I recently signed up for a multi-week telesummit. That’s where one speaker speaks once a week over 6, 8 or 12 weeks.
Just to be clear, a multi-week telesummit features Sally the Expert on Week 1. Week 2 is Paul the Guru. Week 3 is Joel the Teacher. And so on. All part of the same series.
The only thing that’s consistent is the person facilitating the calls and the day/time they’re held (maybe every Tuesday at 8pm for the next 12 Tuesdays or every Friday at 12pm for the next 6 Fridays).
Here’s the problem with this model…
Fatigue sets in.
The host gets tired. The host’s assistant gets tired. Attendees get tired. Speakers get tired. People’s inboxes get tired.
Here’s the second problem with this model…
Excitement wanes. The honeymoon has disappeared. It’s time for a virtual event divorce.
And here’s the biggest problem of all…
When fatigue and boredom sets in, there’s no hope that the virtual event host will be able to move this audience further into his or her funnel.
You won’t be able to convince this audience to purchase the next program in your funnel. You won’t. No matter how good it is, no matter how cheap it is, no matter how many promote it on your behalf, you’ve sent the message that your brand is a snooze.
The message you’ve sent to attendees who registered for your multi-week telesummit is that you’re good at boring people.
Forget the sleeping pills. You’re the cure for insomnia.
The best way to excite your telesummit audience is to create an experience – QUICKLY.
Not weekly over 6-weeks. Not weekly over 12-weeks. Do it 2 or 3 times a day over 3, 4 or 5 consecutive days.
It’s all about the experience. And speed. If it’s virtual, make it fun. If it’s virtual, make it fast.
Hosting a virtual event is your stage. It’s a way to showcase your brand and your personality to a wider audience. Don’t mess up this opportunity hosting a multi-week telesummit.
Don’t do it.
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Good advice Leesa.
Especially snoozy are the 3 week versions, ie every day for 3 weeks. As an audience member, 3-5 days is nice. The only notable exception I’ve seen work is Armand Morin’s long series of preview calls for The Big Seminar (which alas is no more) but you can’t really call that a Telesummit.
Thanks for keeping it real.
Tsufit
Author, Step Into The Spotlight!
Very Interesting discussion. I agree, too much of the same! I think we will see some major changes in the next few years and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if YOU will be leading that change. Go…Leesa!
I recently listened to the Soulmate Summit and also the Tipping Summit 2011. I bought the 2nd one with an intention to buy the first one by the deadline. Very focused on getting the results they offered. I cleared my calendar to attend. Am i in the minority?
Oh, I missed the Soulmate Summit. I signed up, but never got any email reminders.
Are you in the minority, Farrell. Depends. I’ve worked with clients who target niche audiences and they get 100+ paying attendees. Or, if it’s a niche topic, then it could fill. Or, if you’re brand new to the telesummit format, then you’ll be excited.
I will say that anyone who says that they want to produce a six figure success marketing or business summit, good luck. That’s been DONE to death.
I was attending a tele summit a couple of weeks ago, which had many speakers over 2 weeks. I liked the first week, but never went to listen to any class the second week. It was just too much effort, and I had to get back to work after loosing valuable hours in the tele summit one week already. You are right Leesa, even though the content was very valuable, more than 1 week is just a stretch. 🙂
There you go. Fatigue. Crunch it into a week if you can.
Wow. Juicy stuff. Leesa, you stand for clarity, huge expertise, and generosity with all you know and see. So true about the 1-2 week sprint for most of us; even when I’m a guest expert this approach captures my attention and encourages me to listen in my peers and to build relationships with them. In my experience, this “event” approach works really well for “credibility-building” and “preview” promotions too. There’s more of a hook and a sense of being at the same party.
Two experiences to share: 1) I had a fantastic time participating in a telesummit last year that had a kick-off event featuring a virtual round-table of presenters. It set a great mood, stirred the pot for some nice buzz and interaction, and it was a great benefit for the presenters (to Nancy’s point) who got to meet each other outside of social media Tweets and blog comments. 2) I like telesummits that offer simple but useful tools and resources for participants (perhaps downloads from the website) that have lasting value separate from product promotions. I truly believe, and have experienced, that this model leads to buyers, clients, fans, and good will.
Leesa, am I on the right track with what you’ve seen and teach?
Oh, Janet, your comment is spurring on another blog post re: generosity. And I believe that’s what’s at the core of these multi-week telesummits – generosity of content. But as you point out, what’s of more value is making handouts available and providing a spot for attendees and speakers to hang out.
This speaks to Seth Godin’s concept that he shares in Tribes which is to create a movement. Create a place where people can connect. This should be the motivation of virtual event host. Not the money. Not the list building. Not the product creation. It’s the community creation. If attendees feel a sense of belonging to your telesummit, they’ll be more loyal and more fanatical about your and your products.
Oh my, see what you did, Janet? I’ve got to put this in a blog post.
I so agree with this. The worst is when in the first weeks you get some great advice and content and then the other weeks all of a sudden it’s marketing pitch after marketing pitch, without much value. What’s up with that? lol, especially when you pay good money for the event attendence.
The other problem is having calls on different days and different times over weeks. Putting all these times in your diary can be a major inconvenience. If you can book the seminars in a recurring appointment is quicker, so I would recommend that.
I actually like it when every morning there are one or two seesions for a few continous days, like five days. I feel I learn more and also stay interested.
That’s a recipe for disaster. When you produce a virtual event, make sure it falls on the same day and times. It’s easier to schedule it as a recurring event in my calendar.
Love the terrific insights you continue to share, Lisa. Your point here is wise, yet I have an important question.
I lead a 10-week teleclass (like a summit but limited to 4-8 participants so that it can stay very interactive): http://www.dreams.ca/teleclass.pdf
The material in this teleclass takes time to integrate (minumum 8-10 weeks), so any suggestions on how to avoid the waning interest problem you point out and yet offer a format where people can actually try exercises each week that need to occur in an organic way over multiple weeks, as the experiences do with creative dreaming skills such as what I teach?
Thanks,
Craig
If what you’re hosting is a telecourse, where you’re the sole teacher following a syllabus, then this advice doesn’t apply. Attendees (or students in your case) truly understand that they’re investing in a course.
The tragedy is when there’s a parade of speakers over 3-months with no clear theme that binds the sessions together.
Perfect timing for me. I am planning a virtual event and was going to go for a two week one but reading this makes perfect sense now!
Yes, LaTara! You’ll get more people participating in your virtual event if you jam everything into the first week.
Thank you so much Leesa for this insightful post. I feel like I’m already learning a lot about putting on virtual events and I haven’t even been able to take the class yet. Keep up the good work.
Keep reading, DeAnna. You’ll learn quite a bit through observations, but there comes a point when you have to invest in a program to accelerate your success. You can wait 3-more years for a five figure payment from your virtual event or you can do it in 90-days. Up to you. Whatever you choose, I’m glad you’re learning some of the best practices when it comes to virtual events. Yay!
It seems that time has been stretched – so 12 weeks seems like 6 months. Thanks for your insight on the ideal length and frequency for a telesummit – sprints, not marathons.
Oh, love that, Dulcita. Probably one of the few marketing strategies that’s allowed to be a sprint. I could rename this blog post to “Yes, it’s a Sprint, Not a Marathon.” I’ll definitely give credit to you, Dulcita.
Oh I hear ya! And once you sign up, by week 14 you totally lose interest in what’s going on.
So I have a question for you, and maybe you’ve addressed it in a previous post or maybe this can be inspiration for a future post:
Ultimately, who’s job is it to fill a virtual event?
I understand that a telesummit is a list building strategy for many, but what I’m seeing is that event hosts are putting too much pressure on their guests to fill the event. When I go speak at an in-person event, I don’t get hassled by the host for not bringing X number of people in the door. They’re happy I can provide great content for their audience, we see it as a win win win.
Seems like the virtual events have more pressure on their speakers… like you’re suddenly committed beyond your presentation.
Your thoughts?
Oh, juicy, juicy points, Nancy.
Ultimately, it’s up to the virtual event host to fill their virtual event. After setting up countless virtual events over the past 4-years, only 10% of speakers will actively promote speaking at the host’s virtual event.
Just like in your example, Nancy, non-virtual event hosts don’t have a look of disappointment in their eyes because you came to the event you’re speaking at without an entourage of “referrals.”
That’s why pressuring speakers to fill a virtual event is such a poor strategy. Doing so only helps to create an atmosphere of mistrust and dislike. The speaker walks away saying “I’ll never work with that person EVER again.”
The marketing tookit for a virtual event is based on these 6 tools. I’ve used them over and over to help me & my clients produce five figure virtual events AFTER expenses.
1 – Direct Mail – You’d be surprised how beautifully this works.
2 – Preview Calls – If you must give away something for free, do so through 2 or 3 preview calls. Do NOT give away your whole telesummit for free. Terrible strategy.
3 – Social Media – This works nicely.
4 – Joint Venture Partners – Not just your speakers, but existing affiliates and other experts.
5 – Email Blasts – They still work and there’s a specific strategy to get people to open your emails.
6 – Attractive Sales Page – This is an absolute MUST and with all the plug-n-play solutions out there, there’s just no excuse to produce an attractive sales page.
So, my advice to those hosting virtual events is to use all 6 strategies above. Stop pressuring your speakers.
How’s that, Nancy?
Amen and Hallelujah!
I’m so glad it’s not just me feeling cranky about this but REALLY goes back to the event organizers.
thanks so much!
Yes, virtual event organizers and hosts really need to understand that the responsibility is on them to fill their virtual event – not the speakers. Diversify your marketing strategy and you’ll reap the results.
Very interesting….what do you guys think about the fact that many marketing gurus are teaching people to host these events as a way to not only build their lists, but also their credibility by giving them social proof and positioning them as an expert in whatever field their event is about?
I think that’s the main reason these types of events have become so popular with internet marketers. But I also think that the audiences are getting ‘telesummit-fatigue’.
In your experience Leesa, has it become harder for folks to sell tickets to these events? Have you found that the expectation is that these events be free…or at least for a period of time after the call?
Can’t wait to hear what your experience has been!
Through conversations with those who have hosted telesummits, the ones who are suffering are the ones offering their virtual event for free. They sheepishly tell me that their virtual summit did “ok,” and when I ask for numbers, it’s quite low – both from a list building standpoint and from a live attendance standpoint.
I love telesummits and virtual events, however, it’s not the strategy that’s the problem. It’s the people running it. Telesummit-fatigue has set in, not because people dislike telesummits, but because there’s a lack of innovation in this area.