Blog

I’ve yet to meet a writer who says ‘yes please’ to the prospect of spending time on marketing, and many shy away from attending marketing summits.

As a writer, I too don’t want anything cutting into my precious writing opportunities. But …

Gaining marketing skills is essential

How else can you become a successful marketer of your products/services? How else can you sell your books/courses?

To ignore this side of your business is as foolish as not keeping proper accounts, needed to complete your tax return. It might not be fun, but it has to be done.

So, today, I’m suggesting a way for writers to embrace marketing – without sacrificing too much writing time and without incurring great expense: signing up to attend marketing summits.

Marketing summits?

Yes. In the coming weeks, I’ll be identifying marketing training opportunities for writers, and most of them will be summits.

Right now, I recommend you plan to attend The Marketing Automation Success Summit … 7-10 March.

Liam Austin has pulled together 30+ marketing automation experts, including several that I follow already.

If you’ve never attended a summit before, read on to discover what it’s all about.

Either way, click here to download a free copy of Marketing Automation: the 2017 Ultimate Guide and your place will be booked on the Marketing Automation Success Summit.

What’s a summit?

A summit is a bit like a Wedding Fayre. You go along, with your intended, and meet up with local businesses who have something to offer for your big day.

You decided already to get married – now you need a venue, a caterer, and a cake, and flowers and …

No! Really, what is a summit?

A summit – the kind I’m recommending – is a global online event comprising a series of videoed interviews between the summit host and an array of experts. Between them, they tackle a single topic. In this instance, it’s ‘Marketing Automation’.

You’ll have to read the guide if you’re not sure why automating your marketing is a good idea. And, attend the summit, to find out how.

What happens at a summit?

Within one summit, there are dozens of interviews and many – maybe not all – will be pertinent to where you are in your business journey.

If you watch the interviews live, you have the opportunity to ask questions. If not, you can watch the recording – there is still a great deal you can learn from these guys.

How does a summit work?

Just like the Wedding Fayre format, a summit ‘works’ in two ways.

• For the audience, the summit provides free training to those who take up the opportunity of a free seat. With the Marketing Automation Success Summit, there’s also the free-to-download Marketing Automation: the 2017 Ultimate Guide.
• For the experts, the summit provides an audience. They each have a product or service they want to sell to you, and their interview slot allows them time to impress you with their expertise. (You will be impressed, but there’s no obligation to buy!)

What’s the catch?

There’s no catch.

Clearly, the experts are looking for more clients. First though, in return for your email address, they will offer something extra of value to you: a free book, maybe a free consultation.

If you accept this free gift, you will also receive a follow-up sequence of emails giving you more information about the expert and whatever they have to offer. In time, once you get to know them, you may well become a customer. Job done!

But it’s easy to unsubscribe from these emails should you decide you are no longer interested in that particular expert’s offering.

There must be a trap?

There are two ‘traps’, if that’s what you’d like to call them.

• Time!
  You might decide you don’t have enough time to watch the videos while they are available for free. You might decide to purchase an access pass. This gives you all the time you need to view these videos, and you can watch them over and over again.
  Note: The price of the access pass tends to rise during the promotion period of the event. So, if you plan to buy the access pass, do so straight away.
• Need!
  You might decide you truly need the product/service being offered by an expert. If you realise it will help you and you choose to sign up, this will result in an additional expense for you.

What if you have no budget for training?

If you have time but no budget, the summit is your best option for training.

Watch as many of the videos as you can manage within the given time constraints, and do your best to resist signing up for a product.

Are there any downsides to attending a summit?

No, I don’t think so – and that’s why I’m recommending them to you. Dip your toe in the world of marketing. Test the water. See what happens.

In 2015, I attended my first summit: Chandler Bolt’s Self-Publishing Success Summit. It was a veritable crash course in content marketing for me. I had a lot to learn, and learn I did. For free. A year later, I signed up for the Self-Publishing School and my first book EDITING The RedPen Way was published within the 90-day challenge.

I’ve now lost count of the number of marketing summits I’ve attended. I rarely see all the videos. Rarely invest in the access pass. Know I won’t have time to watch them all and absorb all the messages.

I often invest in the products/services though and am grateful for the chance to hear from the experts ahead of making purchasing decisions. So, I’m very much looking forward to learning more about marketing at the Marketing Automation Success Summit. See you there!

I’m happy to answer your questions about marketing summits. Simply contact me – by email, by posting your query in the ScrivenerVirgin Facebook group or by responding in the Comments below. I’m here to help!

 

The ScrivenerVirgin blog is a journey of discovery:
a step-by-step exploration of how Scrivener can change how a writer writes.
To subscribe to this blog, click here.

Also … checkout the Scrivener Tips
on my ScrivenerVirgin Facebook page.