So I’ve had a couple of emails about discount codes and the like for the Web 2.0 Show, March, in San Francisco.
If I remember correctly this is the show that I wasn’t cool enough to attend a few years back.
I’ve already got another event on the calendar, but if you guys comp me a pass I’ll see what I can do.
I had a question come in this week about event sponsorship. There are a lot of grassroots events out there and that in the current economy you might think it would be difficult to find sponsors but it’s actually easier than ever.
As far as what sponsors are looking for, it’s very simple, the majority of them just want to sell more stuff. Companies that are Marketing savvy may be satisfied with access to the audience (meaning, an attendee list with good emails and maybe snail mail).
The criteria for choosing your possible sponsor targets:
Forward thinking marketers may be feeling budget pressure so many of them are more willing to consider alternatives like social media than ever before (more impact at less cost? yes, now is the time that these words will make people listen).
Once you have a list of prospects you have to get in front of the decision makers, this is where you want to leverage linkedin and the rest of your network so that you get a reference and a personal introduction. The hard work is getting to the right people, once you are in front of them it’s an easy sell: “What if I could connect you with X of your most loyal customers, who are active in the online community and will blog, podcast, and spread your message on Facebook for less than the price of a single month ad in X magazine?”
So the big question to get started is: “Where do your attendees spend their money?”
I had a Marketing Over Coffee listener ask me about using Manticore (Email, web analytic, demand generation) with GoToWebinar (Online meetings). I thought that this was too much “Inside Baseball” even for MOC, but it fits here.
Do you typically send out your webinar invitations as part of a Manticore Demand Booster Process? It gets sort of tricky because once someone uses the invitation to register for the webinar, then GTW sends them back a personalized URL for accessing the webinar. As you know, GTW does a great job of managing registrations. Post-webinar, it can also provide a list of attendees and a separate list of registered no-shows.
It seems that the easiest thing would be to wait until the webinar takes place, then start the demand booster process at that point using the lists of attendees and no-shows.
This is an interesting problem. I thing the big issue is that GoToWebinar doesn’t have an API (at least at my last check with their tech support). You could build all the same stuff (registration, follow up email) on your own site through Manticore and manage it all there.  That still wouldn’t solve the problem though, just change the direction of data you have to load – instead of pulling the reg list out of G2W, you’d be uploading the projected attendees into G2W, and since there’s no easy way to do that unless you want to start scripting something that goes through HTTP, and that makes my brain hurt.
I do send the invites out via Manticore, you can grab the HTML and load it right up. And a tip – if you include the “Register Now” button the tracking of opens will work over in the GoToWebinar reporting.
I don’t do webinars as part of any demand booster tracks, I don’t like anything to be in a track that is locked to a specific date, that really increases the labor required to reuse the track.
Hopefully by putting this out there, somebody will have a better idea…
Jason Calacanis has an email list that he’s gone to as an alternative to blogging. (Jason’s Email list signup)
His latest had a list of 10 things he loves, and he asked for people to reply with theirs. Since I went to the trouble of doing my list I thought it would be good to share it with you. Feel free to share your favorites in the comments, or on your own blog and Trackback so I can check it out.
ps – I’d really like to hear from road warriors like Chip Griffin, who I have been meaning to email for weeks.
1. Chargepod
–> What it is: Charge 6 mobile devices at once
–> How it works: small hub, and connects to outlet or car power
–> Why it’s important: replaces a huge ball of cable from my travel bag
–> More info: http://www.callpod.com/products/chargepod
2. Johnnie Walker Blue
–> What it is: The Tesla of Scotch – smooth and efficient
–> How it works: You drink it
–> Why it’s important: it makes the pain go away
–> More info: Any better liquor store
3. Sony PSP
–> What it is: Best handheld gaming system
–> Why it’s important: Also great for watching movies
4. Skooba Laptop Bag
–> What it is: The lightest “real bag” you can get
–> Why it’s important: Every ounce counts when you are carrying it yourself
–> More info: http://www.skoobadesign.com/product/skooba-satchel-28/
5. Land’s End Cotton/Cashmere blend sweater
–> What it is: As soft as cashmere but cheaper and more durable
–> How it works: Chicks dig it
–> Why it’s important: Because wool is uncomfortable
–> More info: Now that winter is gone you can get them for $10 off ($39), but all the good colors are gone (Navy or black for me)
the rest of my 10, none of which are any big news:
Xbox 360
Apple TV
Sony Bravia
Platinum AMEX so I can use the clean bathroom in the airport club
Podcasts – TWiT and This American Life
I’m a tweetdeck and pandora fan, and I’ll be ordering some Green Tea Kit Kat, Thanks for the tips!
John
I have been very impressed with CVS Pharmacy‘s program that goes above and beyond.
As a teenager I spent many hours on the tennis court, both playing and teaching. I played a bit in college where I finally burned out after a year, but I still play once in a while. Last month Carin was offered tickets to the Champions Cup here in Boston and we went to the tournament yesterday. Thanks to Staples for getting us some great seats, and setting me up for what will probably be my photo of the year:
And what will probably be on my desk by the end of this week:
Please visit, review, tag, and help contribute to this page!!!!
There’s been a lot going on lately, and of course that gets in the way of blogging here.
The good news is that Marketing Over Coffee continues to heat up, so much so that our host shut us down. The good news is that my co-host’s secret identity is CTO, so we shifted to a more able host and were back and running in less than a day.
In addition to the regular show I have some extra content coming along, including a great interview with author James Connor that I can’t wait to get posted.
Meanwhile the rest of the world found out about Facebook. Although it’s a little odd getting friended by people I’ve never seen in the tech circle before, I’m excited for them finally getting a taste of the blogging world.
On that note I’m very happy to say that I’ve signed on for Blogger Social 2009. The good news is that it’s here in my backyard in Boston this year so I’ll have an inside edge. For those who don’t know, Blogger Social ran for the first time last year in New York City, an event that makes no bones about the fact that it’s just about getting together to socialize with folks you probably have only met online. It’s a big Friday night event and then a formal dinner on Saturday, and any other social stuff you can pack in between.
I had a blast last year, including surviving an encounter with The Beast. Past attendees get first shot at tickets (there were about 80 attendees), and this year there will be 100 tickets, that will be opening up probably in the next week or so.
Year 2 of “The Ronis!”, a name that is lame! (Click to see Year 1)
There will probably be one more post of my goals for 2009 but otherwise this should be the last of the 2008 wrap-up postings. Here are the things stood out in the last 365:
Comic Book Movies (Iron Man/Hulk/Batman) completely tore things up, but
GTA IV sold more in week 1 than the biggest movie of that week.
In Entertainment
Doctor Who kept me enthralled and Dearly Devoted Dexter was a horrible book and yet impossible to put down
Flight of the Conchords – Business Time made me laugh so hard I couldn’t breathe
Red Hulk
Business Stuff
Manticore automation of email campaigns turned things up another level
Erik Schwartzman’s On the Record is quality listening, and thanks to Chris for turning my photos up another notch
Mahalo Answers is fun and addictive
iNetsoft’s Style Intelligence running with Salesforce.com – I’m just scratching the surface but it’s very cool
In General
A Peaceful Transition of Power – a wonderful thing.
Please feel free to nominate others or tell me why my choices stink. Or better yet, make your own awards and give them a cool name.