Posts Tagged LinkedIn
5 Cost-effective Ways to Promote Your Tech Event Online
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Online businesses on January 18, 2011
There’s no doubt that events are a great way to promote thought leadership in your industry and drive sales leads if you are a Tech B2B Marketer. If you are just starting up your business and have a limited budget, here are some cost-effective ways to plan and promote your event online.
1. Online guest list applications
There are some great online guest list applications that make it easy for you to manage your RSVPs and sell tickets. There’s a great Canadian web tool ironically called GuestListApp which is free if you are hosting a free event. Otherwise, if you are selling tickets, they just take a small % cut of your ticket sales.
2. Twitter
If you haven’t already built up a Twitter following of your top current and prospective clients, you might want to get started now so that you have an audience to send your event announcements out to when you’re ready to start promoting. Generally, you can expect about 30% of people who you follow will follow you back. You should also create what is known as a hashtag (“#” symbols) for your event and promote it in advance so that people can start talking about your event and find others who are attending your event before the big day. I’d recommend that you Tweet the announcement out at least once a week leading up to your event to ensure that people don’t miss it. Twitter is also a great way to let customers know when you are presenting at a trade show and where people can find you just before and after your presentation.
3. Promotion on blogs
If you have a blog on your website, make sure to let people know about it through that channel. You can also post your event on popular technology blogs to expand your reach if you are trying to get a big turnout. Some popular Canadian Tech blogs are Techvibes and Sprouter.
4. LinkedIn
If you have a company page on LinkedIn, make sure to promote your event through that profile. You can also create a LinkedIn Group for your event to have people follow and comment on your event before, during and after the event has happened. In addition, you should share an update that includes a link to your event website that will be sent to all of the people in your network via your profile news feed. Make sure that all of your employees in your company who have LinkedIn profiles do so as well.
5. E-mail Invitations
This sounds like the simplest and most obvious option for promoting your event but I thought I’d still mention it because it’s much more cost-effective than printed invitations. Plus, most people are used to getting e-mail invitations by now – unless you are hosting an extremely high-profile event for c-level executives or more of a gala type event. There are numerous e-mail marketing tools on the market, including ConstantContact. Just remember to follow Canadian e-mail anti-spam laws when sending an invitation out to a guest list.
If you have other ideas for cost-effective ways to promote an upcoming event, please send me a comment.
Placing Your Bets Online for B2B Technology Marketing Channels
Posted by The Running Start in Inspiration, Online businesses on December 29, 2010
In a previous blog post, I talked about whether or not Twitter was a better social media channel for promoting your brand as a B2B Technology marketer than Facebook. After recently reading the Online Marketing Opportunity Report produced by Hubspot, I now have some data to back up my assumptions.
The chart that I pulled from the free report below illustrates both the top online marketing channels for the keyword “software” and the top social media platforms where that keyword is most prevalently searched. Clearly, LinkedIn and Twitter are the top social media channels to target as a marketer promoting technology/software online.
The chart below also points out that blogs are a more popular channel for researching “software” related products online. According to the report, there is also less competition for that keyword on blogs, Twitter and via LinkedIn than there is via search engines. However, I will point out that although Facebook is only a tiny sliver in terms of popularity for searching for terms related to “software”, you’ll also find the least competition if you choose to promote your product there – at least according to the HubSpot report.
Since I like to place strategic bets, I would say that developing a strategy that incorporates blogs, social media (focused on Twitter and LinkedIn) and a some of your budget dedicated towards Search and YouTube would go a long way online as a Tech B2B marketer. Of course, one can never overlook the power of e-mail as a digital marketing channel as well!
Discovering New Opportunities Through Twitter
Posted by The Running Start in Entrepreneurs, Inspiration, Online businesses, Random Thoughts on December 13, 2010
I had coffee this week with an old colleague who I had lost touch with over the past few years. It was great to catch up with her and we got on the topic of keeping your eyes open for opportunities and the little signs that point you on a new path. It might sound a little cheesy but I have to say that a lot of people miss the little clues that might help guide them to the next step in their life or career – if they’d only lift their head up from their computers every now and then to see them.
I would like to share two personal examples with you on how Twitter can help you to keep your eyes open to new opportunities. These examples could not have been possible had I not been looking intently AT my computer screen. So, I guess this story is a bit of a paradox – but the lesson is still about taking those blinders off!
Here are two personal examples:
(1) Discovering new opportunities to follow interests
A few weeks ago, I was chatting with someone about the fact that I really enjoy blogging. I told them that I’d love to one day write blogs about digital media for someone other than myself (and the readers like you who happen to come across it) on my own blog. Literally that same night, I had just come home from an event and I thought I’d go online to check out what was happening in the world since I had last been online – at least 5 hours before 
To my very happy surprise, I saw a tweet from TechVibes.com saying that they were looking for new Toronto Tech bloggers and I just HAD to apply that very moment because I knew this was something I wanted to try.
Had I not started following TechVibes on Twitter and keeping my eyes open for new opportunities, I would have never discovered a new way to expand my hobby. They said yes to my application, and I am now able to share interesting stories about the Toronto technology scene with their community.
(2) Reconnecting with old friends
My second story is about how I came to be having coffee with my colleague – who I hadn’t been in touch with in about 3 years. I was on LinkedIn last week and saw a feed from her Twitter account in the LinkedIn “Network Activity” news feed. She mentioned that she was going to be participating in the new year’s day “Polar Bear Dip” on behalf of Habitat for Humanity. Since the “polar bear dip” is on my bucket list, I commented on her Tweet. She told me to join her because the Polar Bear Dip needs more crazy people like me – see her response below I’m still trying to work-up the courage to join her!
That same week, she e-mailed me to ask if I’d like to go for coffee to catch up. I of course said yes and had a great time chatting with her about the trials and tribulations of being a freelancer. We’re now helping each other out through a collaboration document to share the best tools and tricks we can find in social media – we’re both learning as we go. I’m so excited to be working with her again – even if it’s just a virtual collaboration.
Practical application for your business:
These examples are ways that Twitter has helped me to connect with people to advance my personal interests. If it can work to keep my eyes open for personal opportunities – the same can be applied to finding customer opportunities in business. The application of the tool works in the exact same way.
Please share your stories and ideas about finding new customer opportunities through Twitter.
Taking a Leap of Faith
Posted by The Running Start in Uncategorized on October 22, 2010
Me (Andrea Wahbe) at the finish line of my first triathlon
After gathering up the courage to leave a job that was definitely not for me, I have decided that it’s time to take a chance and go out on my own for a while. The reason for this leap of faith is that I have recently been on countless job interviews and have yet to find a role that I feel is the right next step in my career. So, I figure that taking on a few short-term contracts is the way to go. I’m hoping that I will have the chance to be exposed to new roles that I would never have had a chance to try out as a full-time employee. Luckily, I live in the fabulous city of Toronto – where new start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures are popping up all over the place. I’ve decided to document the challenges that I am facing as a budding entrepreneur who is trying to start my own freelancing business.
To get my first gig, I have reached out to a lot of people who I have worked with in the past. I figure that people who know what it’s like to work with me and the quality of work that I put out is the best place to start. From there, I’m hoping that I will be able to get new clients as I will have built up my experience.
I have been experimenting with a number of social media tools like Twitter and LinkedIn and have discovered a lot of new companies and other entrepreneurs in the Toronto area through these platforms. I also recently attended a “SproutUp” event in Toronto to hear from other entrepreneurs and get some inspiration about what works in regards to promoting yourself and staying true to what you have to offer to the world. If you haven’t heard of Sprouter.com, definitely check them out. They have “SproutUps” every month in Toronto and have an online social media platform to connect with other budding entrepreneurs. The energy in the room at the “SproutUp” was infectious and I really feel that Toronto is just ripe for growth in the start-up arena. It’s a very exciting time to be living here!
This week, I’m also teaching myself how to use WordPress. Hello world! I’m also interested in learning more about the tools that work with Twitter and how I can track my tweets and followers more efficiently. I feel like a new University graduate again and am trying to get my first break! It sounds funny but I feel more alive in my career now than I ever did in previous jobs in the past. I would equate this feeling to training for my first ever triathlon. I know that it’s going to be a long road ahead but if I stick to my plan and persevere, I can reach the finish line!
Stay tuned for my next blog post. I’ll let you know how some of my exploratory meetings with former colleagues go.
Free Presentation
Subscribe to my feed- Why it’s OK That my Husband Plays Video Games May 24, 2013I used to worry that my husband’s video game addiction hobby was bad for his health. That is, until I was inspired by a presentation at CDMN’s Canada 3.0 conference last week. Jane McGonigal, a world-renowned game designer and advocate for the positive impact of video games believes that games can help people achieve heightened […]
- Looking Forward to Canada 3.0 2013 May 9, 2013Hi Everyone, I know it’s been a long time since my last post. I am still on maternity leave (and enjoying every minute with our new son) but I do plan to attend Canada 3.0 2013 in Toronto next week! I’ll be there on Tuesday to check out some amazing speakers like Amber Mac, Chris […]
- Why it’s OK That my Husband Plays Video Games May 24, 2013
