Essential Skills You MUST Acquire Before Diving Headfirst into Online Event Promotions

Essential Skills You MUST Acquire Before Diving Headfirst into Online Event Promotions

Suppose someone told you that it was your job to host an online event... and you were starting tomorrow. Think you'd feel comfortable just taking the plunge? If you've never "done" mass web promotion, then you're justified in feeling skittish about saying yes to such a project. Even so: some of the best professional relationships have come of group projects like online career fairs, info-go-rounds, "invented holidays," and group creations and celebrations. Don't miss your chance to be noticed in your niche. :)

What might be a good online promotion to rally team spirit with your colleagues and snag some new buying prospects? An Online Marketers' Virtual Breakfast... a pet network "dog show" with prizes for the winners... a Family Day on your forum... basically anything that's worth celebrating in real-life is worth creating a fun-filled website that you can drive traffic to. Be creative! That was why you became an entrepreneur, right? To tap that marketing brain of yours.

(And while I'm talking about it, have I mentioned that my Ryze Network colleagues and I are getting ready to launch the First Annual Web Content Awareness Day on February 9, 2006? Well, we are and it's going to be a fun-filled day chock full of tips and advice that the new marketer can use to build an online biz. Visit http://WebContentAwarenessDay.com for more info.)

So, the idea of event marketing seems rather titillating... but you're not so sure you can hack it. Before you put your skills to the real-world test, run through this list to figure out whether you qualify as someone who can make an online promotion fly.

Essential Skills Needed Before Diving Headfirst into Online Event Promotions

Skill 1. Killer copywriting ability. You have experience writing web copy (and your copy provokes REACTIONS). Other alternative: your staff or freelance copywriter is going to manage the online event for you. Why do you need a copywriter? Because if you can't persuade people that this event will be the hit of the century, then you may as well cancel the plan, man...

Skill 2. Refined web design skills. Of course, you'll want your online event to generate profit. For that reason, the person who designs your website should not only be graphically advanced, but adept at setting up a shopping-cart type system where goods can be purchased. (Hey, what's a county fair without funnel cake sales, right?) You'll also need a subscriber box to collect email addresses... maybe a forum or guestbook... basically, a *real* designer will know how to add that fancy stuff that will make your Big Day interactive and fun.

Skill 3: People skills. Do you refer to yourself as the Hobbit, and live in a hole underground for most of the year? If you dread human contact, then you're going to be unpleasantly surprised when the tidal wave of emails and phone calls come flying in once your event "takes off." If this idea has you cowering in a corner gnawing your fingernails off, consider hiring a professional people person or opting for more low-profile activity on the web!

Skill 4: Integrated content assimilation. Internet marketers are fast on their feet. The best ones know that just ONE article can be leveraged for maximum content efficiency across multiple marketing venues and "refreshed" for instant reuse. The best marketers know how to take a few paragraphs and a couple of links and with a few tweaks give that tired old copy a new home and a new life on the web.

Skill 5: Networking Skills. This is the most fundamental requirement of online event launch. If you don't have a network within your niche that full of people who are receptive to this crazy scheme of yours, the event simply will not take off. Or maybe, it'll launch okay but you'll make a little ripple when you could have made a bowling-ball-in-a-lake kinda splash. If your network members are close comrades, you can work out barter arrangements or alternative payment options (example, a percentage of the profits).

That covers it- the five essential must-haves for an online event promoter. If you've got it, go for it. If not... well, there's always next year. Just keep honing those skills and you'll get where you need to be for sure. :)

Want to witness event planning live in action? Please join me and my marketing friends for the First Annual Web Content Awareness Day, scheduled to launch on February 9, 2006 at http://WebContentAwarenessDay.com.

Sneak Peek: Visit the Countdown to Web Content Awareness Day Blog and learn how you can ride our wave of high web traffic!

Paste in this link:

http://wordfeeder.typepad.com/web_content_awareness_day/