299: Organize a Virtual Summit for Instant Traffic, Credibility, Subscribers and Sales with Tom Morkes

What this episode covers

Tom Morkes and his company Insurgent Media specialize in virtual summits, affiliate marketing, and book launches. A virtual summit is a virtual online event where 10 to 30 subject matter experts each present in their sub-area of expertise with you as the organizer. This is a fantastic way to build a list, get credibility, and network with your peers. He walks us through his entire 4-6 month process in 5-6 phases that he plans with clients: strategy/planning: 1 month (two half-hour calls) research/recruitment: celebrities, leaders, popular/interesting topics (14 days for research, 2 months for recruitment) trust building: start conversations pre open-cart / pre-promotion: 2 weeks summit: 1-2 weeks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkLBEckHsB0 Tom also discusses upsell opportunities. For example, summits are not very evergreen and tend to contain specific, cutting-edge information, while a membership site (which you can have as an upsell) contains evergreen information. You can also have a lot of fun with your summit and offer it for free, but later charge for replays and shownotes. Quotes:                                                                                                                                    “The nature of a summit is that it's live to some degree. It's exciting because it's happening now, so it's cutting-edge material.” – Tom Morkes “There has to be congruence across everything you do. There has to be a purpose behind it.” – Tom Morkes “Summits that work best are selling something beyond just content—some kind of service, software, experience—not just ‘here’s more content.” – Tom Morkes Takeaways: 01:55 Virtual summits are powerful lead generation tools that offer free, high-quality education to potential customers. 12:42 Successful marketing campaigns focus on solving specific problems within a narrow, well-defined niche. 27:16 The most effective summit upsells are services or experiences, not additional content. 25:50 Virtual summits work best as time-sensitive, live events that create excitement and urgency. 29:46 Selling more content after a free content-rich summit is challenging and often ineffective.