This document provides information about creating a record-breaking virtual event. It discusses tips for setting goals, naming and positioning the event, focusing on quality content, using multi-channel promotion strategies, keeping attendees engaged during the event, and continuing engagement after the event. Specific strategies from a past successful virtual event hosted by InsideSales.com are presented, including acquiring high-profile speakers, developing core content, and ensuring technical best practices. The event generated over 15,000 registrants in 3 weeks through collaborative partnerships and promotion.

2. Creating a RecordBreaking Virtual Event
Heidi Bullock & Ken Krogue
September 19, 2013

3. What is a virtual event?

4. Boss Justification

5. Some Stats
51.1%
19%
17.8%
8.9%

6. Getting Started – The Basics
1.
2.
3.
4.
Outline your strategy
Choose date and time
Choose vendor
Assign booth and session
management
5. Create agenda
6. Create or choose content for
booth
7. Acquire sponsors and speakers
8. Determine promotion schedule
9. Choose look and feel
10. Event go-live
11. Post event promotion
12. Post event archived environment
access

7. Look and Feel

8. Booth and Exhibit Hall Content

9. Case Study: Good to Great

10. The Results

11. Tip 1: Set Goals Upfront
Pre-Event:
Engagement
# registrations
What is your
goal?
During Event:
# attendees
# booth visits,
# asset
downloads
Post-Event:
# downloads
on slides - on
follow up
email
Jan
Feb
Feb
Leads ->
Opportunities
15
Apr
May
3 closed won
deals
Jun

12. Tip 2: Naming and Positioning
1. Why would someone want to attend?
a. To become a better marketer
2. What feeling do you want someone to have?
a. Strength, sense of community, empowered
3. What is the 1-2 things they should recall?
a. Marketo offers LaunchPoint as part of the Marketing
Nation – (so marketers can plug into a powerful network
of ideas, experts, and integrated solutions)

13. Tip 3: Content is a Big Deal

14. Tip 3: Content
1. What does your target audience want to learn about?
2. Where are your core competencies? Bring in other speakers who have other
expertise.
3. What is NEW or different about what you are saying?
4. How can you convey your key messages in a digestible format?

15. Tip 4: Multi-Channel Promotion
I only like getting
information in one way
because I’m flat!
Tweetable Tip:
Use multi-channel promotion – your audience is not flat Stanley

16. Tip 4: Multi-Channel Promotion
EMAIL CAMPAIGN
Initial Promotion - Database:
Press Release – 3 weeks
before + email 1
T-2 weeks email 2
T-1 weeks email 3
2 days before, email 4 (final)
Tweetable Tip:
The majority of registrations
happen within days of the event!

17. Tip 4: Multi-Channel Promotion
SOCIAL CAMPAIGN
Social Promotion:
Promoted FB posts
Twitter
Internal social promotion
Referral campaign
Tweetable Tip:
Embed social media links on landing pages, enabling registrants
to share your event.

18. Tip 4: Multi-Channel Promotion
PROMOTION FROM PARTNERS
Tweetable Tip:
Leverage your partners and speaker networks to help promote your
event!

19. Tip 5: Love 'Em or Lose 'Em
We’re outta here!
You need to engage your audience:
• Think about branding and graphics
• Good speakers with great slides!
• How can they interact?
• Consider giveaways or prizes

20. Tip 6: Keep it Alive!

21. Marketo Example: Post-Event Content
Tweetable Tip:
Consider making an eBook from your keynote presentation!

22. Tweetable Takeaways
1. Define what ‘success’ looks like upfront.
2. A good name and strong positioning
matter.
3. Content is a big deal – make sure you think
about your audience and what is
interesting to THEM.
4. Use multi-channel promotion – your
audience is not flat Stanley.
5. Love ‘em or lose em’ – keep your audience
engaged during the event!
6. Keep breathing life into your event even
after it is over.
@heidi.bullock

23. Creating a Record-Breaking
Virtual Event
Ken Krogue
President & Founder InsideSales.com
Optional
Headshot
Here

24. Trade Show Plaza

25. Inside Sales Growth - 2009
0.5%
7.5%
Original 2009 Market Size Study

26. Millions
Inside Sales Growth - 2013
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1.3%
3.9%
2011
2012
Outside Sales
2013
2020
Inside Sales
BLS.gov & 2013 Market Size Study

27. Outside vs Inside vs Retail Sales
70%
60.4%
59.8%
60%
60.2%
60.0%
50%
40%
30%
20%
19.8% 20.4%
19.1%20.5%
18.8%21.0%
18.9%21.1%
2011
2012
2013
2014
10%
0%
Outside
Inside
Retail

28. US Growth of Inside Sales
Non-Retail Inside Sales Reps
(thousands)
3000
2,202
2000
2,551 2,594 2,636
2,424 2,466 2,509
2,339 2,381
1,974 1,968
1000
42,400 New Inside
Sales Reps Per Year
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

29. Riding the Trends…
“Inside Sales = Remote Sales …
Professional Sales Done Remotely”
Virtual Events = Remote Events?
Trade Shows Done Remotely?

30. Sales Superstars

31. Speakers

32. With 11 Authors
Matt Dixon
Tim Ash
Mike Bosworth
Dave Hibbard
Guy Kawasaki
Aaron Ross
Jill Konrath
Kraig Kleeman
Sam Richter
Jeffery Gitomer

33. Tradeshow Rules

34. Matt Dixon – The Challenger Sale

35. Jeffery Gitomer – 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling

36. Josh James - Domo

37. Guy Kawasaki – Google Mobility

38. Jill Konrath – SNAP Selling

39. Mike Bosworth – Solution Selling

40. Bob Perkins & Larry Reeves - AA-ISP

41. Biggest Training Company in the World

42. Pulling Together a Global Summit
Craig Elias
Jill Konrath
Matt Heinz
Tim Ash
Dave
Elkington
Josh James
Lori Richardson
Liz Gelb-O’Connor
Matt Dixon
Mick Hollison
3 Weeks
62 Speakers
15,000+ Registrants
Kraig Kleeman

43. Ken’s Bookshelf

44. Chad Burmeister - ON24

45. InsideSales.com

47. Outside vs Inside vs Retail Sales
70%
60.4%
59.8%
60%
60.2%
60.0%
50%
40%
30%
20%
19.8% 20.4%
19.1%20.5%
18.8%21.0%
18.9%21.1%
2011
2012
2013
2014
10%
0%
Outside
Inside
Retail

48. Great Content, Research
2013 LeadsCon
ResponseAudit
2013 Distance
Education
ResponseAudit
2013 Top Sales
Challenges Survey
2013 Inside Sales
Market Size Survey
2012 Dreamforce
ResponseAudit
2013 Lead Gen
Methodologies

49. Dr. James Oldroyd

50. Harvard Business Review
Kristina McElheran
Harvard Business School

51. Generating Real Content

52. The Core Content Model

53. Virtual Event Best Practices
1. Last Minute Scheduling
2. Collaborative Marketing
3. Partner Packets – Make it easy
4. Pre-Recording
5. Presentation Coaching
6. Introductions: Live and on-demand
7. Bandwidth redundancy
8. 2 deep teams
9. Core Content Model
10. Attention to details: Background noise
11. Make it fun! (Gamification)

54. Promotion Kit – Make it Easy
Jill Konrath: Partner Promotion Kit
Inside Sales Virtual Summit
June 20, 2013
•
•
•
•
•
Event Details
Email Templates
Suggested Social Promotional Calendar
Press Release Template
Graphics/Banner

64. Presentation Coaching

66. David K. Williams - Fishbowl

69. Virtual Events are very different…

70. Guy Kawasaki’s Thoughts…
“There is no way that you
can get 62 speakers of
this caliber in one day ...
I love this idea.”
“This is a greener way.”
“Not having to get on an
airplane is everything.”

71. Lars Leckie – Hummer Winblad

72. “Normal People
Don’t Make
History!”

73. Thank You!
Visit the InsideSales.com booth to see the
PowerDialer sales communication platform.