online best practices, the email is not all sell. They've included real content. In this case a recipe using the new product. BONUS POINTS - as part of thier hole sponsorship activation, they were serving the below recipe! Great tie in that takes you back to the experience at the hole.
Engagement - at the bottom of the email, they ask you to join thier Facebook page and explain the benefits for me to join. So in addition to making a great impression at the golf tournament, they have engaged me beyond the actual event.
This email has it all. Congratulations to Labatt for setting the bar really high.
Steve
thestevereport@gmail.com
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Saturday, 4 June 2011
Strategic R&D (“Rip-off & Duplicate”)
I’d argue that there is no difference between using an ‘industry’s best practices’ and applying a good old fashioned R&D strategy…”Rip-off and Duplicate”. If you agree with this hypothesis, then let’s have a look at some great ideas and how they can be applied to business events.
Ten things we know to be true - Personally, if I’m going to liberate an idea from an organization, I want to borrow from the biggest and the best. Take a look at Google’s corporate “Our Philosophy”. They wrote this several years ago and have applied these values on a day-to-day basis. What’s interesting is how applicable their Ten things we know to be true are for business events. I could write a whole blog on just these ten principles, but would rather challenge you to read & apply these principles to your events. You might suddenly find your events become very strategic…making the ROI even higher.
Three for One – It’s no secret; I love technology and social media. It’s also not a secret I respect, follow and consider Gary Vaynerchuk a guru on both of these topics. So here’s a three-for-one strategy for you to consider:
1) Gary
2) In this video, Gary
3) When you follow the link below you can also see a great example of how to customize a YouTube channel for your event or brand. Look at the page construction, the many touch points you can have with your audience year round.
Innovation Starts with Disruptive Hypotheses – have you ever hit the ‘been there, done that’ wall? Maybe you’ve been asked to ‘re-invent the annual event’? Like many people, maybe you searched for an answer on the ceiling or the floor (and not found one). The below link will take you to an article posted on Fast Company’s website that provides you concrete techniques to be innovative. Warning: being innovative takes time and work, but the results can be outstanding.
So there you have it…by applying a little R&D you can find the answer to almost any challenge. If you have some R&D of your own that you would like to share please post it to the group!
Steve
PS: I apologize for being lapse in my blogging. The recent warm weather and new opportunities have consumed my time. My intent is to pick up the pace again in June. Thanks for following along.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
What’s Steve Been Up To Lately?
For the past five weeks I’ve been quietly working as Director, Social Media & Online in the federal election. With the election now over, I am happy to share my experiences and lessons learned that can be applied to any business event.
Special Note: This blog entry is not intended to spur political discussion or views. To ensure this, I will not specify the party or riding I worked for.
In March, I was approached by a candidate in the then anticipated federal election to be her campaign’s Director, Social Media & Online. Having built MeetingsCanada.com and being very experienced in social media, I knew I could do the job. However, not having any experience in federal elections was a unique challenge. The overall goal: stay in constant communication and ensure the online world is in step with the face-to-face world. To accomplish this I had a daily early morning conference call with the campaign manager (seven days/week). We integrated a Facebook Page & Profile, Twitter feed, created a YouTube channel, Flickr and of course the candidate’s actual website.
Social Media & Politics…
…are not really friends (yet). Yes there was a lot of buzz online, but 90%+ of it was being written/read by the parties campaigning. In my opinion, the average Canadian was not engaged in election blogs, tweets, groups, forums, etc. The one exception being Rick Mercer’s challenge to youth to get out and vote; the result was Vote Mobs (Google it, it’s pretty amazing).
The Lesson: there seems to be a panic environment among most business events if they have not successfully integrated social media yet. Its good perspective to know that every industry is in the same boat; we are not ahead or behind the curve. But make no mistake you at least need to be using social media to be in the game.
Content & Engagement
Its no secret, in the online world content is king. But the layer under content is engagement. These engagement metrics do not just measure how many people read your article or press release; they measure what they did next. Did they “Retweet” it? “Like” it? Add a comment?
Lesson: Not every piece of content needs an action item, but you should ensure at least 50% does. For example, ask your audience for their opinion, take a position on an issue and challenge your readers to agree to disagree, or simply make a claim such as red Smarties are better than blue ones. If you want your social media and online efforts to “go viral” you will need your audience to engage in your content.
Bonus Tip: we oscillated content between French & English to appeal to all audiences.
Frequency
During the campaign I was posting messages at least once daily (seven days/week), with peaks of four or five and monitoring the competitor’s messages on both a riding and federal level.
Lesson: Your social media & online strategy should ensure you are publishing content or messages at least three times/week. If your plan is to publish weekly or slower, then you will not have enough frequency to generate a following; you need frequency to be top of mind. And don’t just take my word for it…the leading books on social media echo this strategy.
Integration
I found it interesting that all the candidates used voice drops, direct mail and face-to-face as part of their marketing/campaigning…and they always gave a website or social media page as part of their calling card.
Lesson: integrate your marketing efforts; don’t treat them as silos.
The Results
I can’t share all our results due to party confidentiality, but as a small taste, we launched a Facebook Page for our candidate on April 2 and as of May 2 it generated almost 22,000 impressions.
Who knows…maybe in four years my next campaign will be “Vote for Steve”!
Steve
PS: If you would like to learn more about my experience and/or would like to discuss applying my Social Media & Online expertise to your event or organization…drop me line.
posted May 4, 2011
Monday, 25 April 2011
Life Lessons from Shrek
Over the long weekend I re-watched the Shrek trilogy of movies and realized there are many lessons to be learned and applied, both personally and professionally, in today’s world.
Leadership
Throughout the three movies, Shrek evolves into a highly respected leader. First, he became the leader of all the magical creatures then ultimately by the residents of Far Far Away. How did he make this transition? He was focused, dedicated and had integrity. His quest was so simple a 5 year old could understand it and repeat it. Shrek does not waiver from his purpose yet applies extreme compassion to all face-to-face situations. If you want people to follow you, personally or professionally, do you implement these three simple strategies?
Adaptability
Like in real life, quests change and evolve. Shrek recognizes these signs, with the help of his friends (think professional peers). They improve their quest as they gather more information. Take note, I’m not talking about the bumps and curves Shrek and team encounter along the way; every business event has its share of twists and turns. Rather I’m talking about the evolution of the big picture – the 30,000 foot view that our industry struggles to reach at times.
Culture
In everything I’m reading and doing these days, an organization’s culture is a very hot topic. So it was very interesting for me to relax and watch a movie (or three), and see organizational culture developing before my eyes. In the beginning of the trilogy, there is no culture. It is every man, women, and magical creature for themselves. Using leadership and adaptability, Shrek creates a swamp-culture that everyone believes in and, ultimately, is prepared to die for. There are only a few real world examples where culture like this exists; does your organization have its own swamp-culture? If not, what are you doing about it?
Family
I like the Shrek trilogy because it strikes a balance between life and work while using comedy to relieve stressful situations. Shrek goes “to work” so that he can be with the one he loves and, in the third movie, his family. The outside world defines Shrek by his work accomplishments but Shrek, true to his core, defines himself by his family; what a great lesson for kids, and adults, to learn from.
If you haven’t watched the Shrek movies in a while, then maybe they are worth another look. After all, it never hurts to explore your inner-Ogre.
Monday, 4 April 2011
5 Poker Lessons for your Events
Sometimes a successful event overshadows the good and bad decisions that went into planning it. Like the card game of poker, winning big does not necessarily mean you played great. Here are five poker lessons that can be applied to planning your next event.
1. Manage the Details
In poker, a player plays dozens of hands in the course of the game. The game itself is the event and the event is won by managing each hand as if it is the most important detail above all others. The success of your event comes from managing the hundreds of details and giving each one your complete focus.
2. Anticipate Failure
During a game of poker, a player loses or folds more hands than they win. It is impossible to predict which hands will be the winners and losers. Preparing a contingency plan around your event, communicating it to the key stakeholders and bringing it on site are critical pieces to delivering a successful event. This is show business, there will be bumps along the way and you will need to throw away a few hands to get the big one.
3. Check your Emotions
I’m sure you’ve used the expression “poker face”. The best poker players in the world have a great poker face when they don’t let emotions cloud their judgment. Don’t confuse being passionate for your event with letting your emotions cloud your decisions pre, onsite or post event. Knowing “when to hold ‘em” and “when to fold ‘em” should never be emotional.
4. Experience Counts
Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than smart, but a skilled poker player will always win over a lucky player in the long run. If you are an experienced planner who has run hundreds of events and experienced more obstacles than you can remember, then my advice is to trust your gut. If you are a new or part-time planner and don’t have the experience, then I’d suggest you hire some professional help onsite or at the very least build out your network so you can tap into their skills…because luck will only get you so far.
5. Adapt to Change
The best players adapt as the game changes. Planners are continuously faced with changing information from the smallest detail like onsite dietary restrictions, to union strikes at a venue, and everything in between. Great planners understand the only thing constant is change; they incorporate the changes on-the-fly and seamlessly adapt them into the game plan.
BONUS: Play to Win (self explanatory!)
See you at the next industry poker game!
Steve
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Everything I’ve Learned About LinkedIn (so far)
Over the past six weeks I’ve learned a lot about LinkedIn; reading articles, attending webinars and in general just playing and experimenting with it. With my recently launched LinkedIn group, I thought it would benefit everyone to share what I’ve learned…
Why Use It
In my opinion, LinkedIn is the social media tool for business professionals. Nothing against Facebook, Twitter or any of the others but LinkedIn is the preferred tool for professional online networking.
Your Profile
Setting up a profile is free and easy to do in a few minutes. To populate your profile fully will likely take you a couple hours. Not that it’s complicated; it just takes time to get used to their terminology and how the fields all work together.
The Power of Search
The most important thing about your profile is the search function. There is a search function in the top navigation bar on LinkedIn and users not only use this to search a specific person’s name, but also search company names, skills, expertise, geography, etc. The more detailed your profile is, the LinkedIn search function will match your profile against millions of daily searches. In addition, LinkedIn provides these search results to Google (and other search engines) so anyone searching Google can also find your profile. This is very powerful marketing for you as an individual and/or organization.
Virtual Rolodex
On Facebook it’s called “friends”, on LinkedIn its called “connections”. The benefit of building your connections on LinkedIn is it becomes your virtual rolodex. As professionals in your network change jobs or get promoted, they update their profile and thus update your rolodex automatically. The biggest benefit to using LinkedIn as your rolodex is you can export your LinkedIn contacts…something the other social media sites currently do not offer.
Content is King
This is not specific to LinkedIn; using any social media network to simply promote your product or service will not be received well nor will it replace traditional marketing efforts. Contributing or starting discussions that are genuine comments, expert advice or insights will gain you more respect faster than straight up solicitation. If I like your advice or comment, I will look at your profile and contact you directly.
Instant Intelligence
In addition to building your network of people, you can also follow companies. The benefit here is you can see new hires, promotions/changes, departures and new job opportunities. This kind of intelligence provides insights like employee turnover and new initiatives via promotions, changes and new hires. As an individual seeking new opportunity or as an organization looking to keep tabs on your competitors, this instant intelligence is valuable.
Bonus Stuff
iPad app - I personally find the LinkedIn iPad app not very good at all and would not recommend using it. I log into the site with my Safari web browser and have much better access around the site.
FastCompany.com – check out this recent article “How LinkedIn Today Will Change Your Social Media Life” http://www.fastcompany.com/1737349/how-linkedin-today-will-change-your-social-media-life
If you have any questions about LinkedIn please feel free to contact me or post them as a comment. Naturally, if you have some tips/advice of you own now would be an ideal time to share (see Content is King above).
Looking forward to seeing you online!
Steve
Wednesday, 9 March 2011
How to Network at an Industry Function
First Posted December 3, 2010
For those of us who are industry dinosaurs, you take this skill for granted. But here are a few must-do’s before, during and after attending an industry event that will make the most of your investment in time and money.
• At a networking event, don’t try to sell your product or service; you can book a follow-up meeting for that. Instead, try to connect with the person. What topics do you share an interest in? Kids, pets, hobbies, travel, etc. Don’t ask, “so what do you do?” That won’t build a relationship; it will only tell the person you aren’t interested in them. One of my favorite questions is, “where did you grow up?” Often this reveals that you have a connection (‘six degrees of separation’ theory).
• If you know the person, ask something specific about them. “How are your kids doing?” “Are you going south again for your vacation?” This reinforces that you are a good listener and value your relationship.
• It’s scary to attend an event, by yourself, where you don’t know anyone. How do you start a conversation? Use available tools. A food station or bar, for instance, is a gathering point. Strike up a conversation about the cheese or local wine. Once you’ve engaged someone, introduce yourself. Then play the ‘newbie card.’ Tell them this is your first event; ask, “have you been attending for a lot of years?” I often meet many other first-timers looking to make a connection by asking this question. If they are an ‘old-timer,’ ask if they can introduce you to a few people; you’ll be surprised how open most people are to this request.
• You can always lean on the event organizer. If meeting new people is not your strength, ask the organizer if he/she can introduce you to someone who can take you under their wing. After all, it’s in their best interest that you have a good experience and return.
For those of us who are industry dinosaurs, you take this skill for granted. But here are a few must-do’s before, during and after attending an industry event that will make the most of your investment in time and money.
Before the Event
Set goals – too many people ‘just show up’ and don’t get anything out of the event. If the attendee list is available, pre-screen it and target 10 people to approach. If the attendee list isn’t available, set a goal to come away with 10 new business cards or shake hands with 25 people. Always, always, always bring plenty of business cards.During the Event
Here are some ideas that work no matter how many people you know…• At a networking event, don’t try to sell your product or service; you can book a follow-up meeting for that. Instead, try to connect with the person. What topics do you share an interest in? Kids, pets, hobbies, travel, etc. Don’t ask, “so what do you do?” That won’t build a relationship; it will only tell the person you aren’t interested in them. One of my favorite questions is, “where did you grow up?” Often this reveals that you have a connection (‘six degrees of separation’ theory).
• If you know the person, ask something specific about them. “How are your kids doing?” “Are you going south again for your vacation?” This reinforces that you are a good listener and value your relationship.
• It’s scary to attend an event, by yourself, where you don’t know anyone. How do you start a conversation? Use available tools. A food station or bar, for instance, is a gathering point. Strike up a conversation about the cheese or local wine. Once you’ve engaged someone, introduce yourself. Then play the ‘newbie card.’ Tell them this is your first event; ask, “have you been attending for a lot of years?” I often meet many other first-timers looking to make a connection by asking this question. If they are an ‘old-timer,’ ask if they can introduce you to a few people; you’ll be surprised how open most people are to this request.
• You can always lean on the event organizer. If meeting new people is not your strength, ask the organizer if he/she can introduce you to someone who can take you under their wing. After all, it’s in their best interest that you have a good experience and return.
After the Event
If you meet someone new and exchange business cards, drop them an e-mail the next day to say how nice it was to meet them. Depending on your conversation, you could request a connection on LinkedIn or another social-media site. If there was a follow-up item from your conversation, then make sure you deliver on your promise within 24 hours. You’ve obviously made a great first impression – follow through on it!Making iGoogle Work for You
First Posted October 19, 2010
iGoogle allows you to build a customized homepage that scours the Internet and brings you customized information, in real time, that is only of interest to you. Here are my favourite iGoogle widgets and how I use them.
Within iGoogle, you can actually set up several pages (think tabs in a binder). Below is a summary of my personal tab; I also have another tab set up for global industry RSS feeds. It may take you some time to get your homepage just how you like it, but when you do, it will save you hours of time, since you only need to check one website – versus a dozen – to get the information you want. If you have your own favourite widget(s), please share them!
Google Analytics Blog – This daily blog provides tips and tricks to get the most out of your Google Analytics and maximize your online performace and productivity.
Google Research Blog – I’ll quickly admit this blog is not for the faint of heart. The topics cover what Google is researching to develop next (a.k.a. what Google considers the future). You may not understand the technical terms, but it is interesting to see what they are working on.
Google Hot Trends – This is a cool widget; it displays the top 10 searched terms in Google in real time.
The Globe & Mail | CBC | Google News – These three sites constantly provide breaking news and their widgets bring the breaking news directly to my home page.
Facebook – This feed allows me to see the most recent status updates of my friends without having to visit my Facebook page. For those of you that are not allowed to surf Favebook at work, this widget might allow you to work around your firewalls!
TSN.ca Top Stories | ESPN.com NFL – The best part about making a customized homepage is you can mix business with pleasure in one location. I like to follow the NFL and sports in general and this widget gives me the recent news as it happens.
Today’s Horoscope | People.com – I keep these two on my home page for pure fun. I consider horoscopes like my daily smile and People.com reassures me that fame & money is not all it’s cracked up to be!
iGoogle allows you to build a customized homepage that scours the Internet and brings you customized information, in real time, that is only of interest to you. Here are my favourite iGoogle widgets and how I use them.
Within iGoogle, you can actually set up several pages (think tabs in a binder). Below is a summary of my personal tab; I also have another tab set up for global industry RSS feeds. It may take you some time to get your homepage just how you like it, but when you do, it will save you hours of time, since you only need to check one website – versus a dozen – to get the information you want. If you have your own favourite widget(s), please share them!
Google Analytics Blog – This daily blog provides tips and tricks to get the most out of your Google Analytics and maximize your online performace and productivity.
Google Research Blog – I’ll quickly admit this blog is not for the faint of heart. The topics cover what Google is researching to develop next (a.k.a. what Google considers the future). You may not understand the technical terms, but it is interesting to see what they are working on.
Google Hot Trends – This is a cool widget; it displays the top 10 searched terms in Google in real time.
The Globe & Mail | CBC | Google News – These three sites constantly provide breaking news and their widgets bring the breaking news directly to my home page.
Facebook – This feed allows me to see the most recent status updates of my friends without having to visit my Facebook page. For those of you that are not allowed to surf Favebook at work, this widget might allow you to work around your firewalls!
TSN.ca Top Stories | ESPN.com NFL – The best part about making a customized homepage is you can mix business with pleasure in one location. I like to follow the NFL and sports in general and this widget gives me the recent news as it happens.
Today’s Horoscope | People.com – I keep these two on my home page for pure fun. I consider horoscopes like my daily smile and People.com reassures me that fame & money is not all it’s cracked up to be!
Social Capital vs. Social Media
First Posted October 19, 2010
Although they sound the same and appear to be similar, these are two very different notions that are often confused and combined with costly results.
I was reading the recent white paper The Future of Meetings: The Case for Face-to-Face, written by Christine Duffy of Maritz Travel Company and Mary Beth McEuen of The Maritz Institute. This is a good read and will help you understand why and when events are the best medium versus virtual meetings.
The white paper delves into Social Capital and it occurred to me that this often gets confused with Social Media. Social Capital is the value of human relationships, communities and social networks within an organization (or industry). Physical Capital and Human Capital are often associated with productivity; however, Social Capital is the collective resilience, agility and will to succeed that is necessary for business success.
Social Media gets a lot of publicity and most Canadian planners use social media for either business or personal reasons (specifically Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn). The problem is, most people attribute Social Media with developing your network and staying connected. After all, it’s reassuring to see that you have 553 friends on Facebook or see that your LinkedIn network is 2,889,500-plus, three degrees away. These stats trick us into believing we have a high net worth of Social Capital, when in fact, we can have big stats and potentially have zero Social Capital value.
We need to remember that Social Media is only a tool that supports Social Capital. Face-to-face events, whether internal to an organization or an industry, allow us to develop relationships, social networks and sense of community. Social Media simply provides a medium to continue developing your Social Capital, just like the telephone can.
Organizations that mix these two notions up and don’t invest in Social Capital will find themselves at a significant business disadvantage. With regards to our business-events industry, this means you need to get out from behind your computer (and BlackBerry), interact with your peers and develop your and your organizations’ Social Capital.
Although they sound the same and appear to be similar, these are two very different notions that are often confused and combined with costly results.
I was reading the recent white paper The Future of Meetings: The Case for Face-to-Face, written by Christine Duffy of Maritz Travel Company and Mary Beth McEuen of The Maritz Institute. This is a good read and will help you understand why and when events are the best medium versus virtual meetings.
The white paper delves into Social Capital and it occurred to me that this often gets confused with Social Media. Social Capital is the value of human relationships, communities and social networks within an organization (or industry). Physical Capital and Human Capital are often associated with productivity; however, Social Capital is the collective resilience, agility and will to succeed that is necessary for business success.
Social Media gets a lot of publicity and most Canadian planners use social media for either business or personal reasons (specifically Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn). The problem is, most people attribute Social Media with developing your network and staying connected. After all, it’s reassuring to see that you have 553 friends on Facebook or see that your LinkedIn network is 2,889,500-plus, three degrees away. These stats trick us into believing we have a high net worth of Social Capital, when in fact, we can have big stats and potentially have zero Social Capital value.
We need to remember that Social Media is only a tool that supports Social Capital. Face-to-face events, whether internal to an organization or an industry, allow us to develop relationships, social networks and sense of community. Social Media simply provides a medium to continue developing your Social Capital, just like the telephone can.
Organizations that mix these two notions up and don’t invest in Social Capital will find themselves at a significant business disadvantage. With regards to our business-events industry, this means you need to get out from behind your computer (and BlackBerry), interact with your peers and develop your and your organizations’ Social Capital.
Unleash Your Event Potential
First Posted October 14, 2010
Do you buy lottery tickets? If you spent $5 on a ticket and won nothing, then your return on investment (ROI) is -100 per cent. If your ticket won $10, then your return is +100 per cent. This is the same simple math that should be applied to your meetings and events.
The simplest ROI question you can expect concerns budget. Did you come in on, under or over budget? Answering this question after the event is critical. However, answering it accurately before the event—ideally, weeks before—is the difference between simply planning an event and being an expert meeting planner.
If your meeting is tied to a new product, is customer-focused or involves sales training and development, then you can anticipate the following ROI question: Did revenues increase as a result of that event? This could be as simple as asking the right question on your post-event survey. For example, will you buy more product(s) as a result of attending the meeting? If the majority of the respondents answer ‘yes,’ you’ve just proven ROI.
Qualitative goals such as team-building are admittedly harder to measure. Using surveys allows your organization to measure employee attitudes. If possible, conduct a survey three months before, right after and three months after your meeting. The survey should ask the same questions each time and ask people to agree or disagree with statements like, ‘I’m happy at work;’ ‘I feel connected to my peers;’ and ‘there is good communication amongst the team.’
Calculating ROI can seem daunting, but in truth, ROI is not complicated or scary. Your organization invests in meetings and it should not be a lottery-like result if they deliver a return-on-investment or not. As a meeting-planning professional, you are, increasingly, expected to calculate and demonstrate the ROI of an event. There are several tools, calculators, courses and experts that are available to you. I encourage you to find them and use them. If you can’t find them or don’t understand them, you can contact me and I will help you.
Do you buy lottery tickets? If you spent $5 on a ticket and won nothing, then your return on investment (ROI) is -100 per cent. If your ticket won $10, then your return is +100 per cent. This is the same simple math that should be applied to your meetings and events.
The simplest ROI question you can expect concerns budget. Did you come in on, under or over budget? Answering this question after the event is critical. However, answering it accurately before the event—ideally, weeks before—is the difference between simply planning an event and being an expert meeting planner.
If your meeting is tied to a new product, is customer-focused or involves sales training and development, then you can anticipate the following ROI question: Did revenues increase as a result of that event? This could be as simple as asking the right question on your post-event survey. For example, will you buy more product(s) as a result of attending the meeting? If the majority of the respondents answer ‘yes,’ you’ve just proven ROI.
Qualitative goals such as team-building are admittedly harder to measure. Using surveys allows your organization to measure employee attitudes. If possible, conduct a survey three months before, right after and three months after your meeting. The survey should ask the same questions each time and ask people to agree or disagree with statements like, ‘I’m happy at work;’ ‘I feel connected to my peers;’ and ‘there is good communication amongst the team.’
Calculating ROI can seem daunting, but in truth, ROI is not complicated or scary. Your organization invests in meetings and it should not be a lottery-like result if they deliver a return-on-investment or not. As a meeting-planning professional, you are, increasingly, expected to calculate and demonstrate the ROI of an event. There are several tools, calculators, courses and experts that are available to you. I encourage you to find them and use them. If you can’t find them or don’t understand them, you can contact me and I will help you.
Steve’s 5 Favourite Business Books
First Posted September 21, 2010
How do I define a favourite book? When I go back to it three times or more to reference its key messages. And no…The Cat In The Hat did not make the list.
1. Good to Great, by Jim Collins
I’m a big believer in stealing successful ideas. This book examines 11 companies that made the good-to-great transition. The lessons contained are applicable to any organization. First Sentence: “Good is the enemy of great.”
2. Machiavelli on Modern Leadership, by Michael A. Ledeen
I first read this book 20 years ago and fully admit I’m a closet history buff. Niccoló Machiavelli was a 16th Century Italian political thinker and historical figure best remembered for his masterpiece, The Prince, written in 1513. First Sentence: “If you’re going to lead, you’ve got to fight.”
3. The One Thing You Need to Know, by Marcus Buckingham
This book has nothing to do with Curly from themovie City
4. What Sticks, by Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart
Why most advertising fails and how to guarantee your success. My favorite lesson from this book: in a business competition, culture will eat strategy for lunch. If you have a great strategy but a bad culture, you’ll lose. First Sentence: “Marketing is failing: CEOs sense it; top markets know it; and our research proves it.”
5. The Art of War, by Sun-tzu
I first read this book after seeing the movie Wall Street in the 80s. The original book has hundreds of translations and has spawned a number of books that analyze its contents. My edition was translated by Ralph D. Sawyer. The first sentence comes after 160-plus pages of introduction, historical background, summary of the Dynastic Periods and notes on the translation itself. First Sentence: “Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Way (Tao) to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed.”
How do I define a favourite book? When I go back to it three times or more to reference its key messages. And no…The Cat In The Hat did not make the list.
1. Good to Great, by Jim Collins
I’m a big believer in stealing successful ideas. This book examines 11 companies that made the good-to-great transition. The lessons contained are applicable to any organization. First Sentence: “Good is the enemy of great.”
2. Machiavelli on Modern Leadership, by Michael A. Ledeen
I first read this book 20 years ago and fully admit I’m a closet history buff. Niccoló Machiavelli was a 16th Century Italian political thinker and historical figure best remembered for his masterpiece, The Prince, written in 1513. First Sentence: “If you’re going to lead, you’ve got to fight.”
3. The One Thing You Need to Know, by Marcus Buckingham
This book has nothing to do with Curly from the
4. What Sticks, by Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart
Why most advertising fails and how to guarantee your success. My favorite lesson from this book: in a business competition, culture will eat strategy for lunch. If you have a great strategy but a bad culture, you’ll lose. First Sentence: “Marketing is failing: CEOs sense it; top markets know it; and our research proves it.”
5. The Art of War, by Sun-tzu
I first read this book after seeing the movie Wall Street in the 80s. The original book has hundreds of translations and has spawned a number of books that analyze its contents. My edition was translated by Ralph D. Sawyer. The first sentence comes after 160-plus pages of introduction, historical background, summary of the Dynastic Periods and notes on the translation itself. First Sentence: “Warfare is the greatest affair of state, the basis of life and death, the Way (Tao) to survival or extinction. It must be thoroughly pondered and analyzed.”
To Panic or Not to Panic
First Posted September 20, 2010
Many of us are well into our 2011 planning and by most accounts, meetings activity and budgets are expected to increase. A short 24 months ago, the industry was panicking; we were under attack and our very existence was in question. Did we learn anything from the past two years?
Think back to fall, 2008: the AIG effect was not yet an effect…it was still an event. The global banking system was unravelling like cassette tape getting eaten during your favorite song…too fast and very permanent. Meetings were being cancelled as organizations had to curb spending to keep up with falling revenues.
When you are drinking from a fire hose, it’s easy. However, when the meetings-revenue-tap got turned off, the industry panicked. We were not organized, we could not justify ourselves, we didn’t have consistent messaging – heck, we couldn’t even agree who we should be talking to, let alone what to say to them.
Now that the revenue tap seems to be running again, the need to panic is over. Did we learn our lesson or are we content to simply have survived the recession? I believe, sadly, as an industry, we are happy to have just survived. What we really need to do is learn from this experience, continue to work towards being a cohesive industry with one voice and one message. We need to develop our government and media relations, so that when the next recession comes – and it will – we are prepared and can justify that meetings and events are critical for organizations to survive.
The Business Events Industry Coalition of Canada was formed during the past two difficult years. As our industry’s panic has declined, so has our perceived need to come together. This initiative should not be abandoned – rather, it should be fostered. Think about how much we could accomplish when we don’t have a loaded gun pointed at our head.
Many of us are well into our 2011 planning and by most accounts, meetings activity and budgets are expected to increase. A short 24 months ago, the industry was panicking; we were under attack and our very existence was in question. Did we learn anything from the past two years?
Think back to fall, 2008: the AIG effect was not yet an effect…it was still an event. The global banking system was unravelling like cassette tape getting eaten during your favorite song…too fast and very permanent. Meetings were being cancelled as organizations had to curb spending to keep up with falling revenues.
When you are drinking from a fire hose, it’s easy. However, when the meetings-revenue-tap got turned off, the industry panicked. We were not organized, we could not justify ourselves, we didn’t have consistent messaging – heck, we couldn’t even agree who we should be talking to, let alone what to say to them.
Now that the revenue tap seems to be running again, the need to panic is over. Did we learn our lesson or are we content to simply have survived the recession? I believe, sadly, as an industry, we are happy to have just survived. What we really need to do is learn from this experience, continue to work towards being a cohesive industry with one voice and one message. We need to develop our government and media relations, so that when the next recession comes – and it will – we are prepared and can justify that meetings and events are critical for organizations to survive.
The Business Events Industry Coalition of Canada was formed during the past two difficult years. As our industry’s panic has declined, so has our perceived need to come together. This initiative should not be abandoned – rather, it should be fostered. Think about how much we could accomplish when we don’t have a loaded gun pointed at our head.
The Top 10 Rules for Selling to Meeting Planners
First Posted July 16, 2010
Everyone loves lists, so here are my Top 10 Rules for selling to meeting planners.
10. Make their job easy.
Do whatever it takes to help your client either pre- or onsite. Even the offer to stuff bags, move boxes or buy (and deliver) a round of coffee is always appreciated and remembered.
Everyone loves lists, so here are my Top 10 Rules for selling to meeting planners.
1. You must inspire.
This works in both personal and professional applications. Nobody wants a partner who’s uninspired. Find inspiration in what you do or stop doing it!
This works in both personal and professional applications. Nobody wants a partner who’s uninspired. Find inspiration in what you do or stop doing it!
2. Benefits, benefits, benefits.
This does not mean how a partnership benefits you, but how it benefits your clients and prospects. Nothing turns a planner off faster than “how my business can benefit you (and not me).”
This does not mean how a partnership benefits you, but how it benefits your clients and prospects. Nothing turns a planner off faster than “how my business can benefit you (and not me).”
3. Believe in your product.
Ever heard the saying, ‘that guy can sell ice to an Eskimo?’ That’s because of a strong, real belief that your product or service will truly help your client. If you don’t believe it will help, neither will the person listening.
Ever heard the saying, ‘that guy can sell ice to an Eskimo?’ That’s because of a strong, real belief that your product or service will truly help your client. If you don’t believe it will help, neither will the person listening.
4. Learn their product.
It amazes me how many suppliers call me within 30 days of an event asking if I need a venue, audiovisual or registration services (for example). If you want to win a planner’s business, find out when they are sourcing suppliers and what their decision timeline is…and then follow Rule #7.
It amazes me how many suppliers call me within 30 days of an event asking if I need a venue, audiovisual or registration services (for example). If you want to win a planner’s business, find out when they are sourcing suppliers and what their decision timeline is…and then follow Rule #7.
5. Understand seasonal demand.
This should be obvious, but common sense isn’t always so common. Our industry is very busy in the spring and fall (on average). So don’t be shocked when we can’t attend FAMs, client-appreciation days or even make a lunch meeting in the peak months. Often, planners want to get to know your product better but the timing just isn’t good.
This should be obvious, but common sense isn’t always so common. Our industry is very busy in the spring and fall (on average). So don’t be shocked when we can’t attend FAMs, client-appreciation days or even make a lunch meeting in the peak months. Often, planners want to get to know your product better but the timing just isn’t good.
6. Repeat past successes.
7. Be a hunter.
Being time-pressed is a state of being for everyone in the industry. Planners rely on you to bring them the latest information and follow-up when we ask. Make sure your day includes as much prospecting and following-up to requests and questions as it does servicing existing clients. Your prospects will thank you for it with contracts.
Being time-pressed is a state of being for everyone in the industry. Planners rely on you to bring them the latest information and follow-up when we ask. Make sure your day includes as much prospecting and following-up to requests and questions as it does servicing existing clients. Your prospects will thank you for it with contracts.
8. Be a knowledge broker.
We all know planners who organize one meeting a year. After a couple of years, they think they know how to plan every type of meeting or event; they simply don’t know what they don’t know. If your business is a success, you should be working with dozens, if not hundreds, of meetings each year. Share your knowledge and experience; it can only make your client look better!
We all know planners who organize one meeting a year. After a couple of years, they think they know how to plan every type of meeting or event; they simply don’t know what they don’t know. If your business is a success, you should be working with dozens, if not hundreds, of meetings each year. Share your knowledge and experience; it can only make your client look better!
9. Get good at paperwork.
Planners live and die in the details…and the details are always well-documented. If your paperwork is wrong, incorrect or just missing stuff, then you are wasting an opportunity to renew that client in the future. Good paperwork makes the planner’s job easier.
Planners live and die in the details…and the details are always well-documented. If your paperwork is wrong, incorrect or just missing stuff, then you are wasting an opportunity to renew that client in the future. Good paperwork makes the planner’s job easier.
10. Make their job easy.
Do whatever it takes to help your client either pre- or onsite. Even the offer to stuff bags, move boxes or buy (and deliver) a round of coffee is always appreciated and remembered.
Work Hard, Play Harder
First Posted June 21, 2010
It always amazes me how hard we work and the odd hours we keep, both planners and suppliers. Even more astounding, arguably, is how well-balanced everyone in the industry is. Here are some fun industry observations as we enter the hot days of summer…
Connected & Free – It’s rare when I meet someone without a BlackBerry or smart phone. Commonly referred to as the ‘office leash,’ it does allow us be truly mobile and stay on top of things. I’m as guilty as the next for never putting it down, but it allows me the freedom to walk away from the office and still be connected.
Counting Hours – For most of us, we are afraid to count the hours/week we work. I’m always a little surprised when I send out a group e-mail after 5:00 p.m. on a Friday and have 50-per-cent or more of the group replying before midnight and the other half Saturday morning. I know we work a lot of hours – and a lot of weird hours – but we do still manage to take time for ourselves, our family and friends and what’s important to us.
Alcoholics Anonymous – At a recent lunch with a colleague, the topic of alcohol in the industry came up. Being in the industry, there is always access to alcohol – and it’s usually free. We were delighted to be in agreement that for the most part, our industry is very responsible when it comes to booze. There are relatively few (obvious) cases of alcoholics or drinking and driving charges. I’d like to think it’s because we don’t rely on alcohol to deal with the stresses of work (at least not entirely!).
The V-word – Vacation…we all talk about it, think about it, dream about it. And in this industry, we all take it. Maybe because we are good at planning ahead or because we’re used to travelling, regardless of the reason, just about everyone I know in the industry takes vacation. Maybe this, and this alone, is the sole reason so many of us can wear as many hats as we do and not implode. If you haven’t booked your 2010 vacation yet, I challenge you to do it before July 1.
It always amazes me how hard we work and the odd hours we keep, both planners and suppliers. Even more astounding, arguably, is how well-balanced everyone in the industry is. Here are some fun industry observations as we enter the hot days of summer…
Connected & Free – It’s rare when I meet someone without a BlackBerry or smart phone. Commonly referred to as the ‘office leash,’ it does allow us be truly mobile and stay on top of things. I’m as guilty as the next for never putting it down, but it allows me the freedom to walk away from the office and still be connected.
Counting Hours – For most of us, we are afraid to count the hours/week we work. I’m always a little surprised when I send out a group e-mail after 5:00 p.m. on a Friday and have 50-per-cent or more of the group replying before midnight and the other half Saturday morning. I know we work a lot of hours – and a lot of weird hours – but we do still manage to take time for ourselves, our family and friends and what’s important to us.
Alcoholics Anonymous – At a recent lunch with a colleague, the topic of alcohol in the industry came up. Being in the industry, there is always access to alcohol – and it’s usually free. We were delighted to be in agreement that for the most part, our industry is very responsible when it comes to booze. There are relatively few (obvious) cases of alcoholics or drinking and driving charges. I’d like to think it’s because we don’t rely on alcohol to deal with the stresses of work (at least not entirely!).
The V-word – Vacation…we all talk about it, think about it, dream about it. And in this industry, we all take it. Maybe because we are good at planning ahead or because we’re used to travelling, regardless of the reason, just about everyone I know in the industry takes vacation. Maybe this, and this alone, is the sole reason so many of us can wear as many hats as we do and not implode. If you haven’t booked your 2010 vacation yet, I challenge you to do it before July 1.
Are Smart Tags Dumb?
First Posted June 21, 2010
You may have heard about Smart Tags or seen one in a magazine. What are they? How do they work? Do they work? And how can they help me monetize my print marketing efforts?
What’s a Tag? In its simplest form, a Tag is a bar code that your smart phone (i.e. BlackBerry or iPhone) can “read” and convert into an action. There are a variety of providers who use different hooks to make their product unique. “Tags” are Microsoft’s version and are free to everyone.
How do they work? Anyone who has a smart phone with a camera phone can use a Tag; it’s as simple as taking a picture. When you create a Tag, you can link it to an action such as opening a web page or sending an e-mail. The user just has to download a simple and free app and they can “read” any Tag.
Do they work? Tags are still very new but are catching on globally, fast. You can insert a Tag into just about any print media (magazine ads, billboards, business cards, T-shirts, etc.) and it instantly connects that print media with the online and mobile medium. There are thousands of websites on Tags, best practices and white papers, with proven case studies using this technology to engage customers and prospects.
How do I know they work? The back-end reporting on your Tag(s) is very good. You can see not only how many times it was “read,” but what day of the week, too. As an advertiser, try inserting a Tag into your next ad, coupled with an incentive. For example: “For a free $10 Starbucks gift card, snap this Tag”, and have the tag linked to your e-mail. You then see first-hand how your print advertising can generate immediate leads, straight to your smart phone.
You may have heard about Smart Tags or seen one in a magazine. What are they? How do they work? Do they work? And how can they help me monetize my print marketing efforts?
What’s a Tag? In its simplest form, a Tag is a bar code that your smart phone (i.e. BlackBerry or iPhone) can “read” and convert into an action. There are a variety of providers who use different hooks to make their product unique. “Tags” are Microsoft’s version and are free to everyone.
How do they work? Anyone who has a smart phone with a camera phone can use a Tag; it’s as simple as taking a picture. When you create a Tag, you can link it to an action such as opening a web page or sending an e-mail. The user just has to download a simple and free app and they can “read” any Tag.
Do they work? Tags are still very new but are catching on globally, fast. You can insert a Tag into just about any print media (magazine ads, billboards, business cards, T-shirts, etc.) and it instantly connects that print media with the online and mobile medium. There are thousands of websites on Tags, best practices and white papers, with proven case studies using this technology to engage customers and prospects.
How do I know they work? The back-end reporting on your Tag(s) is very good. You can see not only how many times it was “read,” but what day of the week, too. As an advertiser, try inserting a Tag into your next ad, coupled with an incentive. For example: “For a free $10 Starbucks gift card, snap this Tag”, and have the tag linked to your e-mail. You then see first-hand how your print advertising can generate immediate leads, straight to your smart phone.
First we plan…and then we pray
First Posted June 4, 2010
You’ve spent hundreds of hours planning, communicating, double- and triple-checking and it’s finally here: The Night Before Your Meeting. Everything is on track, speakers and VIPs are en route, the facility is ready to go, all your gear is present and accounted for and you’ve set four alarms for the morning, so you don’t sleep in. The only thing left to do now is pray.
Pray for a smooth show, that everyone attends, there are no emergencies or fires — although you are prepared if they arise. But how will you know if the meeting is a success? There’s likely a public thank-you from the podium, several “great job” comments or “lunch was amazing” kudos. The buzz was fantastic and the education component sparked dialogue both in and out of the sessions. Somehow, you’re expected to measure this and put it all on paper.
As meeting planners, if we’ve done our job well, nobody knows we’re even at the meeting. We love to operate behind the curtain, a la The Wizard of Oz, living two hours ahead of the attendees, anticipating everything. More and more, we are also expected to be strategic planners as much as we are meeting planners. This means clearly understanding the goals and objectives of the event months in advance, and building every element of the meeting to feed those goals. It also means you are responsible to craft a post-show survey that captures, and measures, how effective your meeting is against those goals.
It is this measurement, of the value of meetings, that makes the difference between good meetings and great meetings. Through formal education or years of experience, many of us are skilled in the tactics of meeting planning. Fewer of us, though, are skilled in strategic planning. It is this skill that we need to develop, as individuals and as an industry.
You’ve spent hundreds of hours planning, communicating, double- and triple-checking and it’s finally here: The Night Before Your Meeting. Everything is on track, speakers and VIPs are en route, the facility is ready to go, all your gear is present and accounted for and you’ve set four alarms for the morning, so you don’t sleep in. The only thing left to do now is pray.
Pray for a smooth show, that everyone attends, there are no emergencies or fires — although you are prepared if they arise. But how will you know if the meeting is a success? There’s likely a public thank-you from the podium, several “great job” comments or “lunch was amazing” kudos. The buzz was fantastic and the education component sparked dialogue both in and out of the sessions. Somehow, you’re expected to measure this and put it all on paper.
As meeting planners, if we’ve done our job well, nobody knows we’re even at the meeting. We love to operate behind the curtain, a la The Wizard of Oz, living two hours ahead of the attendees, anticipating everything. More and more, we are also expected to be strategic planners as much as we are meeting planners. This means clearly understanding the goals and objectives of the event months in advance, and building every element of the meeting to feed those goals. It also means you are responsible to craft a post-show survey that captures, and measures, how effective your meeting is against those goals.
It is this measurement, of the value of meetings, that makes the difference between good meetings and great meetings. Through formal education or years of experience, many of us are skilled in the tactics of meeting planning. Fewer of us, though, are skilled in strategic planning. It is this skill that we need to develop, as individuals and as an industry.
What Makes a Good Marketing Campaign?
First Posted May 21, 2010
The most common challenge marketers face is measuring the impact of their campaign efforts. We’re all de-sensitized to the gimmicks, tricks, branding, sex-and-beer tactics; your campaign needs to do one thing – make people buy your product or service. Here are some ideas on how to accomplish just that…
First, know the audience you are addressing and speak their language. The best example out there today is the tampon commercial set during a mixed-martial-arts event. Make sure you really understand who is reading, watching, looking at or showing up to your chosen marketing vehicle. Knowing the demographic allows you to not only make sure your message is reaching the right audience, but also ensures they are in the right frame of mind, or context, to receive your message.
Now think about the magazine you flipped through or website you surfed; how long did the ads have (in time) to make an impression? Seconds or less, I’m sure. Far too often, advertisements try to tell the reader too many things or stories. To quote Ken Wong, marketing and brand expert (with Queen's University), learn about what it means to ‘make a brand promise’ and the implications of not meeting or exceeding that promise. Pick one message, theme or promise statement and promote only that one thought – over and over and over.
The next one is a pet peeve of mine…the call to action. I can’t tell you how often someone runs an ad with a pretty picture and their logo and then wonders why their phone didn’t ring. Planners are time-strapped; if you are asking them to work to find your website or, worse, your phone number, then don’t be surprised if they call someone else. Make it easy for the reader/user to contact you – and give them a reason to! The call to action must be something that helps the planner, not you. Ask your clients for suggestions. You could offer discounts, upgrades, time-limited offers, points, gift cards (Starbucks or something for personal use) or premium items (letter openers, USBs, clothing, etc). It never ceases to amaze me what people will do for a free T-shirt.
There are thousands of books on marketing. I’m not trying to over-simplify the gazillion-dollar advertising industry…rather, I just want to ensure that you are following the fundamentals.
The most common challenge marketers face is measuring the impact of their campaign efforts. We’re all de-sensitized to the gimmicks, tricks, branding, sex-and-beer tactics; your campaign needs to do one thing – make people buy your product or service. Here are some ideas on how to accomplish just that…
First, know the audience you are addressing and speak their language. The best example out there today is the tampon commercial set during a mixed-martial-arts event. Make sure you really understand who is reading, watching, looking at or showing up to your chosen marketing vehicle. Knowing the demographic allows you to not only make sure your message is reaching the right audience, but also ensures they are in the right frame of mind, or context, to receive your message.
Now think about the magazine you flipped through or website you surfed; how long did the ads have (in time) to make an impression? Seconds or less, I’m sure. Far too often, advertisements try to tell the reader too many things or stories. To quote Ken Wong, marketing and brand expert (with Queen's University), learn about what it means to ‘make a brand promise’ and the implications of not meeting or exceeding that promise. Pick one message, theme or promise statement and promote only that one thought – over and over and over.
The next one is a pet peeve of mine…the call to action. I can’t tell you how often someone runs an ad with a pretty picture and their logo and then wonders why their phone didn’t ring. Planners are time-strapped; if you are asking them to work to find your website or, worse, your phone number, then don’t be surprised if they call someone else. Make it easy for the reader/user to contact you – and give them a reason to! The call to action must be something that helps the planner, not you. Ask your clients for suggestions. You could offer discounts, upgrades, time-limited offers, points, gift cards (Starbucks or something for personal use) or premium items (letter openers, USBs, clothing, etc). It never ceases to amaze me what people will do for a free T-shirt.
There are thousands of books on marketing. I’m not trying to over-simplify the gazillion-dollar advertising industry…rather, I just want to ensure that you are following the fundamentals.
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