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Gevril and Haurex Italia dinner during Baselworld in March 2011 with Larry Brauner standing in the background.
Baselworld 2012 is right around the corner!
Jan
10
Facebook Fan Page Event Going Viral and Attracting Hundreds Already
Filed Under Facebook, Networking and Marketing Strategy, News, Outside the Box, Public Relations, Social Media and Social Networking Sites
A few days into 2010, I launched a major publicity event in connection with my upcoming 58th birthday. The event will take place right on my Facebook fan page.This event’s premise is that each guest will post a link on my Facebook fan page, visible for all to see. They may link to a blog, a website or even a profile on one of the major social networking sites. I agreed to follow their link with the intention of commenting, sharing the link, or submitting it to social bookmarking sites.
When I undertook this unusual event, I was aware that I would be busy with it for weeks. I planned it very carefully with seven key objectives in mind:
- Win Win - I wanted each event participant to benefit, not only me.
- Interaction - I wanted to interact with each participant and start or nurture relationships. Community engagement is always a challenge.
- Meeting People - I wanted to expand my network and connect with new people.
- Collaboration - I wanted to share my expertise and influence. I believed that a good number of participants would want to do the same. Collaboration is a primary theme for me in 2010.
- Branding - I wanted to demonstrate that I could conceptualize and implement a creative and meaningful social media event as part of my overall walking the walk strategy.
- Leverage - In 2009 I reached out to many people. I wanted to do something that would include them and permit them to support me.
- Momentum - After a slow 2009 holiday season, I wanted to build new momentum. Last year’s momentum was sustained by the articles I wrote and the growth of my network. This year’s momentum will be sustained by community-oriented projects as well.
The initial reaction to my event on Facebook, Twitter and blogs has been very encouraging.
- Tom Woolf, author of The PRagmatist, was enthusiastic: “I want to give Larry Brauner a nod for trying a different kind of social media experiment.”
- W. James Wright in Tweet it Toronto lamented “This is one for the ‘Wish I Woulda Thoughta That File.’”
- Rachel McAlpine in Contented Blog said “How quickly the shiny- new Facebook became boring-boring same-old same-old. I’m happy to say that Larry’s virtual party has already seeded my brain with other social marketing ideas.”
As I prepare to publish this article, 260 people have indicated that they’re “Attending” and 165 that they’re “Maybe Attending.” Entries will be accepted until the end of the event on January 14. I cover the details in 4+ Day Blog and Website Promotion Event and Social Media Party. It would help greatly if you could tweet that article (using this pre-formatted link).
If you could Digg this article and share it with acquaintances in the media, you’d be doing me an enormous favor.
Before I go, I must not forget to mention that there will be door prizes. The prizes and the winners will be announced some time after the completion of the event. Also, in case you’re new here and wondering, subscribing and commenting are the accepted norms.
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Tags: Facebook, Larry Brauner, Public Relations
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It will look like this: Facebook Fan Page Event Going Viral and Attracting Hundreds Already21 Responses to “Facebook Fan Page Event Going Viral and Attracting Hundreds Already”
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Ok Larry- how do I get to the Party!
Are you walking or driving?
The rules are here:
4+ Day Blog and Website Promotion Event and Social Media Party
The event itself is here:
96-Hour Promote a Blog or Website Marathon
Hope to “see you” there Delores.
Hey Larry, Brilliant idea! I guess when they say we get better with age it must be true… cause you have come up with a winner of a promo. I’m going to check my date book and see if I can make it to the party. Thanks for the invite. jj
Larry, this came up in my Twitter feed, so it certainly is going viral. Well done, it’s a great way to get connections and showcase your skill as a Social Networker.
But is the situation totally win-win? I’m all about making effective connections over raw numbers and I explain it in more detail on my blog as people tend to get caught up in the whirlwind of social networking numbers and lose sight of the overall goal, which is generating business!
Thank you for visiting Toby. I appreciate your question.
There are several reasons why this is a win for my guests:
There are clearly potential benefits to them: learning something new and meeting people who interest them.
I read your article, and there’s a fine point I need to share with you about this event.
I organized this event because I’m in marketing and public relations. If I were an accountant, I’d organize a completely different kind of event that would attract people looking for financial services.
The people I invited were in my target audience. If I were an accountant, they would be too. They’d just be different people!
I’m all for targeting. My Twitter and Facebook are both targeted. And if I were an accountant or lawyer, they would be just as targeted, because they wouldn’t be the people I’m reaching out to now; they’d be different ones.
Hope this makes sense.
Larry,
Thanks for taking the time out to look at my blog, always enjoy the interaction from people in the industry.
I also appreciate the clarification. We’ve encountered so many small businesses who look at raw numbers as being the solution to all their marketing problems, so hopefully you’ll understand why I’m a little bit wary.
I’ve bookmarked your blog and will be following it up to see how the event turns out.
All the best,
Toby
Larry, I’m looking forward to this event. I’m glad I saw it now, because I’ve been somewhat busy and had not had time to register. I’ll be there. Thanks for demonstrating thought leadership and action
I have RSVPed and am looking forward to checking out some of your other followers’ sites Larry! I just wanted to thank you again for putting this event together!
Nice work done by you. Keep up your good work.
Thanks a lot for the information.
Thank you all for your comments. The event is happening right now on my Facebook page. See you there.
Thanks again Larry, I’m in with both feet, and it’s freezing outside, but it’s gonna’ be rockin’ inside, at your party! So, I raise a toast to Larry…Happy Birthday, and ROCK ON!
Just posted my first blog article SINCE vacation began AND I referred to your birthday party
I’m heading to Facebook right now!
Amazing idea, driving lots of traffic while helping everyone out. Thats what I like to call a win-win.
Great way to get people involved Larry! Definitely NOT the usual, submit your email and get blasted with resale junk emails from me approach!
I will be mentioning this on my webcast and talk show this week. The talkshow is tonight, so you may be getting some more joiners tonight (if it isn’t already too late).
I have been very impressed overall with the entries. It’s great to see what people are doing.. and what they’re not doing.
I will accept late entries with the understanding that it may take some time to get to them.
Thanks for extending the party.
[…] influence and traffic are nearly a perfect fit for marketing business networking sites, groups and events, something that I’ve in fact thought about in passing […]
´A social media Party´ - a very, very creative idea - in many ways - very, very clever thinking - thanx for sharing !
- as someone else wrote - this will spark some new ideas, on how to do events on the web, viral events, and connecting with people in new, and different ways, even in a highly positive way !
enjoy,
Dann Sommer *The Network Maxmizer* / www.dann-somm.dk
[…] on my Facebook page celebrating my birthday back in January was a successful networking event that went viral and attracted hundreds. Many people made important new connections during the January networking […]
[…] Media Party, took place January 2010 on my Facebook page in celebration of my 58th birthday. This Facebook event went viral and attracted well over 300 participants. As a result, I added many new fans and generated a […]