Topics

You are welcome to suggest a topic of your own, or to work with me on a customized presentation. You can also select from my favorite topics.



Keynote:

• The Whole World is Like a Small Town: Lessons from Rural Entrepreneurs
  Our economy is more like a small town now, with tight lending and low consumer demand. Technology has made it easy for every one of your customers to talk to every other one of your customers, just like a small town. And society is more focused than ever on small neighborhoods and local business, just like small towns. When the whole world seems like one small town, small towns are the learning lab, and small town entrepreneurs hold secrets to business survival. 

Barry Moltz and I at SXSW

Barry Moltz and I also present "The Whole World is Like a Small Town: Lessons from Rural Entrepreneurs" as a duo.

Small Business: 

• Getting Down to Business with Social Media Marketing
  Everyone is talking about social media tools, but how do they work for small business? We'll go through a four step process to create a living and working plan that brings social media marketing right into the heart of your business.
• Small Business Ideas for Small Towns
  What businesses work in small towns? I'll bring a booklet of 20 great ideas, with a few bonuses thrown in.

Sheila and I presenting at the Texas Association
of Convention and Visitor Bureaus

I frequently partner with Sheila Scarborough to present on tourism topics.




Tourism:

• Finding Your Local Social Media Champions
  You've developed your skills to spread the word about your destination online. Now, let's find and support the army of people who can be your online champions. Online media makers of all kinds are out there: bloggers, video bloggers, Facebook and Twitter mavens on subjects like travel, parenting, sports, foods and your locale. Here's how to network to find them, how to evaluate them to know which ones are the right ones to work with, and how to work with them differently than traditional media. 
• Charge Premium Prices and Visitors Will Thank You
  Visitors are more willing than ever to pay a premium for good works. Social media gives you the room to stretch out and share the story of your good works, so you can earn those premium prices. Now that the online world makes everything like a small town, your small town survival skills become extra valuable online.  

Videos of my presentations:

• 140 Conference Smalltown, "The Small Town Advantage"
• Social Media Breakfast at South by Southwest, "How Social Media and Business Thrive in Rural America"
• Picture My Weekend, impromptu comments on community
• OpenBeta unconference, "Ways to Delegate without Hiring"