Yep, it’s the hottest show on TV right now, MTV’s Jersey Shore. It is one of those guilty pleasure shows where everyone claims to hate it and think it’s stupid yet they all watch it endlessly and never miss an episode. Don’t worry, you are not alone, I have watched it and while it is not my cup of tea, I can see why people like it, it is entertaining. That said, I have also never be so overwhelmed with emails inquiring about booking various Jersey Shore cast members for everything from nightclubs to car dealerships and just about anything in between. It has been crazy and a lot of fun. Granted, these cast members are not likely to have a long career, but everyone gets their 15 minutes, and I think they may get just a bit longer. There is a marketing lesson here as well, Get Hot and Stay Hot. Search for my post on how to get hot become the buzz in your market.
P.S. If you would like to book a Jersey Shore cast member for your event, convention, venue and more, go to my website and send me an email and I will provide the full details on how to bring Mike the Situation, Snooki or other cast members. Because seriously, who doesn’t love a fist pump from a tanned reality TV star?!
In this video, David Meerman Scott talks to meeting planners about how to use social media to get more leads and ultimately more business. Whether you work at a hotel or run an event company, there is some useful advice here. Hope it helps.
Today we interview Carrie Ferenac of Convention News Television. She has some great insights into video marketing and how to use it. Enjoy it and check out her website below. She is a great friend of mine and her company is worth taking a look at, trust me.
1. Why is video and video marketing so important in today’s event marketplace?
Videos can be used to promote events, deliver important information, and provide a green solution to sponsorship challenges. These are all issues facing those of us in the meetings industry today. First, promoting events. We all know that attendance is the lifeline of an event, and it’s important to recruit attendees months in advance. Imagine reading about an upcoming convention, and seeing quotes from past attendees. Now imagine seeing video of that event with music and graphics, hearing your peers talk about the value of the event, and watching a personal invitation from the president of the association. Moving pictures, live interviews, and natural sound are more engaging than written text and still pictures. Second, delivering information. No matter how hard you try, there will always be people who simply can’t attend the annual meeting, but they still need to know the information being delivered. By producing video news headlines, and distributing them online, organizations can now offer a new member benefit. The video headlines deliver information and establish the organization as a leader in the industry. Finally, offering new sponsorship opportunities. Imagine offering your exhibitors something to sponsor that is new, green, and reaches their target audience immediately. Video headlines can do just that. An exhibitors message can be added to daily videos to be posted online, emailed to the database, and distributed via social media networks. Suddenly, their message is reaching more people than just those who pick up a show daily, or see the printed show program. Videos create a new brand, and a new buzz for organizations. As an example: we worked with a trade publication in the aviation industry to create a new brand for their organization. Aviation International News now also provides AINtv. (www.AINtv.com). We have mic flags, commercials, and graphics all emphasizing the brand, and companies advertise within the daily headlines. It’s a way for exhibitors to reach customers beyond those who attend, and it’s greener than print advertising.
2. What makes your company different from other video marketing companies?
At CNTV, the company’s DNA is news. I was a newscast producer, and then the Executive Producer at WESH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Orlando for twelve years. My business partner was a videographer and editor for both Univision and FOX. We hire former news anchors, reporters, producers and videographers. We know how to cover news and tell stories efficiently and quickly. That background translates into more complete content for our clients. We don’t just show people having a good time at a convention. Instead, we deliver important information, address industry trends, and provide one-on-one interviews with industry leaders. The client becomes our News Director, so we are an extension of their marketing department.
3. How can events, associations and more use video in their efforts to attract more attendees and sponsors?
Organizations can use attendance-building promotional videos to encourage members to attend events. High-energy videos with pictures, music, graphics and direct messages from industry leaders and peers can be much more convincing than still pictures on a website. We deliver specific reasons for people to attend the event, and embed a link to the registration page directly into the video, which simplifies the process. By providing video coverage at an event, organizers also give their exhibitors something new to sponsor. The opportunities include commercials embedded into the video, advertorials, links to sponsor website, featured in-depth interviews and banner ads around the video player. If the videos are emailed to the organizer’s database, the sponsor extends his/her reach far beyond the people attending the show. Now, their message can be heard by a world-wide audience when it lands in their in-box. The video sponsorships are also greener than print ads. At this year’s PCMA Convening Leaders, they dramatically reduced the size of their show schedule and program to cut down on paper waste. That created a need to find new ways for sponsors to deliver their message. How did they do it? Video on plasma screens. By creating PCMA-TV, the organization now offers sponsors a new, and greener way to advertise.
This week we have rock duo Hall and Oates. They were 80’s icons and are still rockin it today. We all know their hits when they come on the radio. They are perfect for a slightly older audience at trade shows, annual conferences, and more. To book Hall and Oates for your next event or for more info, go to my website below and contact me.
You may remember this hit, don’t lie, you know you do.
1. Island - You are marooned on a island. What five (you can use a different number, such as seven, depending upon the size of each team) items would you have brought with you if you knew there was a chance that you might be stranded. Note that they are only allowed five items per team, not per person. You can have them write their items on a flip chart and discuss and defend their choices with the whole group. This activity helps them to learn about other’s values and problem solving styles and promotes teamwork.
2. Magic - You have just found a magic wand that allows you to change three work related activities. You can change anything you want. How would you change yourself, your job, your boss, coworkers, an important project, etc…? Have them discuss why it is important to make the change. Another variation is to have them discuss what they would change if they become the boss for a month. This activity helps them to learn about others’ desires and frustrations.
1. Call your local radio station or local TV news network and make a pitch for an ongoing teaching series about how to put together great social events and/or business events. You would be the host and this positions you as an expert and gives you instant credibility. Each series would focus on a different topic in regards to planning an event.
2. Instead of giving out sales brochures to customers who ask for information about you and your company, give them educational material that they will keep. Give free tips, expert advice and more. This kind of information will not go into the trash and when they do need your services, they will know just who to call.
3. Find out your customer’s birthdays when you first start doing business with them. When the time comes, make a phone call to wish them a happy birthday. This goes a long way, since almost no one does it anymore. Do not make it a sales pitch, just a courtesy call to show you care. It will pay off in the long run and deepen your relationship beyond business.
4. Call a local community college and ask if they have interns looking to get experience in event and meeting planning. Students can be a great source of energy, help and more, and best of all they are free.
This week we have old school singer Michael Buble. Michael is perfect for corporate events, conferences and more because of his Sinatra style performances and clean classy image. Check it out.
To book Michael for your event or for more info, go to my website and contact me.
New Years Eve is certainly a busy time for us with a large number of events going on, however this year we saw a bunch of hotels booking big name celebrities for their New Years Eve parties to draw guests who can stay over and drink. If you do your homework, the payoff can be huge. Below is an article that illustrates this point perfectly. However, keep in mind, booking a big name doesn’t just work for New Years, you can do it for Christmas, Halloween, and other holidays. It’s like I always say, nothing can draw people like a celebrity.
If you did not make it to Salt Lake City for MPI’s annual conference, then you missed out on some great fun. That said, Grand Dynamics has put together this video of tips for meeting planners during the conference. There is some great stuff to learn here.
