Brand Humanity FAQs: Why, What & How Much

I’ve gotten several questions and comments about the upcoming webinar next week that I wanted to address here. Why I’m doing this, what I’ll talk about, why I’m charging at all when there’s a lot of free information available… or that I’m charging too little, or that I’m charging too much. In this post I’ll give the reasoning behind the webinars. In the next post I’ll provide specific outlines on what will be covered.

 There is a lot of free information out there. The problem is, there’s too much of it scattered throughout the blogosphere. It takes a lot of time and energy to surf through it all, find the good examples and information, and compile it into an easy-to-digest overview. I’m anticipating that the folks who take the webinar will need to sell the idea of a corporate blog or community to their respective bosses, and I’ll provide concise information to help them do that.

 The other problem with reading information on the web is that you don’t have the opportunity to ask questions or hear explanations on why a particular tactic is recommended. The webinars are structured with plenty of discussion and Q&A time; I’ve got a limit of 20 people for precisely this reason. Frankly, that limit may be too high, and I might lower it to 10 to 15.

 Lastly, I’ll be talking about how social technologies like blogs are impacting your brand, methods for tracking the conversations about your brand in the blogosphere, and how to use these technologies to enable customers to better connect with your brand. There are a lot of very good blog experts out there (and I’ll be inviting them as co-hosts for future webinars) but to my knowledge, there’s very little discussion about the strategic implications to your brand.

 And lastly, a small but inescapable point: it actually costs a lot to offer a webinar. It will run @ $50 per person for a 90-minute session. So obviously I need to cover my costs.

 So did I charge too much? Too little? I have no idea. I have to start somewhere. The price might go up or down depending on demand or feedback. If you don’t feel you get a good value for the money, I’ll give you a refund. Or you can take another webinar on another topic free of charge. Hey, if I’m not adding value, I need to get out of the business.  That’s what I’m here for.

 

 

 

Comments

[Deb]

I'm interested, precisely for the reasons mentioned above. I've mentioned a corporate blog to my boss. His reply was, "What are you saying? Are you saying b-l- what is it? blog?" Once I showed him a couple and had 30 seconds to tell him what it's important and why it will work for us, he said, "Great! I love new ideas! I think that's a good one, we'll look at it in fall." (Well, at least I got him to think about it! That's progress anyway.)

So, as others mentioned here, I don't have the time to sift through all the information I'm sure you've already gathered. Partially, I need ammunition so I can sell the idea to my boss. And partially, I need more info myself as we prepare to do this.

Now, I'm trying to figure out how to sell my boss on the idea of paying for it too. And may well attend regardless of his decision, for my own edification. For those of us who've known about blogs but are just getting to the point of realizing we're going to need to actually use them for career purposes, this sounds perfect!

[Jake]

I'd also add that realistically, not everyone knows about this stuff. Chances are, if you're reading this blog, you're likely to know a thing or two about blogs and online social interaction. But what about the 99.9% of the rest of the world that doesn't quite "get it" yet? Sounds like this is going to be a great option for them to get up to speed quickly!

[David St Lawrence]

I think you are adding terrific value that can make all the difference for the right audience.

There is an abundance of good information in the blogosphere, but the problem for a busy management team is how to pick out the essential information for their own situation.

There are hundreds of us making insightful observations that cannot be found in books yet. Collecting and evaluating these insights for application to a particular business is a staggering task.

You have demonstrated the ability to cut through the chatter and self-promotion to the essential elements of branding and business blogging. The biggest problem I see in your webinar will be confining the discussion to a finite area! There is so much that can be said and so little time to cover what must be said.

The most interesting aspect is that new realizations about the vital role of blogs in business are occurring daily to me, and to others I'm sure. Fortunately, these are being blogged as they occur, making them a part of the continuing tapestry of blogging/business lore.

Have a very successful webinar.

[jbr]

hey, just look to the right of your page...offer a money back guarantee and a "free prize inside" and you will sell out in no time.

seriously, you are very correct about finding value via the web vs. a focused siminar. it took me several months to learn what you are likely to teach in a couple of hours. a person who is trying to pitch something to a boss will want a focused, concise seminar to provide the ammo needed to start an internal blog.

i am pretty sure you will not have to give back any money or hand out any prizes.....have fun!