Certainly one of the best cities in the U.S. for a conference is San Francisco and in a little over 2 weeks the famous ClickZ Connected Marketing Week returns with 5 days of deep dive online marketing education, networking and knowing SEOs, plenty of fun. A big part of the week is the SES San Francisco conference.
I’ve been attending SES conferences since 2005 and while both the online marketing industry and the SES conference have changed quite a bit, that change has spurred continuous innovation to the benefit of attendees, sponsors and speakers. You’ll find many sessions at 90 minutes instead of 45 or 60, so speakers can really get in-depth with their topics. There are also a number of sessions completely programmed by specific advisory board members, an approach that is new to this SES. To Win a Free Pass to SES San Francisco, Read on!
This year I’ve been given the opportunity, no, THREE opportunities to talk about 3 topics that are near and dear: Social Media, SEO and Content Marketing. And they all happen on the same day! Here’s the lineup:
Thursday, August 18
9:00 – 10:30am – Content Marketing Optimization
The core of any search or social media marketing program centers on content. Digital assets, rich media, web pages, MS Office and PDF docs as well as content created and shared by consumers all offer opportunities for optimization. If it can be searched, it can be optimized!Online marketing is increasingly competitive and brand marketers world-wide are seeking real advantages that will improve the efficiency and impact of their Social Media and SEO efforts. This session provides unique insight into content based optimization strategies and processes as well as tactics for sourcing, creation and promotion of optimized content on the social web.
Speaker: Lee Odden, SES Advisory Board & CEO, TopRank Online Marketing
10:45-12:15pm – The Convergence of Search, Social & Content Marketing
The Google Panda update just made great content critical. Social media is grabbing all the headlines. Search gets more powerful every year. But how do they all play together? How do you increase your odds of being found both in search and social media? How will you consistently create content your a will enjoy? Join this panel as they provide case studies and walk you through a step-by-step approach that any organization can follow to grow their business online.Moderator: Greg Jarboe, President & Co-founder, SEO-PR
Speakers:
Aaron Kahlow, Chairman & Founder, Online Marketing Summit
Arnie Kuenn, President, Vertical Measures
Lee Odden, SES Advisory Board & CEO, TopRank Online Marketing1:15-2:45pm – SEO Track, SEW Labs – Social SEO
Expanding on the popular site clinic approach, which features live web site audits from leading experts, the SEW Labs Series is a peer-group learning experience. This SEO Lab will have a special focus on Social SEO.In each 90-minute Lab, the audience will participate with industry experts and search engine representatives in analyzing and auditing attendee web sites and in delving into the topic at hand via lively discussion. Think “crowd-sourcing consultancy” sessions in a live classroom environment.
WIN A FREE PASS: If you would like your website reviewed for Social and SEO best practices, leave a comment below with your website URL and be sure to include your email address in the appropriate form field. I’ll announce which site(s) get picked during SES liveblog coverage. One lucky winner might even get a FREE PASS to SES San Francisco August 16-18, 2011!
Moderator: Lee Odden, SES Advisory Board & CEO, TopRank Online Marketing
Speakers:
Jonathan Allen, Director, SearchEngineWatch
Ian Lurie, Chief Marketing Curmudgeon and President, Portent
Todd Malicoat, Independent Search Engine Marketing Consultant, stuntdubl
I have to say, this will be a true test to my speaking endurance to have three 90 minute sessions back to back (although there is a lunch break in between) but I’m up to the challenge. The importance of search, social and content marketing along with the accelerating convergence is core to what we practice in our consultancy at TopRank Online Marketing and has been a focus in the writing here at Online Marketing Blog for the past 3 years. It’s great to see this Online Marketing Trilogy of Search, Social & Content Marketing get the attention it deserves at an event as important as SES San Francisco.
But of course, SES SF isn’t all about TopRank 🙂 there’s over 100 speakers at Connected Marketing Week and plenty of learning and networking opportunities. I’m looking forward to the opening keynote presentation from my friend Susan Bratton (who I’ll be interviewing here later in the week). She’s a true pioneer in the digital marketing industry (as Mike Grehan has called her) and will be talking about getting into the psyche of your customers with “Conversion Triggers – Persuasion Strategies for Digital Marketers“.
Beyond the keynote, there are many other sessions covering the gamut of topics ranging from basics to advanced for SEO, PPC, Social Media and Analytics. There are technical topics like WordPress and HTML 5, sessions specifically for in-house Search Marketers, plus sessions on Local to Global Search Marketing. SES really is one of those “something for everyone” types of conferences.
Be sure to check out the SES San Francisco conference agenda and info. Follow the hashtag #sessf on Twitter and watch for posts on my Google+ account as well to see photos and video from the conference.
