A virtual summit is when you interview several experts around a central theme with interviews being released over a set window of time to participants. A virtual summit might also be referred to as a telesummit with all interviews conducted via phone or you may opt for a video summit.
Each guest expert promotes the virtual summit to their list allowing you to reach a larger combined audience.
There are many reasons to host a virtual summit:
- Build credibility… and your brand
- Become seen as an influencer in your industry
- Grow your list… attract clients
- Generate income… fill programs and sell products
- Increase invitations to speak at events
The most common reason for hosting a virtual summit is list growth. Regardless of your business stage, just getting started or an established expert, you will always need to infuse your list with a fresh pool of potential clients seeking the support you provide.
If your main goal is list growth, you still achieve all the other benefits when you host a virtual summit.
Here are 7 steps to hosting a virtual summit that will build your brand, grow your list, and multiply your sales:
7-Step Virtual Summit Blueprint
Step #1: Determine the virtual summit theme to best attract your target audience
You are hosting this virtual summit to grow your list, BUT you don’t want to attract just anyone to your list. You want to attract your target market. People seeking the products and services you provide.
You must ensure your virtual summit focus will be of interest to your target market.
What problem(s) are they trying to solve? What solution(s) can you provide via a virtual summit?
What will be of value to them?
Example themes:
- How to be a client attraction magnet
- Finding the perfect partner
- How to increase virtual sales
- Menopause survival
- Thyroid wellness
- Creative leadership skills for women
- Parenting teens so they are well equipped for college
- How to hone direct sales skills
When determining your virtual summit theme ask yourself: “Is the person who would want to attend this virtual summit and learn this information going to be a person interested in the programs and services I offer?”
Step #2: Select the right guest experts to ensure a wide-reaching virtual summit
Invite guest experts that are not only well-known in your industry but active in the online world. The success of a virtual summit is contingent on the combined list reach of your guest experts. They need to have their own email list.
A social media following is a bonus, but social media promotion is significantly less effective than email promotion. Do not accept speakers that have no email list or who are unwilling to promote the summit via email.
There are exceptions to the rule, such as a big-name speaker where simply having them participate would be a major draw for your audience.
I cannot emphasize enough this an exception, not the rule.
Does the speaker have…
- An audience interested in your summit topic?
- Does the speaker have a significant following/list size?
- Does the speaker understand the promotional requirements to send at least 1 or 2 solo emails?
It is critical your experts send a minimum of one solo email promoting the summit. You will see greater results if you require two solo emails from each guest expert. One pre-summit and one the day their interview releases.
Research potential speakers before sending invitations.
They need to have an opt-in form on their website and it should say more than “join our mailing list”.
Sign up for their list and monitor emails. Are they emailing their list? If not, then it doesn’t matter what their list size is, they are not engaged with them.
Check social media reach. Do NOT go on social media alone, but this gives you an idea if they are active online and might be a good guest. Again, social media promotion does NOT replace solo email promotion.
And finally… ask. In your invitation email, be upfront about list size and promotion requirements for participating.
Step #3: Secure an experienced support team
There are many moving pieces as your plan and prepare to how a virtual summit. You will be more successful if you secure an experienced support team.
If you have never hosted a virtual summit, surround yourself with a team who has experience with virtual summits.
Here are potential team members needed to host your virtual summit and example tasks each team member will handle.
Virtual Assistant
- Set up and send speaker release
- Create lists/tags in list management system
- Set up summit affiliate program and generate affiliate URLs
- Set up and schedule summit emails
Web Developer
- Develop all summit web pages
- Release/pull interviews during summit window
Graphic Designer
- Provide all design files and summit style guide to web developer
- Create images for promotion
Copywriter
- Web page copy
- Summit emails
- Promotional copy
Video Editor
- Edit video interviews
Transcriptionist
- Transcribe audios
Summit Manager
- Coordinate tasks with team members
- Answer team and speaker questions
- Provide examples
- Monitor and follow up on summit promotion
Step #4: Virtual summit opt-in page creation
The opt-in page should focus on the problem people are joining the virtual summit to solve, your personal connection to the problem (why you are hosting this virtual summit), and move into the guest experts that are going to provide the answers.
The summit opt-in page must quickly convey why potential participants should opt-in. Have the problem/solution you are providing front and center in the headline and sub-heading.
Make sure the opt-in page copy includes:
- Summit dates
- Space for an opt-in form to be located above the fold
- Clear language that this is a free virtual event (i.e. participate from anywhere)
The opt-in page will include all your guest expert headshots, names, and interview titles, along with two to three opt-in box locations spaced throughout the page.
If you are adept with video, include a two- to three-minute video on the opt-in page to increase opt-in page conversion rates. Use the video to further convey your message, the problem, how you are providing the solution, and why they need to opt-in now.
Step #5: Facilitate and monitor virtual summit promotion
Speaker and affiliate promotion
Make promotion effortless for your guest experts and summit affiliates. Provide swipe copy and images for promotional purposes.
Experts and affiliates may opt to tweak the copy to fit their voice and audience as they see fit.
Swipe copy you provide includes:
- Pre-summit solo email
- Day summit starts or day interview airs solo email
- Newsletter highlight
- Facebook status updates
- Twitter status updates
Deliver swipe copy a minimum of one week before promotion starts. Be respectful of your guest’s time. Do not send the copy the day before summit promotion is to begin. Allow adequate time for them to review the copy, tweak it as they choose, and then pass on to their team for setting up and scheduling.
You compromise summit results if you deliver promotional copy last minute.
Use an affiliate platform to generate a unique affiliate/tracking URL for each guest expert and summit affiliate.
Provide a unique affiliate URL to each guest expert and summit affiliate with instructions to utilize the affiliate URL in all their promotion. The affiliate URL will redirect to the virtual summit opt-in page.
Select an affiliate platform that provides clicks, leads, and sales data.
Monitor guest expert and affiliate stats throughout the promotional window. Follow up as needed.
Remind speakers and affiliate regularly about promotion.
- Follow up the day summit promotion begins.
- Touch base the day before their solo email(s) is to send
- Send a reminder day one of the summit
- Follow up the day before their interview airs
Host promotion
You do not promote the virtual summit heavily to your list. However, send at least one invitation to your list. The summit is an additional opportunity to provide value to your current audience and further build your relationship with them. Some of your summit sales will come from those already on your list.
You will promote heavily on social media. Write and schedule status updates to send consistently throughout your summit promotional window and summit week.
You may also post the summit to one or two event list services.
Create tracking links for each platform so you know what worked and what did not for driving traffic.
A virtual summit is a tool you can use over and over again to bring in a fresh infusion of potential clients. Track data summit to summit to continually improve results.
Step #6: Engage with participants throughout the virtual summit
Each day of the virtual summit, send an email providing an outline of that’s days interview(s) and where to access.
Each daily email should include:
- Schedule for the summit
- Link to access current day interviews
- Invitation to Facebook page to engage
- Invitation to purchase the summit package
Be present on your Facebook page throughout the summit. Engage with participants as they post comments and questions. Post your own takeaways from each interview.
Copy or take screen shots of comments that can be utilized in daily summit emails and/or post-summit emails.
Monitor your support email and respond to participant questions.
Monitor your summit web page to ensure all interviews release and pull as needed.
Step #7: Cash in on post virtual summit sales
Don’t drop the ball and skip post-summit promotion. Most summit sales typically occur post-summit.
The summit has wrapped. People are raving about the quality content and lessons learned.
Many participants likely did not get to listen to all the interviews.
They want access.
Increase post-summit sales by having a time sensitive offer. For example, they must purchase the summit package before the price increases on a set date and time.
Include testimonials, feedback, comments you received from summit participants strategically in your post-summit promotion emails.
Your post-summit promotion period should wrap three to five days post-summit and should include approximately three to four post-summit emails. These emails should recap summit content, share participant feedback, and invite participants to purchase the summit package for unlimited access.
All the best,
Lisa Nelson