Summits vs. Every Other Strategy You've Tried (Let's Do the Math)
Most of us never actually stop to really evaluate what our marketing strategies are giving back to us in return for all the time and effort we put into them.
We just... keep doing them. We add the next thing an expert says we should be doing, we keep the old things going because we already have the systems down, and then we quietly wonder why we're this busy and still not where we want to be.
So today we're doing the math! I'm taking the strategies I see people relying on most and running every single one of them through the same set of questions, then doing the exact same thing with a virtual summit so you can see the comparison side by side. This isn't me telling you summits are the only strategy worth using (I actively use every single strategy I'm about to talk about), but if you've been feeling stuck and wondering whether a summit is worth it, I think this will help you stop waiting.
Listen to the episode
Why I started running this math
Before I started hosting summits, I was doing all the things. Ten posts a day on Facebook and Twitter (it was Twitter back then), daily Periscope lives (remember those?), weekly YouTube videos, two podcast episodes a week, two blog posts a week, and emails on top of it. I was working 12-hour days, seven days a week, and making the bare minimum at around $3,000 a month.
When I finally hit a breaking point, I asked why. And it clicked that none of those strategies were wrong, they were just wrong for the results I needed and the place I was at. I needed a way to make that comparison, and I didn't have the knowledge to do it back then.
The 3 questions I run every strategy through
- Time cost. Not just how much time it takes, but whether it keeps paying off after your time stops going to it.
- New audience reach. If you're not consistently growing, you'll run out of the people you need to make consistent sales.
- Conversion potential. Is it moving people toward buying, and how quickly and effectively?
One more thing that isn't part of the framework but matters just as much: whether you actually enjoy it. If you hate a strategy and it isn't bringing results, consider this your permission slip to stop.
How the most common strategies stack up
- Consistent content (social, blog, podcast, YouTube): high time cost that never ends, low new reach for most of us, and it builds trust more than it converts. Great for staying top of mind. Not a growth engine.
- Challenges: medium to high time cost, but in a burst with a finish line. New reach depends on ads, affiliates, and niche. Strong converter for people who already know you. My favorite between-summits strategy!
- Webinars and live trainings: low time cost (once you have a system), but reach is mostly limited to your current audience. This is a conversion tool, not a list-building tool.
- Paid ads: low time cost, high monetary cost, reach can be high, and conversion depends entirely on what's waiting on the other end.
What happens when you run a summit through the same questions
Time cost: the highest of anything here. I'm not going to tell you a summit is easy. But like a challenge, there's a finish line!
New reach: higher than anything else you can do. Most of our first-time clients land between 2,000 and 5,000 new registrations, and some niche hobby and interest-based audiences go far beyond that.
Conversion: very high, with multiple layers. All-access pass sales during the event, sponsorship revenue before registration even opens, and the biggest launch of your signature offer you've ever had.
Every other strategy on this list does one job. It grows your audience, OR it warms up your people, OR it converts your warm people. A summit does ALL of it at the same time.
The objection I hear most
"I don't have time to add that on top of what I'm already doing."
My response: how many of the things you're currently doing are actually worth it?
I cut YouTube entirely, drastically cut my social posting, and dropped my blog from twice a week to once. I never had to pick any of it back up, because the summit worked that well and fueled those other strategies anyway!
I get into more of the why behind all of this in the episode, including where each of these strategies hits its ceiling and why a summit doesn't really have one.
Want to know if a summit makes sense for you?
I'm opening free Summit to Sales audits for podcast listeners! No call required, just a quick form about your business and summit goals. I'll tell you whether a summit is the right next move, what you'd want to pay the most attention to if you hosted one, and what it could realistically do for you based on where you're at.
DM me the word AUDIT on Instagram @summitinabox (or send an email to hello @ summitinabox . co ) and we'll get started!
Resources
- Make the Time mini-course
- Episode 141: 9 Ways to Repurpose Virtual Summit Content
- Episode 179: Make Your Summit-Hosting Experience Easier with Content Batching with Amanda Warfield
- Episode 258: Virtual Summits vs. Challenges: Why I won't stop doing either anytime soon
- Summit Host Hangout® Facebook group
- Launch with a Summit Accelerator®
- 6-Figure Summits Workshop Bundle
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One Summit Away Private Podcast for Membership Site Owners
In 10 short episodes, get a behind-the-scenes look at the summit strategy built specifically for membership owners. Learn how to attract the right people, convert them into members during the event, and build the kind of momentum that sustains your membership long after the summit ends.