Now this is what I call conference food!
During social media week in Boston, I was excited to have the opportunity to be the morning keynote on day two of GSMI’s Social Media Strategies Summit Boston. In addition to speaking at the event, I also attended most of the conference for the learning opportunities. I’ve said it before, but social media conferences offer an excellent opportunity to step away from your day-to-day, connect with and learn from other leaders in your field. True to form, this event was no different. Here are several highlights from the event:
Photos, Pheasants and A Social Media Amen
The event kicked off with an inspirational talk from Jeffrey Hayzlett, the former CMO of Eastman Kodak, who is now a bestselling author and one hell of of a speaker. I’ve heard Jeffrey speak before, but it was just as impressive the second time around. I personally find that the most memorable conference talks involve engaging, relatable stories, tweetable soundbites, humor and a presenter with a lot of energy. Jeffrey has all of these qualities (can I get a social media amen!), but what really goes the extra mile is that he’s not afraid to be himself. In between social media and marketing anecdotes, I learned that he once ran a PR firm, always wanted to be a cowboy and likes to hunt pheasants. Those three are not things you hear often at social media conferences ;).
Speaking capabilities aside, Jeffrey’s presentation also offered a number of leadership tips to the audience. First and foremost, successful leaders inspire meaningful change. Having the ability to inspire change is extremely important for a career in social media. For marketers at a company that is new to social media, you may be guiding your colleagues through how to start a dynamic program. You will need to leverage strong leadership skills to make your vision a reality. On the flip side, marketers at a company with more robust programs may be tipped off to key feedback or emerging trends from their customer base. In this case, leadership skills are critical to shifting perception internally and encouraging change that’s the best for the company.
Leveraging Engaging, Actionable Content to Grow Your Facebook Community
Another memorable conference presentation came from Chris Dion with the NCAA. I’m fortunate to know a few folks there and love what they’re doing in social media. Chris shared how the NCAA approaches fan engagement and community building through strong content. In general, content strategy was a huge theme at the conference and for good reason. Brands need to be thoughtful about what they’re sharing every day and it can be challenging to keep coming up with fresh new content.
If you follow the NCAA on its social media channels, you’ll see that they use Facebook to engage and Twitter to inform. They also have a focus on sharing content, especially on Facebook, that you can’t find elsewhere. For example, the NCAA wrestling Facebook page is one of their top online communities, because prior to creating the page, there was no other place on the web for college wrestling fans to come together.
While it’s fantastic to create a forum for fans to come together, content is the glue that keeps the community coming back for more. Photos are one good example of how the NCAA uses content to spark engagement. Day to day, you’ll see compelling images, some with quotes or captions embedded in the image. The strategy behind this is to plus up images with quotes or captions that motivate engagement. The best part? All you need is a photo and a range of simple photo editing tools to create this kind of content.
Final Thought
It’s always nice when there is a great conference in your backyard. While I was only able to highlight two talks, there were so many other fantastic presentations at this event. Thank you to the team at GSMI for a great event!