Viral Marketing with a Powerful Twist
What would you do with 500, 1000 or more additional visitors each day? Imagine how your web business will grow with an extra 2000, 5000 or MORE leads each month . . . Okay, I'll stop teasing you. . . But what IF those extra leads and visitors cost you NOTHING? Let me tell you a story a friend of mine named Paul Galloway shared with me... The Brilliant Webmaster Once upon a time, not too long ago in a nearby web land, there was a business owner looking for a way to increase visitors to his website AND a way to increase his subscribers. (Sound familiar?) He and his webmaster came up with a simple but brilliant idea. They had some software developed to help them implement this viral idea, and then they launched the new campaign. In just a couple of months, his website had received tons of visitors (including lots of REPEAT visitors) and almost 49,739 subscribers from this promotion. In fact, by setting it up properly, your per-subscriber cost could be ZERO. Zero cost? What a beautiful end to this story. What was this powerful secret? Surprisingly, this wasn't a "new" concept like all the gurus brag about with their brand new, super secret, monumental discoveries. No. Interesting enough, you've almost certainly seen the "component parts" of this system in other places. What made this idea so brilliant was to combine two existing traffic devices and add a "twist" -- and this powerful twist is where the super viral effect is born. Okay, it's almost redundant to say this but everyone knows that they should try to build a list of customers to be truly successful. But try this... The two "components" are a "tell a friend" program and an online contest. What? Is that all? Well try this on for size. Oh, I'll get to the "twist" in a second... Viral Marketing with a "Twist"
Start an online contest, drawing, etc.Let the contestants know that by entering the contest they're also subscribing to your publication.On the contest form, put a referral or tell a friend box where contestant can enter friends and business associates so that they will be sent an invitation to enter the contest.
But here comes the really good part... NOW we're going to add a "TWIST" to maximize your results.Let the contestant know that every person they refer to your contest, they will get an additional entry as well. This is part of the powerful twist. Second part of the twist: After they submit the form, give them a URL where they can check to see the "front runners" in the contest. These last two items are what makes this so powerful. You give your contestants an extra incentive to refer more and more of their friends and a way to track their standing in the contest. Do you see how this taps into your visitor's triggers of greed and competitive nature? Here's an example of a real contest:
http://contestofthecentury.marketingvault.net
If you take the time to set this up properly, you too may cause an avalanche of quality traffic and subscribers to your site. I can't say enough about the importance of putting this unused, yet lucrative marketing technique into action. This IS viral marketing with a powerful twist at its best. To get additional information on how you can create your own traffic tidal wave using this simple but brilliant super viral feeding contest. Send an e-mail to: viraltwist@kioskcities.com Do this before your competition jumps all over it. About The Author Floyd Tapia is an author, business consultant and Internet marketer. His critically acclaimed newsletter: The Tapia Report offers clear cut answers and provides the latest information on the Internet's newest and sometimes controversial marketing techiques. http://ultimatetrafficjam.com/tapia_report.html jvsecrets@safe-mail.net
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5. Don't be star-struck. If you are considering celebrity speakers, make sure they can speak! TV personalities do a great job on the air, but sometimes have little public speaking expertise, and you should be aware that the skills needed for being on TV and for speaking live are very different. However, many well-known personalities make excellent speakers and can add enormous value and clout to your event. Politicians and sports, media, or entertainment celebrities often share life experiences, offer advice, or have an inspirational message to impart.
6. Be wary of grandiose claims. Speakers who claim to be all things to all people are probably desperate for work. Avoid them. True professional speakers, on the other hand, usually have certain areas or topics of expertise. They would much rather refer potential business to a true expert than jeopardize their reputation by trying to do a program outside of their knowledge zone. Also, beware of the charismatic and fluffy speaker as your audience wants good, solid take-away value.
7. Provide and ask for good information. Reputable speakers want to find out as much as possible about the meeting objectives, the audience, industry challenges, and so on in order to tailor their presentation to the group. Share information on your organization and audience to help the speaker design a program to fit your specific needs. provide them with newsletters, catalogs, or any other publications that highlight industry trends, key people, industry jargon or buzz words, and insider news and views.
Also include as much information as possible about the size and demographics of the audience such as age, gender, and positions.
8. Ask for an outline. Ask prospective speakers for an outline of the presentation to make sure they will be covering the material as you discussed. This will clearly lay out what's expected as verbal communication is subject to being misunderstood or misinterpreted. Seeing exactly what speakers plan to cover in the sessions should help to ensure that the material is tailored to your specific needs.
9. Maximize opportunities. Look for ways to maximize opportunities with your speakers. Discuss different ways they can add extra value and be a significant resource to help improve your meeting's success. Brainstorm ways that you feel they can assist you in planning, preparing, promoting, and presenting. Some suggestions include serving as an emcee, conducting special sessions or roundtable discussions about current issues for select groups such as company executives or the board of directors, and participating in a spouse program.
10. Trust your instincts. Through your communication with the speaker, you will quickly form an opinion or have a feeling about this person. First reactions count here. "I like this person" or "I don't like this person," or "I feel comfortable or uncomfortable working with this person," are strong indicators. These responses usually comes from your gut - a very trustworthy organ. Have confidence in your instincts and trust that so-called sixth sense. If you experience any kind of negative feeling, think about looking for someone else or get another opinion from a colleague. You want to make sure that you can work with this person and that both of you are on the same wavelength.
The true objective of hiring a professional speaker hinges on establishing a partnership where a mutually beneficial relationship grows and flourishes. When this happens, you know you've chosen well.
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Overwhelmed with the plethora of speakers to choose from? You may want to turn to a speaker's bureau for advice and guidance. A good bureau should act as a consultant and partner to help your event succeed. Even though many hundreds of bureaus are out there, the numbers pale in comparison to the thousands of speakers. A bureau's sole purpose is simply to make your job easier and provide you with solutions. They want to find the best possible match for your event within your price range. So, where do go looking for one of these bureaus? Here are a few places to start your search: the phone book, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, the Internet, industry colleagues, and friends.
A Final Note:
Look for CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) or CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence) designations. Both these are conferred by the National Speakers Association and are considered the speaking profession's international measure of professional platform skill (http://www.nsaspeaker.org).
Armed with these guidelines and resources, your search for the perfect speaker will be more fruitful. And with a little effort and some time, you will connect with a speaker who will fulfill your goals- one that will be both inform and enlighten. Your audience will thank you.
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