67 - Tip Tuesday - Telesummits (aka Virtual Summits) 101
I have to say Jason Miller is probably one of the most inspiring and uplifting guys I've ever met, and he's crazy smart to boot! Jason's company Peaceful Media helps entrepreneurs with a slew of services from branding to websites and everything in-between. When I found out they help with setting up telesummits, I had to bring him on.
In this episode we break down how they work, and why they can be such an incredible offering for your business.
What is a virtual summit, and how does it help build your business? A virtual summit/telesummit is just like having experts over at your home and interviewing them. They can tell you their best advice around a specific topic. You then can have people listen to those interviews and expertise. The way a virtual summit works that instead of it being in your 'home', you're doing it online. Because of that 'venue' change the entire world can participate. You can then have the interviews every day throughout a certain amount of time, and offer the recordings of this summit.
You really just pick a topic that you care about, and that you know your audience would care about. You then invite those people to attend.
What do you need technically to start a summit? Go out and record interviews with experts. You can use any sort of basic recording software and plug-ins to record either video or audio interviews. Then for the people who can come and watch the interviews, they feel like they're right there and participating.
You then need a page where people can register by sharing their email information. Then you need a place where you can send the people the interview information (for when they go live).
Jason's advice for going live vs. recording, that although there is something magically about the 'raw' side of things, it's a lot of logistical work. The ones that he has been involved with, have been interviews conducted with a just a free conference line. Then they post those calls during set times.
You just need to be able to post that recording to a page that's not accessible to everyone (only those people who have opted in to your list). It can be something like a membership site to create more privacy.
What's the business model behind a summit? You typically offer the initial recordings for free, and then you can offer a paid option where they have the recordings available forever.
What's the usual model of getting the participants to promote and participate? This is the one of the biggest challenges of your summit. The first is the technical perspective because you'll be surprised to see how many people are challenged by it.
The second challenge is getting the right speakers. You want them to be able to market to their list. You usually set this up by using it as an affiliate program. Where they get a specific cut of the people they're bringing into the summit. You just need to be able to track who has sent the lead, and which leads ultimately purchased the summit. It's the whole rule of 80/20 that really tends to apply here. You'll find that about 80% of the money coming in, comes from 20% of your participants.
What are some tips and tricks for the ask? The ask comes way before the ask. The relationship has been built way before this ask. Of course you're not going to have time to sit down with everyone, but it's always easier to get those people on board when they know you. Also come up with an amazing mission that people want to get involved with. The mission needs to be super clear and speaks to someone's heart.
The other piece of advice is to make things as easy as possible. These people are busy, and if they see a name that they recognize as a peer or someone they follow and watch. Use those names to leverage someone else coming aboard. Start with low hanging fruit and then work your way up, always leveraging the bigger names you have.
Remember this is a lot of work. Jason recommends putting a lot of time and space into this so you're not crushed by the work that it becomes. If you've strategically put in a sequence behind the summit where people can go into a much deeper experience of your offering.
Jason's company is: Peaceful Media and you can connect on Facebook at: Peaceful Media's Facebook Page
More About Jason:
Jason Alan Miller -- affectionately known as “JAM” -- is an idealist who believes the combination of presence and enthusiasm is the magical magnet of success.
He is the co-founder of Peaceful Media -- a high-end digital communications agency with 25 wonder-talents in Portland, Oregon. His role and title is “Chief of Optimism”.
In his early 20s, as a single bachelor, Jason co-created a book and documentary film about what makes marriages last. This garnered 250+ interviews with America’s greatest couples, publishing by Simon & Schuster, Television show deals and appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah & Friends and CNN, and so many more.
But by far the best highlights were:
1. Watching his best friend and co-author’s 90-year-old grandmother, Dorothy (the inspiration for the journey), find a reason for living after her soulmate of 65+ years passed away.
2. Watching his own heart evolve as he found his own everlasting love story.
3. Watching his marketing eye successfully merge with his spiritual interests to manifest a world-class, difference-making brand, Peaceful Media.
Jason,his wife, and black lab (JazzyBear) currently live, garden and happy dance together in Portland, Oregon, the shangri la of America.