User Power
Post/Like Ratio
21%
Wait, it gets better . . .
So I'm looking through my spam folder today and see an email from Bill (snowbank). Apparently my email provider doesn't like Bill's email addy. :shruggie:
So I open the email, and it turns out there is a big get together tonight of a marketing group Bill belongs to (AIMEN-- Austin Internet Marketing Entrepreneurs Network).
Their special meeting tonight features 6 entrepreneurial women, answering questions from the audience.
So I google map it. I have a bus dropping me off at bedandbreakfast.com headquarters ("A" on the map). And I'm planning on walking over to the Long Center after that for a big innkeeper's party ("C" on the map). So I stick in the address of where this special marketing meeting is ("B"):
700 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701 to The Long Center for the Performing Arts - Google Maps
(select "walking" instead of drive, and you'll see why I was pretty much amazed).
It was exactly between the two spots I was going to!
********
So I RSVP for this marketing event, and send them a question.
Go to the first event, have a Shiner Bock (yum), then walk to this internet marketing thing--- w/another innkeeper who is WAY more tech savvy than me. His wife is also w/us (very cool lady).
The whole panel thing is very cool-- and they're shooting it for release to the web!
At the end, the organizer gets up and says, "We have time for one more question. There's a guy here who owns a B&B in the Napa Valley . . ."
(at this point, I'm thinking, "this is just unreal . . .", but I'm also worried that the organizer is going to mess up my question (he's trying to read my email on his iphone, in the dark).
So he says, "Are you here? Why don't you come up here and ask your question?"
!
So I do. I turn to the ladies (camera is on me), and tell them we have a B&B in the Napa Valley, and we have a lot of high-tech gals in our area. So my question to them is: How do I address you as a market?
First lady doesn't really get it. Yells at me for being too macho, and tells me if we want to attract women, we've got to let go of the macho thing.
I jump back in (moderator hands me the mike), and I say something like, "Thank you. Actually, the majority of our market is women-- they're the ones who find us."
So the 2nd gal on the panel says, "So what are you asking? How to market to women?"
And I say, "No-- I want to know how to market to YOU. To tech girls."
And she nods and goes "Ahhhh. . . ."
And that's where the whole thing just took off.
Fantastic answers. They asked a few questions about our inn (and made me say the name of it on camera! )
Afterwards, I'm handing out our business cards to all of the ladies on the panel. Two of them want to book getaways or mastermind groups at our Inn. I'm shocked (all I wanted to do was ask a question-- and I'm getting business-- this is insane!).
Next thing I know, another gal from the audience comes up to me and says, "I don't know why you're here tonight (I tell her), so then she says, "I'm a travel writer. I have tons of PR contacts, and I would love to help you if I can. Here's my card. I have a friend in New York who just got an assignment to do a travel piece on the Napa Valley-- I'll have him call you, OK?"
I walked out of there kinda gobsmacked.
All because I walked into the wrong restaurant last night . . . and a fellow fastlaner spotted me . . .
Thanks again, Bill. I'll post updates to this thread if anything more happens!
-Russ H.
So I'm looking through my spam folder today and see an email from Bill (snowbank). Apparently my email provider doesn't like Bill's email addy. :shruggie:
So I open the email, and it turns out there is a big get together tonight of a marketing group Bill belongs to (AIMEN-- Austin Internet Marketing Entrepreneurs Network).
Their special meeting tonight features 6 entrepreneurial women, answering questions from the audience.
So I google map it. I have a bus dropping me off at bedandbreakfast.com headquarters ("A" on the map). And I'm planning on walking over to the Long Center after that for a big innkeeper's party ("C" on the map). So I stick in the address of where this special marketing meeting is ("B"):
700 Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701 to The Long Center for the Performing Arts - Google Maps
(select "walking" instead of drive, and you'll see why I was pretty much amazed).
It was exactly between the two spots I was going to!
********
So I RSVP for this marketing event, and send them a question.
Go to the first event, have a Shiner Bock (yum), then walk to this internet marketing thing--- w/another innkeeper who is WAY more tech savvy than me. His wife is also w/us (very cool lady).
The whole panel thing is very cool-- and they're shooting it for release to the web!
At the end, the organizer gets up and says, "We have time for one more question. There's a guy here who owns a B&B in the Napa Valley . . ."
(at this point, I'm thinking, "this is just unreal . . .", but I'm also worried that the organizer is going to mess up my question (he's trying to read my email on his iphone, in the dark).
So he says, "Are you here? Why don't you come up here and ask your question?"
!
So I do. I turn to the ladies (camera is on me), and tell them we have a B&B in the Napa Valley, and we have a lot of high-tech gals in our area. So my question to them is: How do I address you as a market?
First lady doesn't really get it. Yells at me for being too macho, and tells me if we want to attract women, we've got to let go of the macho thing.
I jump back in (moderator hands me the mike), and I say something like, "Thank you. Actually, the majority of our market is women-- they're the ones who find us."
So the 2nd gal on the panel says, "So what are you asking? How to market to women?"
And I say, "No-- I want to know how to market to YOU. To tech girls."
And she nods and goes "Ahhhh. . . ."
And that's where the whole thing just took off.
Fantastic answers. They asked a few questions about our inn (and made me say the name of it on camera! )
Afterwards, I'm handing out our business cards to all of the ladies on the panel. Two of them want to book getaways or mastermind groups at our Inn. I'm shocked (all I wanted to do was ask a question-- and I'm getting business-- this is insane!).
Next thing I know, another gal from the audience comes up to me and says, "I don't know why you're here tonight (I tell her), so then she says, "I'm a travel writer. I have tons of PR contacts, and I would love to help you if I can. Here's my card. I have a friend in New York who just got an assignment to do a travel piece on the Napa Valley-- I'll have him call you, OK?"
I walked out of there kinda gobsmacked.
All because I walked into the wrong restaurant last night . . . and a fellow fastlaner spotted me . . .
Thanks again, Bill. I'll post updates to this thread if anything more happens!
-Russ H.
Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum:
Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.