TedTalks of Social Media

Marketing is evolving at an unprecedented rate. In an attempt to catch a breath, over 1000 of the brightest minds from around the world including Australia, India, Israel, the UK, Latin America and Spain, assembled in early April, in San Diego for what could be called the TedTalks of Social Media.

Organized by Michael Stelzner, Social Media Marketing World 2013 (#SMMW13) set a new standard for idea sharing and harnessed the power of like-minded thinkers to form a petri dish of social inspiration.

The opening keynote featured Michael Stelzner, Larry Benet and Mari Smith. During it,  Stelzner asked the simple question, “Has college prepared you for today’s marketing?” and we suddenly realized that it hadn’t.

Over the span of 3 intense days, 33 of the top social media professionals — from companies like LinkedIn, Intel, Sharpie, HubSpot, and many more — began to plug the holes with their social media marketing strategies, tricks, and tips that have proven successful in today’s marketing climate.

Salesmen are out – Educators are in

Marketing is no longer about selling; it is about teaching. Consumers are so well informed nowadays, thanks to the web. Outbound marketing, gimmicky taglines and salesy agendas thrown at faceless masses are no longer working.

Today’s inbound marketing is all about attracting clients by enabling them to find you. Once they do, convert them into brand advocates and let them spread your message for you.

Openmoves sat front and center as Chris Brogan captivated a standing room only crowd with his magic formula to building a better online digital presence: Outposts –> Media Empire — > Homebase (or Email). (To dive deeper into this concept, check out Mastering your Digital Channel).

5 new, social media selling rules (click to tweet)

1. “Never post on Facebook if you aren’t educating, entertaining or empowering.” ~ Amy Porterfield
2. Speak to your followers like friends, not companies.
3. Be human. People like people, not companies.
4. “Focus less on selling more, and more on teaching more.” ~Jay Baer
5. “Social isn’t about B2B or B2C, it’s about P2P.” ~Mark Schaefer

Content marketing is the new black

Many say that content creation is the most challenging part of marketing today. What makes it so difficult? Genuine, qualitative content cannot be faked and it cannot be automated. It requires time, sweat, knowledge, teamwork and recycling.

Jason Miller from Marketo revealed that this effort can be reduced by tapping into and reusing existing content. He compared it to our approach to the Thanksgiving turkey: “Content should be repurposed and then repurposed some more!”

5 new, social media content rules (click to tweet)

1. Create 10 different tweets for every 1 blog post
2. Recycle content to create giveaways like eBooks, cheat sheets, …
3. “The future is having a marketing plan for each piece of content you create.” ~Jay Baer
4. “If you can’t create enough content – outsource it.” ~Brian Carter
5. “Write content that people will go back to, like a recipe.” ~Chris Brogan

You need to be blogging right now!

Your blog is your content warehouse. It is the heart of your content marketing strategy. Using social media to promote your blog, keeps your brand findable with search engines, drives traffic directly back to your website, helps initiate profitable consumer action, and enhances your position as an industry leader.

If you are still not sold on the power of blogging, keep in mind that the Huffington Post started as a blog in 2005. Then in 2011, it was acquired by AOL for $315 million.

5 new, social media blogging rules (click to tweet)

1. “Content is the fire and social media is the gasoline.” ~Jay Baer
2. “86% of Influencers blog.” ~Michael Stelzner
3. “80% content, 20% promotion. 80% focus on *them*, 20% focus on you.” ~Mari Smith
4. “The blog is the rug that ties the entire room together.” ~Jason Miller
5. “The blog gives me a lot of opportunities; the newsletter provides me business.” ~Chris Brogan

Above all GET THE EMAIL!

The most resounding message throughout the SMMW13 conference was the importance of email list building and lead nurturing through targeted dynamic email campaigns. The more people see you on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, Slideshare and Pinterest, the more likely they are to open your email when it hits the inbox. And the inbox is where your subtle selling should begin.

5 new, social media + email marketing rules

1. “The best way to convert your leads is email marketing.” ~Amy Porterfield
2. “Facebook marketing as a holistic approach should combine email marketing, landing pages to convert.” ~Amy Porterfield
3. “Our email list is at the core of what we do at SM examiner.” ~Michael Stelzner
4. “Calls to action on your blog to create conversion to email list = gold.” ~Michael Stelzner
5. “The inbox is the best social network in the world.” ~Chris Brogan

If you have questions or need help putting these ideas in motion, give us a shout at info@openmoves.com.

For more Social Media resources visit:

Social Media Survival Essentials for Your Company

New Rules for Social Media from SMMW13

Listen Up! | FREE Social Media Listening Checklist

Social Media Fosters Dialog in Election Campaigns

9-Step Social Media Plan For Marketers and Business Owners