Last week, we had the privilege of participating in the annual Social Media Marketing World conference in San Diego. We joined over 3,000 other marketers and marketing influencers who were looking to explore the latest trends and best practices for social media marketing.
From the moment (literally) that I stepped on the plane, I had a conversation about the upcoming conference with the woman next to me. It was her first time at a conference like Social Media Marketing World and she planned on spending the flight trying to figure out which sessions made the most sense for her to attend.
Fortunately, I had done my homework and gave her suggestions on which sessions I thought could be of use to her. Because she was able to get her planning out of the way and we had a great discussion about our roles and the organizations that we worked with (I also had someone to spend hours in the airport chatting with on the way home).
For me, a large part of a successful event is having the opportunity to meet great people like Darcy and learn more about what they’re doing on a day-to-day basis at the companies they work for. That coupled with thought provoking insights from speakers that have been very successful at implementing the ideas that they’re covering makes for a great conference.
Below you’ll find some interesting statistics about the reach of the topics discussed both online and in-person at the event, access to all of TopRank Marketing’s blog coverage and some snackable tips that you can learn and share, even if you weren’t at the event.
Just How Big Was Social Media Marketing World’s Footprint?
Using metrics gathered from Keyhole, we were able to get a sense of just how far the #SMMW16 hashtag could reach. All data that was collected was for April 17 – April 25.
Zignal Labs also created an event wrap up post that showed that the content created on TopRankBlog.com drove more than double the amount of shares to the conference hashtag than the next referring website which was Instagram.
In looking at the top domains from Keyhole, it appears that TopRankBlog.com ranked only below Twitter, Instagram, Buffer and Periscope for the event. Facebook YouTube, Vine and many others did not have quite the reach and domain authority as our timely content.
Not surprisingly, mobile (iPhones specifically) was without question the top device used to share information using the #SMMW16 hashtag. Not everyone in attendance was sitting there with a laptop furiously taking notes like I was, but there was not one person I saw that didn’t have a smartphone in hand for the majority of the conference.
Conference Coverage From TopRank Marketing
Many of the conferences that we attend also present the opportunity to create some great content to share with our online community. This is a great way to provide insights to people who are attending but can’t possibly go to every session, as well as those that weren’t able to make it this time around but still want insights into what is being learned. In total, we created 8 blog posts that either featured influencers at the event, or provided coverage of the sessions.
Top 50 Social Media Marketing Influencers at Social Media Marketing World
Based strictly on data collected from Traackr, TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden was able to shine a light on some of the top industry experts, influencers, brands and practitioners that would be speaking at Social Media Marketing World.
To find out who made the list and how you can connect with them, read: 50 Social Media Marketing Influencers to Follow
Where Does Snapchat Belong in Your Digital Marketing Strategy?
After attending this session, I walked away excited and encouraged about the possibilities that exist for marketers looking to find a way to better connect with their audience. This panel included two of the top Snapchat influencers that clearly know what they’re doing, as well as two brands that have made Snapchat a cornerstone of their marketing engagement strategy.
To find out how if there is an opportunity to use Snapchat for your brand, read: 7 Tips for Incorporating Snapchat into Your Marketing Strategy
The Role of Storytelling in Building Brand Awareness
It’s no surprise that today’s customers have so many options available to them. Companies that find a way to create a strong connection through their content efforts almost always win the business. To help you understand how to do that more effectively, this panel of speakers shared some amazing insight into how to incorporate more storytelling into your marketing as well as some exercises to put it into practice.
To begin creating your own happily ever after please read: Learn How to Compel Your Audience to Act with These 3 Storytelling Tips
What Does it Take to Build a Successful Client & Agency Relationship?
Many brands have not only one, but many agencies that they partner with to help support their digital marketing initiatives. These relationships can provide many benefits, if you’re working with the RIGHT companies to help meet your goals. This panel of experts included TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden, Mitch Joel and Jessika Phillips.
To find out what it takes to create a successful partnership with an agency, read: 5 Secrets for Developing a Successful Client & Agency Relationship
Is Your Brand Equipped to Create a Successful Social Care Program?
A social care program is not one that can be tip-toed around. If you begin setting an expectation that customers can communicate with you on social platforms to solve their problems, you’d better be there to answer their questions. A social care program is something that requires planning and technology to truly deliver value to your customers.
To see if a social program might be a fit for your company, read: 8 Building Blocks to Create a World-Class Social Care Program
Get More out of Content on LinkedIn
It’s always a treat to have representatives from a platform present at a conference and give insight into how to get the most out of their tool. Well, that is exactly what happened at Social Media Marketing World and Jason Miller and Alex Rynne of LinkedIn did not disappoint. They focused on four major opportunities with LinkedIn and provided sample objectives, key metrics and action items for being successful.
To find out how you can create and promote great content on LinkedIn, read: 4 Components of a Killer Content Marketing Tactical Plan on LinkedIn
Create a Better Experience on Instagram
People learn visually which is why so much opportunity exists within platforms like Instagram. But to really stand out to your audience (and attract new audience members), it is just as much about the stories that you’re telling with the content as the visuals themselves. This panel included awesome Instagram’ers from Adobe and the San Diego Zoo, both of which shared their unique perspective on what has made their Instagram strategy so effective.
To learn how to hook your audience with killer visual content, read: What Brands Like Adobe & The San Diego Zoo Can Teach us About Instagram Marketing
Expert Advice on how to Identify, Qualify & Recruit Effective Influencers
In his second session of the conference, TopRank Marketing CEO Lee Odden pulled out the big guns and shared some amazing insight into the world of influencer marketing. By now, most companies recognize that they should incorporate influencers into content programs to serve many benefits including advocacy, variety of content, as well as increased engagement and reach. The who, the how and the what are all very important elements to consider before embarking on an influencer marketing initiative. If you’re looking for some best practices, tools and fails/wins of influencer marketing from someone with invaluable experience, be sure to check out this post.
To see if your approach to influencer marketing is hitting the mark, read: Learn How to Create a More Effective Influencer Marketing Strategy
Top Words of Wisdom from #SMMW16 Speakers
“If you want your content to be great, ask influencers to participate!” @leeodden #SMMW16 – Tweet This
“Platforms change slowly. Strategies change quickly.” @markwschaefer #SMMW16 – Tweet This
“The simple nature of questioning and shifting perspective allows innovation to happen.” @briansolis #SMMW16 – Tweet This
“Always start with strategic intent. Think about how you can repurpose your Facebook live videos.” @MariSmith #SMMW16 – Tweet This
“Tone of voice is your gutsiest, bravest asset. It is vastly undervalued.” @annhandley #SMMW16 – Tweet This
“Find a niche where you can be the leading expert in the world.” @joepulizzi #SMMW16 – Tweet This
“Advance your brand without talking about your brand.” @timwasher #SMMW16 – Tweet This
Thank You For a Great Event!
Thank you to the team at Social Media Examiner for putting together yet another great conference filled with innovative and actionable tips for maintaining and improving social media marketing strategies.
I’ve shared some of my top takeaways, I’m curious to know what you found to be the most useful piece of information you learned at #SMMW16.
Disclosure: Traackr and LinkedIn are TopRank Marketing Clients
