So, you’re probably asking – what’s a podcast? Well, a podcast is a series of digital media files (either audio or video) that are released as episodes and often downloaded via the web. As an internet marketer, a podcast is a great way to reach folks who may not be keen on reading blog posts, but enjoy listening to and viewing content. Check out this short video on tips to keep in mind, when creating a podcast. If you like to idea of creating a podcast but you’re not quite sure where to start, feel free to send me and email or give me a call. As a video and multimedia virtual assistant, I help clients create and release their very own podcast.
Posts Tagged ‘virtual events’
Virtual and web-based events and the opportunities they present for small businesses
Choosing to host your event online is a smart and cost effective way to reach an audience that may not be able to attend your event in person due to lack of time, finances and the many different factors that are contributing to a decline in attendance to conferences, symposiums and seminars that are generally held in a brick and mortar setting. You don’t have to be the owner of a huge international conglomerate to see how cost effective an option web-based events are. Businesses of all sizes can benefit from taking events online or virtually. In today’s blog post I show you with the aid of video, just how easy it is for small businesses to take advantage of the opportunities that virtual events can present. Click here, to view the video.
How You Can Use Twitter for Your Virtual Events
In running virtual events, one of the things I noticed is that people seem to be Tweeting a lot during the event. A lot of them are tweeting about being in the event and the presentations that they are currently watching. This got my attention. How can I use Twitter to promote virtual events? bsetcetera.com I did a little research and here are some strategies I came up.
- Create a Twitter account for the event and ask your registrants to follow the account. This can serve as a venue to communicate with your registrant before the event and your attendees during the event.
- Construct a hash tag for the event. For example, when I attended the International Freelancers Day, the hash tag for the event is #IFD2010. More than a month after the event, attendees are still tweeting about the lessons they learned from the event but using the hash tag #IFD10Chat. An easy to
Virtual Events Industry to Reach $18.6 Billion
Do you know that virtual events is now a multi-billion dollar industry? According to the market report
Get More People to Attend Your Webinar
One of my constant worries as virtual event organizer is that no one will attend the webinar, teleconference, or virtual trade show that I am organizing, especially if it is being offered for FREE.
Virtual Event Planning Lessons from IFD10
Last weekend, September 24-25, hundreds of freelancers from all over the world convened online to attend the first ever International Freelancers Day. The event was sponsored by Social Media Examiner, Freshbooks, Kit Digital, Elance, American Writers & Artists Inc., and The Wealthy Freelancer.
I would say that despite the technical problems experienced during the event, the IFD was a success. This is based on the reaction of those who attended. Attendees were not only interacting through Wibiya chat on site, but they were also interacting in IFD
Virtual Events for Small Business
Virtual events are increasingly becoming a mainstay of corporate events. From teleseminars to teleconferences to virtual business meetings big companies are using virtual events to facilitate faster, real-time communication. In light of this, how can small businesses use virtual events to their advantage? Here are some ideas:
- Training
Making Virtual Event Hosting Easy
According to a report from On24, more and more executives are going to attend virtual events in 2010. This is good news for virtual assistants like me who specialize in producing virtual events for their clients.
Virtual event hosting takes a lot of preparation. Not only do you have to send constant email reminders to everyone attending the event, you also need to work with the speakers and other members of your team. You also have to test the technology you are going to use during the event. In order to make my tasks as a virtual event host easier, I do the following things.
- Assign a customer service person. Virtual events can have a handful or thousands of attendees. Though communicating with them before the event is easy, you cannot expect yourself to attend to all of their concerns during the event itself since you will be busy making sure that the event is running smoothly during its entire duration. This is where a virtual event customer service assistant helps. This person will be the go-to person during the event for all the attendees and the speaker. You can set up an email dedicated for this purpose or opt for live chat. Make sure that your virtual event page has a one-click access to the customer service to make things easier for the attendees and speakers.
- Email access details to speakers and attendees a day before the event and a couple of hours before the event. Not all people are organized. Though it
Are Virtual Events Just a Fad Or the Next “Big Thing”?
As a certified Virtual Event Specialist I can honestly say that virtual events are not a fad. I mean, come on, look at the economy, people don’t have money as they used to to hop on a plane and trek across of the country for a conference,seminar or some summit like they did in the past and let’s face it, hosting an event in a brick and mortar setting does cost a pretty penny. Even if economics was not a consideration, people are opting for the convienience and avoiding the fuss that generally is associated with hosting events in a traditional setting.
Statistics show that not only are virtual events growing, but so too are the number of businesses using them to attract clients and make money.
Here are some interesting statistics that I recently gathered from Virtual Event Specialist extraordinaire, Leesa Barnes:
- Twenty-six percent of exhibitors reported they will use virtual events as a promotional tool to brings leads to their business (source: Center for Exhibition Industry Research)
- 63% of marketing professionals said they’re more likely to attend conferences online than in person in 2010 (source: On24)
- 48% of marketing professionals said that they plan to do more with virtual events in order to generate leads and retain customers (source: Unisfair)
- 27.5% of trainers and workshop leaders said their company moved instructor-led courses to e-learning or web-based courses (source: American Society for Training & Development)
- 83% of meeting planners see the need to add virtual elements to their meetings and events (source: Virtual Edge)
Interesting statistics, huh? Do you still think virtual events are a fad? If you’re a business owner, solopreneur or independent consultant, you can’t afford to dismiss virtual events any longer. The marketplace is demanding that you provide learning opportunities without the need for travel or wasting time in airports. Ignoring this will result in being left behind.
The International Association of Virtual Event Managers will be hosting an upcoming event (virtual, of course), geared towards Authors, Coaches, Speakers, Association Directors, Workshop Leaders, Trainers, Meeting Planners, Independent Consultants, Project Managers & Virtual Assistants.
The program is designed to help you effectively and properly plan, produce and profit from virtual events, with an emphasis on teaching you how to build your list, build a passive income, gain recognition as a leader in your industry or niche. If this sounds like the sort of things that gets you excited, click on the following link to check out the event. This is going to be big and you really don’t want to miss it – click this link to learn more of sign up for the event.