Case Study: Lessons Learned from TOC 2009 to Grow my Publishing Business

Angelina Ward attended TOC 2009 with the intention of finding a good business model and contacts for selling a new e-product. Unknowingly, she walked away with a plan to grow her business over much more than planned, make solid marketing contacts, create focused market surveys, and even land translation deals – all with the help of the sessions and interactions from TOC 2009. Attending sessions such as Chris Brogan’s keynote, Laurel Tobey’s Digital Book Party, and Michael Hyatt’s Blogging as a Tool for Change, she quickly learned how to become engrossed in the gratification of social media. These sessions and the interactions during the show such as live tweeting, being retweeted and instant responses and feedback to sessions and speakers – sparked an immediate reaction to become involved in my new line of products, customers, and authors. After the show and throughout 2009, these actions gave way to bigger opportunities for the Syngress imprint and tangible results including monetary business growth. Angelina accepted the transparency of social media and quickly became a fixture within the industry and recognized as a person of trust.