The Best Money I Ever Spent!

Thanks Event Speak!

I’m just letting you all know, I’m donating money for every job I book through your site. I’ve been a member now going on my 2nd year and just booked my 4th tour in 2 years. Total donations now are at $400.00 bucks, but well worth it since you all are helping me line my pockets and pay my bills. I’d like to challenge other event speakers to show their appreciation in the same way (in their own way) by supporting the site that supports them.

James, you and the Gang at Eventspeak ROCK!!!
Keep up the Great Work and Thanks Again…

Highest Regards,
Gabriel G.
(AKA) My friends call me “G”

We have been around this earth for quite some time now. I am not old, but I have seen enough to realize what works and what doesn’t. Now in the twenty first century we get bombarded with advertising every day of our lives. You can’t drive down the road, listen to the radio, watch television or browse the Internet without seeing hundreds, if not thousands of ads of products you couldn’t care less about. But as soon as your best friend, wife, neighbor, cousin, or advertising second cousin in law mentions their favorite restaurant or a great movie at the theater you jump up off your seat and run to confirm their recommendations.

Word of mouth Marketing works! The reason for this is that perhaps in a self defense response to capitalism, we have developed “ad-blindness”. We tend to ignore as many advertisements as humanly possible in order to carry out a semi-normal life. But when someone you know tells you about a product or event, your defense mechanism does not trigger an alarm. You joyfully take their suggestions at heart and do what consumers do best –buy.

What cell phone service is best when you are traveling across the country. There are so many to choose from. I personally use Cingular Wireless but it seems to cut off when I get to the middle of the United States. People always tell me to switch to Sprint cell phone service but I just don’t like their technology. Ya I know we are all Event Marketing Professionals that need to stay connected at all times when on the road. Since Nextel and Sprint joined forces I don’t think they pulled together there towers. Not sure why.

Once in Boston I was Doing a Promotional Marketing set up and met the Verizon wireless crew. They kept on telling me that they had the best network. So my question still stands. Who is the best?

Cingular Wireless seems to have the best plans while tmobile seems to have the funnest technology Verizon wireless has the q phone so that seems like fun. Well we all have our own preference. We all are in the Marketing industry and I guess we will go with the company that advertises to us the best.

When was the last time you saw somebody who wasn’t carrying a cell phone? I know there are folks out there who don’t have one. I just don’t know them. Our seniors carry them for added safety measures. Moms and dads carry them to stay in touch with the kids, coordinate errands, and keep up with office activities. Workaholics carry them to, well, WORK. And teenagers carry them because their parents included them in the “family plan”, not to mention the “coolness factor” associated with having one’s own cell phone.

“Coolness factor” notwithstanding, you can do just about anything with your cell phone these days. You can check stocks, look at websites, receive weather forecasts, get daily jokes or your horoscope sent to you, send instant text messages to friends and family, and download games to play at your leisure. All on your cell phone.

Advertisers and marketing experts recognize the unlimited opportunities presented by the mobile audience. The Mobile Market Association (MMA) was formed specifically “to stimulate the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technology” and includes among its members VISA, CBS, AT&T, and the Associated Press.

The traditional purpose of trade shows has been to serve as an open platform for companies to “strut their stuff” and offer insight into the latest trends and innovations for the products and services in their industry. With a competitor only a few booths away, the hard sell has been inevitable – until now.

Current trends are creating a different climate at trade shows these days. With competition for the customer’s attention stronger than ever, exhibitors are no longer fixated on separating themselves from their competitors by focusing on a particular product and simply talking about solutions and benefits. Which leads us to the first, and probably most profound, trend in trade show exhibiting.

Experiential Exhibits:

Product pitches and demos are “out” – at least they are no longer the centerpiece of a trade show exhibit. Instead of the literal, one-on-one, “we’re better because . . .” spiel, the challenge has become creating an experience for the potential customer that leaves them in awe, or at least makes a strong enough impression that they forget about the competition. While the trade show booth is a temporary fixture, the idea is to create a space that has a feeling of permanence and keeps the customer engaged. So engaged, in fact, that the customer has a memorable experience, and associates that experience with your product – eliminating the need for the hard sell, and creating a smooth landing for the soft sell.

This is a great post that I thought everyone should read. It was written by Larry Hess.

Based on today’s ever-changing and tight job market, it is not unusual to see short term jobs on a resume. Short term jobs might raise a red flag for employers. Short term jobs could be contract positions or permanent jobs.
Don’t Lie
The first rule of thumb when applying for a job is to never lie on your resume. If you put information on a document and submit it for consideration for employment, it better be valid information. There is nothing worse than being offered a job only to have that offer rescinded when your background is thoroughly checked.

Don’t Bad Mouth
The second rule of thumb when applying for a job is to never bad mouth a previous employer or company. Bad mouthing creates negative feelings in an interview or conversation and will almost always cost you the job offer. Keep your negative opinions to yourself.

Leave it off
With these rules in mind, let’s look at the various ...

By: Michael Fleischner
If you're trying to market to adults who are now in their thirties, then you need to understand the best method for reaching generation X.

Who is Generation X? Gen Xers were born between 1965 - 1976 and make up about 17% of the U.S. population. As a whole, this group is both independent and skeptical, existing in the shadow of Baby Boomers. As this group moves into their mid 30s and 40s, Gen Xers are establishing themselves as consumers who are starting families and buying homes.

Gen Xers grew up with recessions, single-parent households, cable TV, the Internet and other personal technology. Consequently, this group consumes media differently than earlier generations. Communicating with them through traditional marketing channels can be difficult. So, how can you reach these groups, communicate your message, and get them to take action? The answer is more traditional than you think. In combination with online marketing, direct mail is one of the most powerful ways to market to Gen X. According to a recent study conducted by InnoMedia, NuStats, and Vertis, 86% of Gen Xers bring in the mail the day it's delivered. Furthermore, 68% of Gen X retail direct mail readers have used coupons received in the mail. Gen X consumers rate 75% of the mail they receive as valuable.

By: Michael Fleischner

If you're trying to market to adults who were born between 1977 and 1994, then you need to understand the best method for reaching generation Y.

Who is Generation Y?

Individuals born between 1977 and 1994 are considered Gen Y and make up about 25% of the U.S. population. This group is generally idealistic, optimistic, and patriotic. They consume media in extremely fragmented ways, representing the next big wave in our demographic makeup.

Gen Y consumes media differently than earlier generations. Communicating with them through traditional marketing channels can be difficult. So, how can you reach this group, communicate your message, and get them to take action?

The answer is more traditional than you think. In combination with online marketing, direct mail is one of the most powerful ways to market to Gen Y. According to a recent study conducted by InnoMedia, NuStats, and Vertis, 87% of Gen Y bring in the mail the day it's delivered. 73% of Gen Y retail direct mail readers have used coupons received in the mail. Gen Y consumers rate 75% of the mail they receive as valuable.

To reach Gen Y with direct mail, there are number of basic marketing practices you should keep in mind. Before discussing these tips, realize that your direct mail efforts can always be supplemented with online marketing in the form of targeted site advertising, key word buys, or perhaps giving consumers a reason to visit you online via email (contests, sweepstakes, discounts, etc.).

By: Jason Chew

This is one virtue a site must possess to lead the race in the ruthless competition in the Internet based business. With so many competition and rivalry going on, every method of marketing must be employed and utilized.

It doesn’t matter if you have a killer product or a fantastically designed website, if people don’t know that you exist, it doesn’t matter, and you are not going to make it big. Worse of all, you business could just get killed.

While there are so many methods and schemes used by so many e-commerce sites today, there are still some of those that can help you with an extra boost in the popularity ratings. One of these is the so called Viral Marketing.