Influential Marketing Blog

How To Live Blog (Or Twitter) An Event Effectively

Photo Credit: Josh Hallett (hyku)

There are two types of content creators at any event. The ones who are creating content because they want to, and those who are creating content because they have to (often because they have been sent to "cover" the event for a team or organization). For both, the toughest question to answer is how to do this in a way that results in quality content, but also doesn't detract from your experience of actually being at an event and participating in it. This post is about a few tips and ideas that should help you deal with that challenge based on what I've learned from attending dozens of events and watching how hundreds of people create content:

1. Have a purpose. Creating content in a live context can be a great traffic driver to your site, or a brilliant way to connect with those who are sharing ideas and will be reading your efforts soon. Before you get into it, however, make sure you know what you want to get out of it. Are you trying to educate colleagues? Drive more visitors to your site? Have a goal before you start.
2. Focus on the 1st take. In a real time environment, you don't have time to touch up a photo in photoshop or edit a video. A blog post must be 95% right the first time you write it. Speed is the toughest part of covering an event live - and the best way to manage it is to practice getting things right on the first take so you don't have to go back and fix them.
3. Create realistic targets. Do NOT ever think that you can live blog every session you attend and pack your day. That's the surest way to give yourself a major headache and feelings of inadequacy. Even pro bloggers who are covering events professionally take breaks - and your goal should be to share great content, not a high volume of crappy content.
   
4. Publish nuggets, not manifestos. Think about this - real time means you need to get content up and out quickly. Using shorter content sharing quick thoughts is much better for this. So save the big ideas for a recap post or something that comes later and focus on speed in the short term. Twitter is great for this as well - but don't just tweet everything a speaker says. Instead, focus on finding the best soundbites. And always tag your content with the hashtag (keyword) being used by people at the event (or create one if one does not exist).
   
5. Have a point of view. Speed doesn't mean lack of substance, however. The worst kind of content to come out of events is where people share what is happening on stage in a word for word "book report style" format. Most social media events already have someone assigned to do that. And trust me, you don't want to be "that guy (or girl)." Always have a point of view on what is happening on stage.
6. Share the real pulse of the event. Often the most interesting thing about an event isn't just what people say, but the intangibles about the event. Did everyone head back to their hotel rooms during the breaks or were they networking? What sessions were the most popular? Keep your eye out for broader trends that help you to understand the vibe and pulse of the event on a greater level.
7. Offer an insider perspective. Being an attendee or speaker at an event gives you a unique insider view of what is happening. If you can, try to share as much of that experience online as you can. Remember, the people following live are most likely those who were interested in the event but could not make it themselves, so give them a good look inside the event.
8. Get help on content promotion. Creating content from an event in real time is complicated enough, but you will probably find yourself simply running out to time when it comes to effectively promoting all the content you're creating. So get some help to submit your posts to Digg and other sites, or to point people to some of your content. Promotion is great real time, but it's most effective if you can split the duties.
   
9. Represent the virtual attendees. When you find yourself with an audience following your content in a live fashion, you have the option to be their representative at an event. This means you could poll your audience and ask a question in a session on their behalf - or ask others to follow up directly with those individuals as well. Be their voice and they will thank you for it.
10. Do a recap. No matter how many posts or tweets you get out during an event, always do a recap of the event and what you learned as part of your effort. Often, you'll find this post lets you talk about things you just didn't have time to during the event. And it will most probably be your most visited effort from the entire event.
    

5 Provocative Questions In Digital Advocacy From Changemakers

On Friday last week I had a chance to attend a "charrette-style" unconference called Changemakers put on by the University of California - Santa Barbara and their Center for Information Technology and Society. The attendees included people from the Sierra Club, MoveOn.org, Deloitte, Stanford, and thinkers like my friend and fellow Zero G buddy Doc Searls and organizer Dave Toole from OutThink. The day was focused on digital advocacy and the role of social media in furthering cause based communications.

As is sometimes the case with more discussion based conferences, I found the day raised more provocative questions than it answered. Sometimes it is the questions, however, that lead to the newest thinking, so I thought for a recap post I would share some of the biggest questions to arise in the hopes that they may spark a wider discussion:

Q - Does conversation online cause more noise than action?
A - This was the big question that came up early in the event and judging from a few responses to the question I saw over Twitter people feel pretty strongly about the relationships between the two. For my part, I think that conversations do play an important role in sparking action, even though it may sometimes be difficult to attribute some of that action directly back to the right people.

Q - Is an effort successful if it achieves it's aim, but without your getting credit for it?
A - Perhaps at the heart of this question is one of belief. Do you believe so strongly in the cause that you want it to succeed at any cost, or is the credit and visibility for yourself and your organization as important. This, I think, will continue to be a key question as we deal with the rise of the "blego" (blog ego) and newly minted online superstars every hour.

Q - What if our demographic doesn't use computers or social media?
I see this point coming up often in meetings both related to digital advocacy as well as campaigns in other industries - often targeted at older audiences. It is something of a false question, because often it is based on an assumption that simply doesn't hold true about how many people in that group are actually online. This is one of the fastest growing segments online and will likely continue to be in the coming years.

Q - How can the leadership of a community authentically claim to speak for a group?
This was a common question that came up from those who had organized groups online and now wanted to be sure that they were, as an organization, accurately reflecting viewpoints of those in the group. My advice on this point was to be sure that you were looking at whether a group was formed by affinity or demographic before making assumptions. A group of college students who are in the same graduating class may not believe in the same causes. If they have gathered to support an issue, however, then you can more easily speak for the group.

Q - What causes must be institutionalized and cannot be furthered by individuals?
One particularly eye opening moment for me at the event was when the conversation turned to causes where people affected by them cannot mobilize on their own. One example of this is homelessness, which required a coordinated effort in order to attack it. It also is an important reminder that no single strategy can work for every cause.

What do you think about these questions? Any big ones you would add?

SXSW 2009: A Recap Of Marketing Secrets

Secrets in marketing work. We all know it intuitively, each time we see a mystery URL we can't help but click on, or hear about a secret VIP deal or special event that most people don't know about. There is a powerful human impulse that makes us want to be part of the exclusive group that knows a secret. So on Monday at SXSW 2009, Kaitlyn and I hosted a discussion all about using secrets for marketing (called Curiosity Marketing). In our packed room (we had about 100 people spread out across the chairs on the wall and sitting on the floor). In case you were one of the ones that made it (or one of the 20 or so I heard were stuck outside), please Rate The Session: http://rate.sxsw.com/sessions/?date=2009-03-16 (and whether you liked it or hated it, at least tell them we need a bigger room next year!)

Our conversation, though, was a great collection of thoughts from people in the room of secrets they have seen out there, ideas for using secrets, and some necessary conversation about the role of authenticity and potential for misleading people with this approach. It is tough to capture a session as interactive as that in a blog post, but we spent most of our time sharing a long list of examples we have all seen of secrets in marketing  So, without further ado, here is the list:

• SecretSXSW: We talked about the story behind this secret site launched before the panel to demonstrate the idea of using secrets for marketing - it's a compilation of all the special offers, discounts and freebies from SXSW.
• Konami Code: A secret code used in several video games to allow cheating or extra lives.
  
• Google's Gmail Launch: Created exclusivity by limiting the number of invites that were available.  
• Toy Makers: Manufacturered scarcity, like Tickle Me Elmo.  Doing this around the holiday will drive up sales for the rest of the year for birthday and special occasions.
• Cadbury Cream Eggs: Are only offered around Easter, they tried making them available year round and net sales actually dropped.  
• AmEx Black: Offered only to those who charge a certain amount each month, it's exclusive and was secret before the internet made knowledge of it more widely available.
• Repressed Knowledge: Used commonly in broadcast, "What ____ doesn't want you to know, at 11:00pm"
• Cracker Jack: There's a secret inside every box, and you know it - but you don't know WHAT it is.
• Apple: Uses secrecy around new product launches that generates a frenzy.
• Intel: Has included inside jokes just for IT managers in communications
• Mini Roboticist: Web videos making robots out of Mini parts, wasn't clear "if this is real" lead to curiosity.
• Rolling Rock: Has "33" under cap, no one really knows what it is.
• Tootsie Pop: Star on your wrapper and you got a free lollipop.  
• In and Out Burger: Order Animal Style...   
• www.twitter.com/kogibbq: a traveling taco truck in LA that tweets its location
• Cold Tea in Chinese Restaurants: Order "cold tea" after bars close and they will bring you beer in a tea pot
• PTD = Please Don't Tell Restaurant: You enter through a phone booth in a hot dog restaurant to access a throw back speakeasy
• BMW Easter Egg Campaign: TV ad contained secret information and you were in the know to find a reward
• LOST Easter Eggs
• How I Met Your Mother: Incorporates URLs into the show that actually exist like www.slapbetcountdown.com and www.tedmosbyisajerk.com that evolve and give die hard fans more content
• Moo.com: HIdes a secret message in the 200 pack of business cards packaging - the secret is not "out" yet
• Reverse Secrets: You don't know the brand up front, but it becomes clear over time - like Halo3 and Blair Witch Project promos
• Failed Secret: Blackberry Storm - "Secret" online, but reveal was product of dubious reputation
• Failed Secret: Dr. Pepper - Offering free coupons if Guns N Roses put out album in 2008
• Failed/Or Not? Secret: Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Cartoon Network) - Placed lightboards in Boston that came under fire for sparking terrorism fears (but we had a great discussion on this and most people felt like it was not a failed secret)
• Accidental Secrets: Secrets that get out via sites like FatWallet

If I missed anything from this post or you have another secret to share, please share it in a comment.

How To Blog, Party, Learn, Promote & Network Like A Rockstar At SXSW 2009

As I write this, I'm on the plane headed to South By Southwest (SXSW) in Austin for my third year. One big question newbies and veterans of the show are likely thinking about is how to get the most out of their experience given the flood of events, people, conversations and opportunities that the show will have. I did a quick Twitter search for "#sxsw" yesterday afternoon and it had 100 new conversations using the keyword over just 60 seconds. Equated to meteorological terms, SXSW isn't a flood or a tornado - it's an ELE (Extinction Level Event).

So, if you read one post about getting ready for the show (and staying alive through it) - perhaps this should be it. The show kicks off later tonight - so in between RSVPing to parties and twittering your gripes about airline delays, check out this super quick list of tips on how to get the most out of SXSW this year, separated into five key activities you might be doing:

HOW TO BLOG AT SXSW:

• Forget live blogging everything people say. It's too much pressure and I guarantee there are way too many pro/experienced bloggers doing it better and more consistently than you in the crowd. Let them.
• Bring out insights and single gems in your blog posts. Focus on the big things that you learned or will take away from the show, and your blog posts will be much higher quality (and more useful for everyone).
• Be self sufficient. Set up your blackberry or iPhone so you can do mobile blog posts if you can't get on the Internet. Buy an extension cord to share outlets with people. Have a usb flash drive so you can use a different computer if you need to. Essentially, don't expect all the services to be available for you. Think like a road warrior.

HOW TO PARTY AT SXSW:

• RSVP for everything you can
• Choose the 1 party each night that you absolutely can't miss.
• Go there first around the time it starts. Being fashionably late is an amateur move at SXSW because the lines get long.
• Go to the party where you know someone later (and use your connection to jump the line)
• Pay attention to the "flash mob" parties that spring up on Twitter. Skip the lines and go to those. Pepsi has a great tool to help you do that here.
• Broadcast your whereabouts as much as you can or are willing to - often people in your social network may find you through these updates, and you can meet people you never expected to.

HOW TO LEARN AT SXSW:

• Plan an escape route. There are lots of conflicting great sessions at SXSW - so don't be afraid to get up and leave if a session isn't living up to what you thought it would be.
• Decide by Twitter. If you are conflicted between two sessions, wait 5 minutes into the sessions and see what people are saying about the sessions, and then pick one to go to. Trust the mob.
• Take good notes. In other words, don't write down everything - just the "aha moments" that come from the session. Those are all you'll really need afterwards anyway. In fact, doing that also makes live twitter an event particularly easy, because your tweets are far more useful and can serve as your notes after the session.

HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR BRAND/SELF AT SXSW:

• Use the influencer model. One of the most effective things you can do at SXSW is to tell influential people about your product, service, or yourself. This is not about sucking up to anyone, but getting the right people to know about your product.
• Have something to give people. A business card is a good start, but somehow you need to stand out so that people will remember you and connect with you after the event. So get some stickers, handwrite a URL or Twitter name on the back of your business card, or make it a point to follow up with people that you meet as soon as you can.
• Create and tag content. This may be tough advice to follow because everyone is doing it, but there is an archival quality to having good photos, video and blog content come out of SXSW that you should use as much as you can.
• Add a special offer or exclusive promotion for SXSW attendees to WWW.SECRETSXSW.COM, a list that our team created to help manage the overwhelming amount of marketing at the show. After SXSW, it will be THE place people go to follow up on offers and marketing that they saw during the show.

HOW TO NETWORK AT SXSW:

• Meet your rockstars. Everyone has someone that they admire who will be at SXSW. The nice thing is that it is definitely the kind of show where you can (and should) introduce yourself to your rockstars (the people you really want to meet).
• Film and interview instead of chitchat. If you meet someone interesting, think about asking them a few questions in an interview for your blog. Or grabbing a quick video with them on a flip cam (assuming you brought one with you, of course). The point is, as much as you can, go beyond idle chit chat.

Above all else, my final tip to anyone making the show is to actually BE THERE. This means not Twittering during a conversation with someone, or focusing so much on getting your next blog post out that you don't actually take a moment to really learn something, or to actually get to know someone, or to truly enjoy your time at what is probably one of the most FUN shows you'll go to all year. Good luck - and hope to see you there. Follow me at @rohitbhargava on Twitter to try and say hello!

Being Faceless & Telling Secrets On January 14th

This is going to be a great week, with two events coming up on January 14th that I'm particularly excited about and will definitely be worth your time if you can make them. The first is a virtual webinar event that anyone anywhere in the world should be able to dial into, and the second is a fun networking gathering in the Washington DC area for those who live here, or are willing to take a plane, train, boat, monorail or automobile to join us. Here are some details:

"Don't Be Faceless" FREE Webinar: Learn 7 Essential Social Media Techniques for PR Success
Wed, Jan 14th - 3pm to 4pm EST

This webinar is one I am hosting for the PRSA and am getting reports from them already that it may be their most highly preregistered seminar ever, with over 2000 sites registered to listen in. As part of the talk, I'll share seven tips on using the personality of your brand to achieve PR success, including several case studies and tips from the book that I've never spoken publicly about. In addition, at the end you'll get a secret link to purchase a signed copy of my book along with 3 other special pieces of bonus content that I've also never offered directly before. Visit this site to learn more and sign up - it is completely FREE.

Evening Social Networking With Frank Warren From PostSecret
Wed, Jan 14th - 6pm to 8pm EST (Rockville, MD)

If you haven't visited PostSecret.org, take a moment and click the link. Now imagine you had the chance to meet the custodian of all these secrets. His name is Frank Warren, and I am honored that I'll have the chance to see him again at a networking discussion that Shashi of Network Solutions is organizing for the local blogging community. Meeting and listening to Frank is an amazing experience. You can read hundreds of stories on blogs of how he connects with people through his ability to actually care about other people and offer them a sympathetic ear to tell their secrets without being judged. His is a powerful idea - that sharing a secret can transform your life and the lives of strangers who hear it. When I talk of karma or personality in business, his is an example worth considering. Frank's calendar is packed with big auditorium appearances, and this will be a rare chance to see and meet him in a more intimate setting. Even if I weren't part of this event, I would go just for that ... and so should you.  Note: RSVP is REQUIRED

3 Unlikely CES Standouts: A Case, Mat and Radio

Since CES is the biggest tradeshow in the electronics industry and features some of the best new technology and hottest gadgets in the world. So it's more than a little odd that my three picks for standouts at the conference can be described in relatively simple and non technical terms. This doesn't mean they don't use technology or innovation, but looking at some of the best ideas from the show, these three examples are worth checking out:

#1 - Eton Radios
I never would have thought you could describe a radio with a handcrank as beautiful, but these radios truly were. From their beautiful matte finish to the way all the knobs and components fit together, the radios were designed to be works of art. Fortunately, they are also highly functional. You can buy the big one for about $50, and get a radio, flashlight, and lots of other emergency tools built in. They sell in bulk to hospitals and have a partnership with the Red Cross, but don't be surprised to find them at Target soon. Being caught in a huge storm or blackout without electricity never looked so good.

#2 - Cocoon Bags
These bags were getting a lot of attention at the show because of the smart use of elastic grids to hold just about anything in place. The founders were clearly worried about knockoffs of this simple idea, as he mentioned their patent pending status several times, but it's a brilliantly simple new idea that makes their bags worth checking out. They ship them to retail in April or May of this year.

#3 - Powermat Wireless Charging
This was one of the few booths that had a bouncer at the door and was only letting media or buyers in, and by appointment only. I managed to get in and get a demo where they talked about using some sort of magnetic radiation to charge your devices without plugging them into anything. I'm not sure that I understand the technology behind it, and the obvious concern with it would be frying your portable memory sticks in your devices with the magnets ... but if it works it has amazing potential. The second video below is a demonstration of their vision for the "kitchen of the future."

While these three examples were interesting, some of you may still be longing for a more "gadget" oriented video. Check out the following compilation of three manufacturers all producing mind-blowingly slim LCD monitors. Each had amazing picture clarity, were less than an inch thick and had crowds of people surrounding them and dreaming of owning one. Ultra-thins make flat screens look like they are for amateurs.

6 Reasons Virtual Events Are Getting So Popular

I just spent the day today at the Future of Social Media Conference in London. It was an event put on by a leading trade show group here in the UK responsible for what most consider the largest Internet trade show in the UK, Internet World which is held annually. The conference was a packed session, with nearly 300 marketers in the room (easily doubling the organizers original estimates for attendance) and all the attendees where busy figuring out what role social media should and could take in their marketing strategy. One of the interesting questions asked during the day was whether virtual events may start to overtake real life events like this one due to financial pressures. My response was that I think they currently compliment each other and will continue to do so, yet it does raise the point of the current popularity of virtual events.

In fact, I am being featured as one among many video interviews at a very good social media focused virtual event for small businesses called SolutionStars Video Conference which is put on by Network Solutions and hosted by my friend Shashi Bellamkonda (affectionately known as "shashib" by his growing rank of Twitter followers). The event will have a great roster of speakers (see the end of this post for a full list) and I highly recommend you tune in for part of all of it tomorrow if you can. The bigger trend this event fits into, however, is the rise of virtual events as a viable method for learning. I believe there are six big factors driving this current popularity:

1. Recession economy and budgets. Yes, I said the "R" word. If you were lucky enough to work for a company that actually had a conference budget, chances are you are seeing that budget reduced or disappear. This is the most obvious reason for the rise of virtual events ... they are cheaper.
2. Filling the void. I do not, however, believe that this budgetary pressure will lead people to not attend events. They will just get more selective about the ones that they do attend. So for arguments sake, let's say there is a marketer who usually attends 3 conferences a year. Next year this same marketer may only be able to attend one, but can virtually attend another 3-4 throughout the year. More and more we will see virtual events filling the void and making training, learning and networking possible on more occasions than currently possible.
3. Bring together a fantasy team. When done right, virtual events also allow you to bring together a group of speakers that would be very hard to bring together at the same time for a physical event. As a result, the caliber of speakers across the virtual event can often be higher because it is easier to get a commitment from experienced speakers with very busy travel schedules.
4. Allow for multitasking. Sometimes the toughest thing about an in person conference or event is not getting the budget to go, but finding the time to be out of the office for an extended amount of time. With virtual events, you can go on mute on a conference call and multitask from your desk. Getting work done while attending a virtual event is a pretty powerful benefit.
5. Small business friendly. At many large events that I attend, it sometimes seems that small businesses are the ones that are left out because it is only the bigger companies that can afford to send people to conferences. I strongly believe the smartest small business people are the ones who ARE investing to go to the right in person events, but virtual events can often work better for small businesses simply because of the tradeoff in time and budget commitment, as well as the fact that they can be less intimidating.
6. Built in archive. As an entire event is hosted online, all the content and conversations the event generates are also online. When the time comes to create an online achive of the event, it is usually a very simple prospect because the bulk of the content and conversations are already online and it is simply a matter of aggregating it together.

List of participants in the Solution Stars Video Conference:

• Tim Ferriss, Best Selling Author of Four Hour Work Week
• Guy Kawasaki, Co-Founder, All-Top
• Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos
• Darren Rowse, Author, ProBlogger
• Chris Brogan, Vice President of Strategy, CrossTech Media
• Rohit Bhargava, Author of Personality Not Included
• Wendy Piersall, CEO of Sparkplugging.com
• Lionel Menchaca, Chief Blogger, Dell
• Brian Solis, Author of PR 2.0, CEO of FutureWorks (FutureWorks)
• Steve Hall, Publisher and Editor of Ad Rants
• Scott Monty, Global Digital and Multimedia Communications Manager, Ford Motor Company
• Liz Strauss, Social Web Strategist, Successful Blog
• Toby Bloomberg, CEO, Bloomberg Marketing
• Lee Odden, CEO of TopRankMarketing.com
• Jason Billingsly, Co-Founder ElasticPath
• Robyn Tippins, Community Manager, Yahoo! Developer Network
• Brett Tabke, CEO of WebMaster World
• David Alston, Vice President of Marketing, Radian6
• Jason Falls, Blogger, Social Media Explorer
• Mari Smith, Relationship Marketing Specialist
• Jennifer Openshaw, president of WeSeed.com
• Matt Dickman, Vice President, Digital Marketing, Fleishman-Hillard
• David Berkowitz, Director of Emerging Media and Client Strategy, 360i
• Ryan Anderson, Community Relations, Overlay.TV
• Becky McCray, Author, SmallBizSurvival.com
• Warren Whitlock, Book Marketing Strategist, BestSellerAuthors.com
• Chris Baggott, CEO of Compendium Blogware
• Lorelle VanFossen, Author, Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won’t Tell You About Blogging
• Dave Taylor, Head Strategic Marketing Director, Intuitive Systems
• Paul Chaney, President of International Blogging and New Media Association
• Linda Bustos, Blogger, ElasticPath
• Jay Berkowitz, Author , Podcaster, and Keynote Speaker, Ten Golden Rules

Ariana Huffington Shares 4 Secrets Of Creating A Successful Blog

Yesterday at the MarketingProfs event, Ariana Huffington took the stage for a keynote presentation sharing some lessons she has learned about building a successful blog network with the Huffington Post. Though she definitely ignored my advice to speakers about spending some time at an event to get to know the attendees (she was barely off the stage before heading out the door), she did share some interesting points in her talk that should be useful to most marketers:

1. Make it easy for contributors to contribute. One of the hallmarks of growth for the Huffington Post has been the site's ability to become the defacto location for any big celebrity to share their thoughts via a blog post. Not a purist about blogging, Ariana's point of view on blog posts was simple - if someone shares their thoughts transparently and honestly, the site can publish it as a blog post. To make it easy for Hollywood celebs like George Clooney and Jamie Lee Curtis, she has a team ready 24/7 to capture blog posts via dictation, email, or any other method someone might submit it. Benefit: You don't have to try and teach Rene Zellweger how to use Wordpress (potentially a full time job on its own).
2. Have a point of view. In one particularly revealing moment, Ariana talked about how journalism should not be an exercise in covering all sides of a story, but an investigative search for the truth - which is usually on one side or another. Of course, anyone who reads the Huffington Post knows which side she thinks the truth is on ... but there is a certain logic in media seeking the truth instead of working hard to keep everyone happy with a mention of their points of view. The only trouble, of course, is who gets to decide the truth. Benefit: Visitors to your site have a clear idea of what you stand for and what your voice will be.
3. Provide a safe environment. As Ariana explained it, getting new contributors would be tough if they felt that they could be attacked on a personal basis on everything they wrote. For that reason, she also has a team of real time comment "pre-moderators" who approve or reject comments in real time. Benefit: Arnold Schwarzenegger can blog about California issues without getting an influx of comments asking what the hell he was thinking starring in that dumb male pregnancy movie.
4. Build on your big hits. One point when it was clear the Huffington Post arrived was when PerezHilton.com linked to the site. Interestingly, this big hit also offered a chance for the site to understand how big spikes like this relate to capturing consistent readers. Ariana shared that 72% of the visitors to Huffington Post from that hit never returned. Of the remaining 28%, they came and went, and over time, they found that 7% stuck around and became regular readers. Multiple that effect over three years of traffic and big hits, and the result is their current traffic of more than 20 million unique visitors per month. Benefit: Getting noticed consistently by the big sites can lead to a measurable subscriber gain if you focus on measuring it.

Blogwell: A Blog Conference Worth Attending

It is a commonly known fact that CEOs often call one another for advice. In the world at the top, sometimes the only person that can really understand you is someone in the same situation. It's why the happily married tennis stars are married to other tennis stars, for example. When it comes to social media, this idea is the premise behind a group that was formed by my friend Andy Sernovitz that I have been watching grow with interest. The group is called the Blog Council, and it was founded with the simple idea of bringing large companies together to help one another solve their common challenges in using social media and scaling it up across an entire large enterprise.

Coming up very soon is the first event from this group which may very well be the best deal for a social media conference you are likely to find this Fall season. For just $300$200 (see Andy's comment below), you'll have a ticket to attend a day featuring 8 case studies from some of the largest brands using social media today, including Dell, Cisco, Intel and UPS. I'm proud to say a few of our clients will be making speaking appearances there, and it's the ultimate irony for me to be promoting an event that I won't be able to make personally due to another travel conflict ... but I highly recommend attending if you have anything to do with working in social media at a large company.

To make it even easier for you to convince your boss to let you go in this tight economy, you can use the code "rohitbookdeal" when you register and you'll get an additional 15% off your registration AND a free copy of my book, Personality Not Included. So basically you can attend a great social media conference with actionable insights you'll be able to take directly back to your company and get a halfway decent book all for less than $250$170. That's pretty much everything but the Ginsu knives, unless Andy manages to sign up Ginsu between now and the event on October 28th ... in which case you might actually get those knives as swag.

See all the details and register at http://www.gaspedal.com/blogwell (use code "rohitbookdeal" to get 15% off and a FREE copy of Personality Not Included).

3 Marketing Observations From Oktoberfest In Munich

On my way to Kyiv in the Ukraine a few days ago I planned a stopover for about 8 hours in Munich. As it turned out, it was just enough time to head out of the airport into the city and just outside in Theresienweise to visit the fair grounds for one of the largest celebrations of Oktoberfest in Germany. The Munich version was complete with rides, huge beer halls, never ending mugs of beer and half meter long servings of bratwurst. The best description I can offer is that just about everything you imagine Oktoberfest to be is true. I was there at 9:30 in the morning and it seemed that people had been up and drinking for hours. Here's a video of the experience early in the morning at Oktoberfest in Munich:

And here's my Gallery with images from Oktoberfest:

Finally, as I promised, here are a few marketing observations I made while walking around:

1. Franciscan friars are the de facto spokespeople for German beer, being featured on most logos (usually with one hand on their oversized belly, and the other holding a large mug of beer). Forget abstinence, the friars had the right philosophy of religion.
2. The beer hall with the longest line was one that opened a mere 15 minutes before every one else. At a packed event like Oktoberfest where people are eager to start their experience, those 15 minutes mattered. Sometimes the best marketing strategy could simply be to open earlier than anyone else.
3. During Oktoberfest, it is fairly reasonable to assume that pretty much everyone will be holding a beer in one hand. Perhaps as a result, I saw mostly food for sale on the street that could be eaten with one hand. What's the marketing lesson there? Know your audience.