Social Media Success Summit 2009 logo

This post is an “entry” in a contest by Chris Garrett to win tickets to the Social Media Success Summit 2009. If I win the Grand Prize (2 tickets+more), I’ll be giving away the other ticket here.

Why do I want we need to attend the Social Media Success Summit 2009 (SMSS09)?

Here’s why:

Our businesses can’t grow without social media.

A blog is a business that requires two components to succeed: content and marketing. If we focus on one and not the other, we’ll amount to nothing more than: a) content slave, or b) wannabe social media expert (both options really suck, by the way).

For example, I’ve been laboring on this blog for 8 months now. I’ve gone from scared, skeptical newbie to committed, confident blogger, and I’m proud of my progress. Every morning at 4:30 I roll out of bed and start another day of writing killer flagship content, and I love it.

But writing is not enough. Despite my content efforts, my blog barely makes a blip on the blogosphere radar. Why is this? Because I don’t have a social media strategy! [And I need one, Chris.]

Most of us aren’t leveraging social media.

If you’re like me, you probably tweet a lot. Conversations and connections are quick and enjoyable and the people are nice. But do you have a viable Twitter strategy? [Hey Chris—I don’t have a Twitter strategy yet, but I’ll sure have one after you send me to SMSS09.]

Perhaps you also have a Facebook page and a LinkedIn account. Maybe even some other social networking accounts like FriendFeed, Tumblr, likaholix and chi.mp. Did you just open those accounts with good intentions but never followed through on utilizing them (like me)?

I’ll be the first to admit I’m a social media newbie. I enjoy using Twitter to talk to cool people, but that’s about it.

Most of us know social media is a great tool, but the truth is we don’t really know how to use it. So what not a better opportunity to learn than the Social Media Success Summit 2009? [Isn’t that right, Chris?]

There will be real social media experts on hand.

Just let the names speak for themselves: Darren Rowse, Brian Clark, Chris Garrett and Gary Vaynerchuk, among others. Need I say more?

Timing is everything.

There’s no better time to start leveraging social media than right now. We’re on the eve of a great Internet Gold Rush, and we all should be poised with the right tools and mindset to prosper.

And with social media being a huge part of that prosperity, doesn’t attending SMSS09 seem like a no-brainer?

One of the big benefits of social media to bloggers is the convenience of it all. There’s nothing to buy and nothing to wait for: we can start self-marketing immediately and still have time to produce high-quality content.

However, what’s holding many of us back from really diving into social media is the lack of organized and credible resources to learn how to use it. We don’t have the time or energy to spend gathering all the free advice and testing out which works best: we want the experts to show us how, right now.

[So Chris, it only makes sense you award me the Grand Prize right now so me and a friend can start learning right away!]

We’re ready to lead.

I know I’m ready to lead. Are you?

I’m ready to stick myself out there and rally people around my ideas. Get them excited and inspired to learn and engage and move forward.  And make good friends along the way.

If it weren’t for social media, quasi-hermits (like me) would still be hunched over the keyboard in desolation. Write, edit, post, wait for comments. Write, edit, post wait for comments. Repeat, all day, every day, until I give up. That’s no way to blog.

Like you, dear reader, I’ve set high expectations for my blog. I wanna take it to the top. But there’s no way that’s going to happen if someone doesn’t give me a hand with my social media strategy. And that’s where SMSS09 and Chris Garrett come in, at least I hope…