content live

Attending a live event or workshop can be a game-changing experience. Connecting with other like-minded business owners, and taking a break from your regular everyday routine, can leave you feeling motivated and buzzing with inspiration and ideas for your business.

But with so much valuable content being shared, it may also leave you feeling slightly overwhelmed and wondering if there were any key points that you missed. With that in mind, here is a review of the highlights of Content Live on November 15 & 16.

If you missed out this year, but are considering attending an event in 2019, you may also find this post useful to give you an idea of what a Janet Murray event looks like. Or alternatively, if you’re an event organiser, you might also find this an interesting behind-the-scenes account of our sales and marketing strategy.

The concept

We heard from some of the UK’s most inspiring marketers who shared their secrets on planning, creating and publishing high-quality content that attracts tons of engagement (PLUS how they manage to be so damn consistent).

Together, we helped and inspired the delegates to come up with a content plan so they are ready to start 2019 with a bang. We looked at what kind of content to publish and when and where to publish it - be that on your blog, vlog, social media platforms, email marketing or in the press.

One of our popular 2019 Media Diaries was also included in the ticket, which is packed full of awareness days and key dates which you can use to plan out your media content across the year. No more trawling the web for inspiration for blog articles, social media updates or ideas to pitch into the press. Delegates were taught how to use the Media Diary effectively and were very excited to start putting it to good use.

We heard from some of the UK’s most successful marketers on how they plan & create high-quality content that attracts leads and sales for their business. They didn’t just tell us what to do – but got us creating content ‘live’ in the class. The delegates also got to meet them all in-person, in the popular speed networking session.  In addition this year, we also offered a pre-event photo walk with Phil Pallen (the afternoon before the event) plus a Twitter breakfast on Day 1 which gave people the opportunity to learn more about using Twitter to grow their business.

Using the creative content ideas picked up on Day 1, delegates created a content plan for the coming year.  As well as hearing from some more incredible guest speakers, I led two sessions on content planning plus we had the opportunity to find out more about our individual entrepreneur superpower - a personality profiling system which helps you choose the right growth strategy for your business - with business development coach, Osmaan Sharif.

Before the event on Day 2, Andrew and Pete also hosted an optional breakfast session for anyone interested in finding out more about messenger bots and how they can help your business.

The Venue

For the third year running the event was held at The Trampery, a co-working space in trendy Shoreditch, East London. We used the ballroom, a versatile space that includes a 12-metre long art installation by acclaimed London designers, Bad Marriage.

The Speakers

Dan Knowlton (digital marketing expert), Phil Pallen (personal branding and social media expert), Liz Melville (Facebook ads strategist), Bronte Huskinson (author, content creator and photographer), Amy Woods (content repurposing expert), Ant McGinley (podcaster), Osmaan Sharif (business development coach), Amanda Webb (content marketing and social media expert) plus content marketing experts Andrew and Pete.  

The Goody Bags

We love to send our delegates home with a gorgeous gift bag full of goodies…and this event was no exception. I’ve listed the products that were included in our gift bags below:

The workbook

I set myself the challenge of creating the ‘best workbook ever’ for my live events and I hope I succeeded this time around. As well as the standard programme information, it also has a helpful media diary planning section which gives delegates an introduction to the Media Diary.  There was also plenty of space to write notes plus there were pictures (and social media handles) of every single delegate who attended.

Photography and videography

Our official event photographer Catherine Berry documented the whole event in pictures throughout the two days She also offered a special package for a mini headshot session for speakers and delegates while they were in London for the event.  And BBC journalist Marc Ashdown recorded the whole event. The video content from this event makes up part of the 2019 Sorted Toolkit for entrepreneurs and creatives, which you can learn more about here.

The Team

I couldn’t put on an event of this size without the support of an experienced team. Here’s the team that helped me before and during the event.

The Marketing Strategy

Two day tickets ranged from £399+VAT for a super earlybird ticket to £549+VAT for a last minute ticket. VIP tickets ranged from £549+VAT for a super earlybird ticket to £699+VAT for a last minute ticket. We also offered single day tickets, and delegates could choose whether they wanted to come to day one, for inspiration, or day two to focus on planning their 2019 content. The single day tickets started at £249+VAT.  Tickets went on sale in what we described as a “soft launch” on July 5 and over 50% of tickets had sold out by the official scheduled launch date for the event, which was the 3rd of September.

Soft launch marketing emails went out to members of my Love Marketing membership, delegates that attended Media Influence Live in July, delegates that had previously attended my content planning event Your Year in PR, and people that had signed up to go on the waitlist for my next live event.

To create ‘buzz’ about the event, before the tickets went on sale, we shared our ideas for the event content and artwork on social media and got great feedback.

The event was mainly marketed by email with regular updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Instagram Stories. I also talked about the event on my podcast which definitely led to ticket sales and I did a live Facebook Q&A for anyone attending or interested in attending the event.

In the run up to the event, I created some blog posts aimed to help people find out more about Content Live in order to address any objections or queries people may have.  You can read them here:

How I chose the speakers for Content Live 2018

Should I buy a Day 1 or Day 2 ticket for Content Live?

I updated and shared previous blogs I’ve written to help people get the most out of the event which you can read here:

How to prepare to attend a conference or workshop

How to stand out on social media at a live event

Non-sucky networking tips for live events

5 reasons to blog about attending live events

How to write a blog post about an event you’re attending

I also created a dedicated Facebook Community, Twitter list and held a pre-event briefing call, using the video conferencing software Zoom to allow guests and speakers to ‘meet’ one another ahead of the event.

I encouraged guests to create preview content ahead of the event, which led to eight pieces of content, which you can read here.

Why I’m nervous and excited about attending Content Live by Catherine Gladwyn

7 reasons to attend events in your creative niche by Erin Spurling

How to prepare for networking when it’s out of your comfort zone by Sally Dhillon

Why I’m taking my values to London by Becky Kilsby

What are my objectives for attending Content Live 2018 by Jennifer Macdonald-Nethercott

How to keep momentum after attending a live event by Claire Grace

Why attending live events can benefit your business by Catherine France

Content Live - Refuel and reignite by Anna Gilderson

A ten-day email ‘countdown’ sequence helped create excitement ahead of the event. These emails included tips on writing a pre-event blog, how to stand out on social media at a live event, how to network at live events and how to make sales at the event. As well as full joining instructions (to make sure all our guests were completely clear about where they needed to be, when) and reminders about the pre-event briefing call, held on Zoom to answer any questions that delegates might have pre-event.

We also included shareable – and personalised – images like the example above, and encouraged guests to start using the event hashtag – #2019sorted –  well ahead of the event. We even created personalised Twitter avatars for our speakers and delegates.

Day 1:

Breakfast: Twitter Breakfast with Phil Pallen

About 40 delegates arrived early for the bonus Twitter session, hosted by Phil Pallen, which was enjoyed over a light breakfast of pastries, fruit and copious amounts of coffee!  Phil shared how to grow your following on Twitter and how to use the platform to connect with customers online.

Session 1: Dan Knowlton - Stop talking about video and actually do it

Dan Knowlton kicked us off for Day 1 with a great interactive session where not only did he share the importance of using video in your business, but how to create engaging video content that will inform and entertain your audience.  Everyone was then challenged to create a short video themselves using the tips that Dan had taught us.

Session 2: Phil Pallen - Why you should be using Pinterest in 2019

Phil Pallen shared with us all the importance of Pinterest to grow your audience and get more eyes on your content.  Delegates had some real light-bulb moments when it came to using hashtags and keywords on Pinterest, how repinning other people's content will build your following and which tools and resources you can use to set up scheduling on Pinterest.

Session 3: Liz Melville - What’s working on Facebook right now

Facebook may be the ‘grandfather’ of social media according to Liz Melville, but she insists it is still very relevant today, especially considering it has the most targeted advertising platform in the world.  Liz shared how to attract the right people, build deep connections and convert them to customers.

Lunch

Following a quick Pilates session which helped everyone relax after an intense morning of learning, led by Love Marketing member and Pilates instructor, Louise Humphrey, a delicious lunch was served up for delegates and speakers.  The intimacy and access we provide to speakers throughout breaks and lunchtime is one of the biggest selling points of the event.

Session 4: Bronte Huskinson and Janet Murray - Creative Instagram Marketing

In our first session after lunch, Bronte Huskinson shared her Instagram journey with everyone including how she has developed and curated her feed over the years, why it’s important to always post your best content and why you don’t necessarily need to post everyday.  Janet then asked all the speakers to share their own top Instagram tip and delegates were challenged to create an Instagram story - some delegates doing so for the very first time.

Session 5: Amy Woods - How to repurpose your content

Amy’s talk was jam-packed full of practical tips and strategies for ways you can make your content stretch further to reach a wider audience. She also shared the seven different ways people learn and how this is vital to knowing what types of content you need to be creating.

Session 6: Ant McGinley - Are you ready for audio? Using audio in your marketing

In this super interactive talk from Ant McGinley, Ant shared the importance of using audio in your business and how you can start today.  Together with the delegates, Ant set the challenge of creating a podcast in under twenty minutes proving that you don’t need heaps of time or advanced equipment to plan, record and upload a podcast.

Session 7: Table talks with speakers

In the afternoon, delegates got the opportunity to meet every single speaker in our speed networking session. We rotated the speakers around the room so each table of eight delegates got 10 minutes with every speaker so they could ask questions. This is generally the most popular part of the day and this year was no exception.

VIP session

A small number of delegates opted to stay on for a two-hour VIP mastermind session with the speakers. Each delegate got 20 minutes in the hot seat with the speakers. This part of the day was more relaxed, with beer wine and nibbles.

Social

After the event, delegates headed to The Bike Shed – a quirky restaurant cum barbers cum motorcycle shop in Shoreditch.

Day 2:

Breakfast: Hot Bot Breakfast with Andrew and Pete

To start off Day 2, delegates joined Andrew and Pete for breakfast to discuss Facebook messenger bots and how you can make them work for your business.  It also included a long Q&A session which gave everyone a chance to unpack the nitty-gritty of using messenger bots and tips and tricks for solving any problems that may arise.

Session 1: Osmaan Sharif - How to use your entrepreneurial superpower

In a fascinating talk from Osmaan Sharif, we learnt all about our entrepreneurial superpowers and how identifying our personality type will not only help us plan our content, but grow our business too.  We were also taught how we can use this information to work out what type of selling our customers will respond to.

Session 2: Janet Murray - Creating your content plan for 2019

In this extended session Janet challenged the delegates to create content ideas using their new Media Diaries.  By encouraging the delegates to think about the questions their audience ask them, Janet challenged them to think of 12 content ideas in seven minutes.  She then went on to share how you can repurpose those content ideas into different pieces of content, suitable for different platforms.  Janet also gave great examples of different types of content, including how they have worked for her in her business.

Session 3: Amanda Webb - How to get more eyes on your content

Amanda shared some top tips on how to get more eyes on your content including which resources you can use to find out what questions people are asking in search engines, and how you can utilise Facebook groups to find out what content you should be creating.  She also shared her failproof strategies for promoting each piece to ensure you get consistent traffic to your content.

Session 4: Andrew and Pete - How to build a content automation for your business

Andrew and Pete did an awesome job of closing the event with some fab tips on how you can logistically create a high volume of content, how to plan your time so you are more productive and how to choose which tasks to focus on.  They also shared honestly about how outsourcing has helped them make more money in their business and what steps delegates can make going forward to create a content automating machine themselves.

Content Live 2018 felt, more than ever, to be an interactive event which had a buzzing atmosphere right from the start, full of people brimming with ideas and enthusiasm.  Not only were they taught how to use different types of content to market and grow their business, but they were continuously challenged to put those tips into action - there and then.  Whether it be creating a podcast for the first time, going live on Facebook, posting Instagram stories or using Pinterest, delegates were encouraged (and shown how) to use different platforms to build their audience and share their content.

The delegates were also taught how to plan content for the coming year, including great tips on how to come up with content ideas, how to repurpose that content, and how to get more eyes on your content once it's published.  The Twitter and Hot Bot breakfasts which we hosted for the first time (and were optional) proved to be very popular, as did the socials organised around the event including the meal on the Thursday evening and informal cocktails after the event on Friday.  Not only did the delegates learn a lot throughout the couple of days, they gained new friendships, made new connections (which continue to develop in the designated Facebook group) and it is such a pleasure to see this amazing community of driven and inspired business owners go from strength to strength.

If you missed out on attending the live event, you still have the chance to benefit by getting your hands on 2019 Sorted - THE CONTENT PLANNING TOOLKIT FOR ENTREPRENEURS AND CREATIVES​