This presentation was delivered by Donna Maria Coles Johnson, founder and CEO at Indie Business Network at #2x4LIVE in Nashville, Tennessee on April 1, 2016.

1. How to Use Virtual Events to
Build Brand Awareness and Create New Sales Opportunities
by Donna Maria Coles Johnson | Indie Business Network
Presented at 2x4 LIVE
April 1 - 2, 2016: Nashville, Tennessee

2. Objectives
• 1. You will embrace a new mindset and approach to
leveraging technology to build a branded community
of people who buy your products repeatedly.
• 2. You will have specific virtual event models you
can use to build brand awareness and increase sales.
• 3. You will be ready to Mastermind your particular
business to at least one of these specific models
tomorrow morning.

3. Benefits of Virtual Events
• Build brand awareness: events help you build brand awareness
• Leverage technology: events allow you to leverage technology for
the kind of speed and access that you cannot get elsewhere, ever.
• Build your list: events are experiences; experiences draw people;
people become attendees; attendees become subscribers;
subscribers become customers; customers become brand
ambassadors …
• Blog and newsletter content: events always lead to content
• Social media proof: events put your time where your mouth is to
build credibility and expand your sphere of influence; you are doing
things

4. Benefits of Virtual Events
• Referrals: events lead to experiences people want to tell their
friends about
• Testimonials: events make it easier for you to attract testimonials
• Community: events build community; grow your tribe
• Confidence: hosting events helps sharpen your leadership skills
• Relationship skills: hosting events helps you improve your
people skills
• Lifestyle: events allow your business to help you enjoy freedom,
flexibility, and fun

5. What’s Holding You Back?
• I’m afraid that: _____________________________
• Fear that you won’t push the right technological
buttons, or that technology will fail you
• Fear that you don’t have enough time
• Fear that you’ll have to keep doing it
• Fear that you don’t have enough to say

6. Get Over It!
• People don’t buy your product because it’s good.
They buy your product because they expect to have a
certain experience.
• Experiences are more fun when they are enjoyed with
a friend, or through the lens of a friend.
• Bringing like-minded people together around life
issues they care about create positive experiences
that connect members of your target audience
together in meaningful relationships — and all roads
lead back to your shopping cart.

7. Virtual Event Model No. 1:
Facebook Event
• Show and Tell
• Q+A
• Find products
• Home party-type
• Example: Scavenger Hunt

8. Facebook: Scavenger Hunt

9. Virtual Event Model No. 2:
Blab
• How to
• Q+A
• Informational
• Example: Whole Health Dana

10. Blab: Informational

11. Virtual Event Model No. 3:
Twitter Chat (Party)
• Engaging
• Conversational
• Tribe building
• Public
• Ideas: #craftchat, #beautychat, #soapchat,
#veganchat #momchat, #handmadechat, etc.

12. Twitter Chat: #HandmadeChat

13. Virtual Event Model No. 4:
Periscope
• Teaching
• Training
• Showcasing
• Example: #BlackBizScope

14. Periscope: #BlackBizScope
(katch.me)

15. Summary
• Facebook
• Blab
• Twitter
• Periscope

16. Thank You!
1. Homework: select one of the models to discuss
during tomorrow’s workshop
2. Join the Indie Business Network: http://
www.IndieBusinessNetwork.com/join
3. Invite me to your virtual event:
indiebusiness@gmail.com