Reinventing Virtual Events

CHAPTER 17Build the Buzz Vortex; Become Your Industry Focal Point

Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.

— John Wanamaker (1838–1922)

Contrarian views stand out, being an iconoclast in a sea of conformity. What do you believe in profoundly that slaughters sacred cows in your industry? What's your “why?” Do you think sales development reps (SDRs) will disappear, replaced by demand gen (peak inbound is already ubiquitous), automation, and artificial intelligence (coming soon)? One of Justin's favorite predictions.

We chose to disrupt business‐to‐business (B2B), although Julia controversially suggested that “marketing and sales” operate like one function (with some caveats; see elsewhere in the book for a deeper explanation). Polarity and innovation magnetically attract and, when done in parallel, become a content marketing supernova or black hole, depending on how you look at it.

Julia invented go‐to‐market (GTM) cross‐training to challenge a siloed industry and take the event format deeper than anyone else had ever done before. While polarization and innovation will pull conversations toward you, it all depends on what you desire your brand voice to be. Controversial content presents a brand risk but often an immediate payoff upside. Is immediacy worth the scorched earth? “All publicity is good publicity” for an entrepreneur, ...