In the 5 years I’ve been speaking at conferences I’ve seen a lot and experienced a lot.  The goal of attending a conference (or speaking at a conference) is to turn one opportunity into many opportunities.  Ask yourself, how do I get more out of this conference.

A friend of mine, Saul Colt, is really, really good at this.  He often comes up with extremely creative ways to get attention for the businesses he works with.  He is usually dressed as a human billboard, and even had custom running shoes made with his company branding.  He also plans extremely clever marketing events.  Last year at SXSW he created a newsletter every night for his company and hired people to slide them under the doors of all of the downtown hotel rooms.  They got kicked out of most hotels, and I’m sure this year security at the hotel will be on the alert, but he got some pretty amazing buzz for it the first year.

While you may not have a business to promote, or want to be a human billboard, there are a number of things that you can do to get the most out of the conferences that you attend.

Here are 10 things that you can do AT the conference to make a bigger splash

1) Create Conference Specific Materials

I mentioned this in my last post, but it can really set you apart if you create specific materials for the conference.  Rather than handing out generic promotional materials, create something different for the conference.  If you can make your material – business cards, fliers, etc more relevant for the conference you will get better results.

2) Balance Breadth and Depth in Networking

There is a fine line in networking between hanging out for too long with the same people and not spending enough time with anyone.  I’ve seen both fail (and I have been guilty of both at some times).  Spending too much time with a small group often happens naturally.  We meet people.  We like them.  We hang out with them.  The problem with this is that you aren’t meeting new people.  Don’t get sucked in to one specific crowd the whole time.  Get out of your comfort zone and branch out.

The opposite is also a problem.  You know, the drive-by networker who talks to you for 2 minutes, tells you what they do and then moves on to the next person.  Take some time to develop a deeper relationship with the people you meet.  Usually after a conference I have a stack of business cards, and there are some people who I can’t remember at all.  Make sure you are building quality relationships.

3) Ask Questions at Sessions

I learned this strategy by accident really early on.  I was at a local marketing conference, and I made it a point to ask a question at every keynote and session that I attended.  (NOTE: I didn’t just ask irrelevant questions, I made it a point to come up with smart and relevant ones).  I was amazed at how many people came up and introduced themselves to me because they began to recognize me as asking questions and thought I was worth connecting with.  I actually landed one of my first clients this way.  Asking questions at sessions is a GREAT way to get on the radar screens of both the speakers and the other attendees.

4) Be the FIRST to arrive and the LAST to leave

Seriously.  This matters.  Get there early and arrive late.  Spend as much time as you can at the conference.  Who cares if you are tired.  Sleep on the plane home.  There are  attendees who are night-owls and early-birds.  By making the morning and the evening rounds you will catch both of them.  The early bird and the owl both get worms in this case

5) Attend the social events

I said this in the last post, but you would be amazed at how much business happens at the night events.  Seriously.  This is your chance to build Know, Like and Trust.  You can have informal conversations and build friendships.  I have done some of my best business late into the night at a conference.  Just be careful how much you drink.

6) Don’t be afraid to skip a session if you are having a great conversation

I know some people who attend conferences are there primarily for the sessions and they try to stick to the schedule.  The problem is that even at the best conferences the sessions tend to be hit or miss.  If you are having a conversation with a relevant person, don’t worry about missing a session.  You can usually find the powerpoint online afterwards anyways.

7) Take the time to speak to each of the speakers after a session

Again, this is something that I learned early on.  Make the effort to introduce yourself to the speakers after each session.  I once did this and it actually resulted in a BIG JOB OFFER for me (I turned it down to start my own business).  Make it a point to find a relevant reason to connect with the speakers after a session.  The speakers are usually influential and know the other speakers and the conference organizers.  Make an effort to meet them.

If you are speaking or have a booth, promote it!!!

Last year I spoke at FMB in Brazil, which is a music festival similar to SXSW.  There are lots of bands playing at multiple venues each night.  After my keynote presentation a number of the bands stopped by the stage and gave me a copy of their CD and a listing of where they would be playing when.  This was really smart.  There were so many acts to see and I had no idea where to go.  By handing out specific information about their involvement I was able to attend their show.  I’ve also seen people do this to promote their panels and booths.

9) Know when to leave a conversation

OK, for those of you who know me, I totally suck at this.  I can’t end conversations.  BUT it is really important in networking to know when to leave a conversation.  Once you have met someone and talked for long enough to see if there may be value in a shared connection, you need to walk away.  Find a gracious way to end the conversation, or invite others in to it.  Don’t let yourself get trapped in a corner with one person (who often isn’t a really valuable connection).

10) Balance hanging out with people you know and meeting new people

This is also hard for me, but if you are at a conference for education or networking, you always want to meet new people and get new opinions.  It is sometimes easy to spend your time with the people you know and miss out on meeting new people.  At the same time you don’t want to ignore the people you know.  Last year at SXSW I ran in to a few people I knew from Cincinnati.  They both did business together in Cincinnati, and for the whole 3 hour party the two of them were in a corner talking.  Have that conversation at home.  Meet new people where you can.

11) First stop: A store

This is one of my most important conference tips.  There is nothing worse than trying to speak, network, learn or sell (if you have a booth) when you aren’t taking care of yourself.  My first stop at every show that is more than a day is a drug store.  I stock up on bottled water, refreshing drinks (I like Aloe Juice and Coconut water) and some snacks.  It is easy to get dehydrated at conferences and you will have long days.  Get what you need to stay at the top of your game.

12) Never eat alone

Meals are really great because you can go with a group of 5 – 10 and really get to know each person.  At the end of the meal you have a natural opportunity to stick with the group or go your own way.  I find that shared meals are among the BEST way to deepen relationships.  Make an effort to get a good group for meals.

13) Take Lots of Pictures

Take lots of pictures (not in a creepy way) and post them to your social networks after the conference.  The photos help you attach a name to a person and also give you something to share afterwards.

14) Don’t be afraid to buy people drinks/coffee/etc

A good friend of mine is very well liked and connected in the conference circuit.  At most of the events we attend he’ll open up a tab and liberally buy drinks for people.  I can’t tell you how many people remember him next year as “the guy who bought me a drink”.  This also opens the door for him if he needs a favor from someone down the road – they remember the drink that he bought them.  He’ll say that the $$ he spends in buying a few drinks has paid of 100 times in business.

15) Break through the noise

Seriously, there is lots going on at most of these conferences.  If you are a business you have to find something clever to break through the noise.  There is a company that has a booth at many industry shows that creates custom skateboards for each show, designed by a semi-famous artist.  EVERYONE wants one.  The catch?  They only give it to their customers.  I got one at a show a few years ago and as I walked around with it about 15 people asked me where I got it.  The skateboards drew people to their booth and showed that they really appreciate their customers.  Stand out and do something remarkable.

Anyone else have tips?

One of the things that I’ve noticed over the years is that success at a conference requires pre-work and preparation.  In order to get the most out of the conferences you attend it is vital to plan in advance.

I’ve seen people attend conferences and derive no business value while others closed major deals.  The key difference?  Planning and Working It.

Here are 10 ways to prepare yourself to ROCK the conferences you go to.

1) Know what you want

The first step is knowing what you want to achieve.  What are your goals of attending the conference?  What types of businesses or individuals do you want to connect with?  What are your main business objectives?  Are you going to learn, connect, find business, find opportunities, etc.  Knowing this upfront will help you get more out of the conference.

2) Practice your elevator pitch

Be able to articulate who you are and what you do in 30 seconds in a memorable way.  You want people to remember you after the show.  If you have a business that you are promoting practice that elevator pitch as well.  Be able to communicate clearly and avoid buzzwords so people remember you.

3) Find out who will be there

Do some research in advance.  Know who else will be at the conference.  Look online at speaker lists and exhibitor lists.  Look for tweets with the conference mentioned.  Find Facebook or LinkedIn events for the conference and connect with them.

4) Know who matters

Based on your goals, there should be a handful of people that you really want to meet.  Know who they are.  Know the people who will help you achieve your goals.  You may not want to go for the rockstar, but look for others.  For example, a few years ago at SXSW I saw Guy Kawasaki enter the blogger lounge.  He was followed by about 20 people trying to pitch him.  Rather than trying to pitch the keynote speakers who might be overwhelmed, look for more accessible people who can help you.

5) Connect with people in advance

When you know who matters try to connect with these people in advance.  Drop them a not and let them know that you are looking forward to meeting them.  Do your research and connect with them on LinkedIn or Twitter – and let them know that you will be looking for them at the conference.

6) Find the Connectors

One thing I know about the conference circuit is that there are a TON of connectors at them – people who will introduce you to people who can help you.  These people know lots of people, and when they find out your goals they will happily connect you with people they know who might be able to help.  Many years ago when I attended the first Blog World Expo I had the pleasure of meeting Des Walsh.  When I told him what my business was he recommended that I connect with Jeremy Wright, then the CEO of B5 Media.  Des and Jeremy are both friends of mine to this day.

7) Schedule meetings

Scheduling meetings will help keep you on track and ensure that you meet with the people who are most important to you. Remember that when connecting with people in advance, clearly articulate what is in it for THEM.  If you email me and tell me that you would like to buy me a drink to get my advice on your social media plan I’ll tell you that my hourly rate is more than a beer.  What is in it for me?  Can you connect me to someone who I want?  Can you offer me a business opportunity?  Just asking for help rarely works.  If planning a connecting in advance be sure to clearly state why.

Find the social events

Know where and when the social events are happening, and don’t be afraid to go alone (in fact, this is often better).  At many of these events the best networking happens after hours.  People do business with people they know, like and trust.  You don’t want to be the crazy drunk person at the social events, but getting to know people on a personal level can help your cause.

9) Advertise your attendance in advance

Let people know that you will be at the event.  Post it on your website, twitter, newsletter, Facebook, etc.  Posting your attendance shows your commitment to the industry and let’s other people in your network know you’ll be there.

10) Find out who you know that is going

Find out who you know that might be at the conference.  Ask your social networks.  Find the events pages for the conferences.  People you know can introduce you to people you want to know, and a warm intro goes a long way.

11) Bring lots of business cards

This is obvious, but people often forget.  And remember to keep your cards with you AT ALL TIMES.  It looks REALLY LAME when you don’t have business cards.  I also keep the JPeg files of my business cards on my laptop in case I run out or forget.  Kinkos can usually get you cards in a few hours.

12) Make conference specific materials

Making materials specifically for the conference can also help.  One of the people who does this best is Rob Snell.  Rob makes specific cards for each conference that highlight when he’ll be speaking and where.  He also includes a different funny picture on the card.  People talk about his cards and really look forward to seeing the newest ones.

13) Get plenty of rest before you go

In the effort to cram work in before your trip you might stay up late or plan a ridiculously early or late flight.  Don’t.  Make it a point to be well rested.  If you work the event correctly you will be up early and out late.  Get lots of rest.

14) Pack essentials to take care of yourself

Whenever I go to a conference my suitcase is packed with the regular items, but I also pack EmergenC, Asprin and energy bars.  Being on your feet networking and in sessions listening all day is exhausting.  I bring supplies with me to make sure that I am physically prepared to perform at my best.

15) Plan your sessions in advance.  Look at speakers not just topics.

Do your homework and plan the sessions that you want to attend in advance.  Most conferences offer multiple tracks, and you don’t want to waste your valuable networking time making these decisions.  When picking sessions, don’t just go by topics (these descriptions are usually written by the conference and don’t always accurately represent the topic), but look at the speakers.  Are there people you want to meet?  Go to their session.

16) Promote your stuff

If you are involved in the conference in an official way (or even unofficially) promote it online.  Create a Facebook event for your panel or session.  Promote where your booth will be in the exhibit hall.  Use your internet marketing channels to promote your involvement with the conference.  The conference organizers will also like this because you are promoting the conference for them

#pubconsouth #pubcon #sxsw #sxswi

Any other tips?  How do you prepare to be awesome at conferences?

While I may not be the biggest mobile marketing expert I have had the pleasure of speaking about mobile marketing and listening to some of the smartest people in the mobile space talk about it, and there are some trends that you can see emerging.

We seem to like to frame questions like this as “either, or”, when really, that isn’t appropriate.  The reality is that there will probably be times when a computer is best, and times when a mobile device like a tablet or mobile phone works best.

When television came around, radio didn’t go away.  If you think about it, TV does everything that radio does with an audio broadcast, plus it adds the visual.

Radio adapted to do what it does best – music and talk shows – and TV took over with what it does best – telling stories.  There is space for both.  They each modified their programming to focus on what they can deliver best.  Sure radio probably declined, but importantly they adapted their programming from story-telling to music and discussion.

The key message here is that there will probably be a place for both mobile web and traditional computer web but they will be used differently.

Here are some trends in mobile consumption that help show why and how each experience is different.

Mobile is Short Snacking Sessions vs. PC Based Meals

Mobile users tend to pop-in on their devices multiple times for short sessions throughout the day.  It is like the difference between a snack and a meal.

This means that tasks that take longer will probably still be completed from a PC.  Mobile web sessions are great for killing 5 minutes here and there, or potentially a long commute, but in most cases in-depth tasks that require full attention and focus will still be completed from a traditional PC environment.

Size Does Matter

Yup, I said it.  Size matters.  Seriously.

The smaller screen size of mobile devices will continue to be a barrier for some computing tasks.  Think about things like writing blog posts where I have multiple windows open and a lot of information on my screen.  I’m currently using a 29 inch monitor and it seems too small.

Tasks and activities that require a lot of viewing space will continue to be best completed on a traditional computer.

Consider the task, and ask yourself which environment makes the most sense.  For many tasks it is a combination.  For example, I want to enter my mileage or expenses into my accounting program on-the-go from a mobile device, but when I am reconciling at the end of the month I want a big computer screen.

Power will Stay with the Desktop

It will take a long while before affordable mobile devices have the storage and computing power that PCs have.  Think about it – the 32 gig iphone was a big deal.  That device only holds a small fraction of my music collection.

Tasks that require storage or computing power (like photoshop or illustrator) will continue to require the horsepower of a PC.  Sure, with the cloud many of these things are shifting to become web-based – you can now get web based storage and accounting programs, making all of the fancy hardware on your PC less relevant – but it will take a while before we all actually get there and adopt the changes.

Wireless Infrastructure Needs to Improve

The technology empowering mobile devices has rapidly been changing how we use them, but the infrastructure still has a long way to go.

Almost any time you are at a major event – sporting event, sxsw, even big concerts – you can have outages on your phone due to network overages.  4g networks are only just starting to roll out in major cities in the US.

In order for mobile to get to the next level the infrastructure needs to be improved so that it can handle all of the web traffic that mobile users want and expect.

In Canada you still can’t get unlimited data plans (yes, seriously).  This stuff takes time.  And money.

What trends are you seeing?  Where do you think mobile will be in the future?

This is a really exciting project for me to work on and I was honored to be asked to participate.  I will be co-authoring the book with 3 other individuals who have expertise in social media, text book writing and business.  For those of you who don’t know, over the last 2 years I have focused my business on social media training, and Boot Camp Digital has provided custom corporate social media training solutions to thousands of people in ad agencies, marketing departments and small businesses.

Through all of this training I’ve been able to develop methods of teaching social media that businesses really respond to.  In addition to Boot Camp Digital training I am also working with Cincinnati State on a Social Media Program (not announced yet, but I will be the managing director of the program) and I have my own book coming out this month.  So, the text book is a natural build on the work that I have already been doing.

Educating College Students on Social Media

I’ve been working in the social media marketing space for many years now, and as the industry evolves I am excited to see colleges and universities adding social media courses to their curriculum.  I have been brought in to speak at colleges about social media since their students are increasingly being asked to “do social media marketing” upon graduation.  A text book on social media marketing will help provide the framework for more educational institutions to add social media to their curriculum.

Developing Standards in Our Industry

I am also excited about this project because I think that this is what the social media community needs.  I know that organizations like The Social Media club are working on social media education.  Raising the level of knowledge of social media marketing and sharing best practices and case studies can only help our industry.

Since social media changes so quickly creating a text book that will remain relevant is one of our biggest challenges.  Fortunately, the book will be supplemented by online learning components which can be updated more frequently.  That being said the basic strategy and framework for social media marketing are fairly consistent – it is the functionality of the toolbox that changes.  We’re working to design a learning program that accounts for both of these.

The text book process is extremely rigorous and includes many different levels of review by multiple professors (if you are a college professor and would like to be a reviewer please let me know).  The book will be published by South Western Publishing and will probably take at least a year to hit the shelves – so be patient!

Got Ideas? Companies for Case Studies? Let me know!

So, if you have any ideas for the book, case studies, approaches, etc. please let me know.  The more great ideas that we can include in this book the better.

What sections do you think can’t be missed?

- Krista

Note that these are just my personal observations on the campaign – I haven’t talked to anyone at Best Buy or their agencies

About the Twelp Force Campaign

Best Buy’s key point of difference vs. online competitors is the people in the Blue Shirts who are working in the stores.  The Best Buy sales staff helps to educate consumers on electronics purchases and provides a valuable service.  The consumer insight is that customers find the staff to be helpful which is one of the key reasons that they choose Best Buy.

The TwelpForce campaigned attempted to leverage this insight and provide the service offered by their in-store staff online via twitter.  The “TwelpForce” is comprised of a number of Best Buy Employees (apparently there are over 2,500 employees participating) who answer questions related to technology.  The twelpforce was promoted via traditional marketing and the twitter account was displayed at the bottom of a TV campaign.

Twitter Effectiveness?

According to Ad Age, Mr. Judge, CMO for Best Buy said the retailer would focus on the Twelpforce because it reinforces the retailer’s service focus and garners interest from media outlets. Since launching the Twitter group in July, it has answered 20,000 questions. “We’ve found it to be an incredibly powerful idea,” Mr. Judge said. “We don’t send any promotion out through Twelpforce. It’s all about reinforcing our helpfulness.”  (as a side note, this isn’t entirely true – A current tweet on the page “Did you know select @bestbuys offer engraving, including @BestbuyMOA_1935 For as little as $19.99! http://ow.ly/i/1KGU via @jhart9″ sounds pretty promotional).

Almost a full year after the launch last July the Best Buy Twelpforce twitter account has about 26,000 followers – which may seem like a lot, but for a national brand running TV spots to promote the account it seems like a pretty poor showing.  Many national brands on twitter have hundreds of thousands of followers without spending on media to promote the account.

A quick look at the Twelpforce account might show why – the content of the account seems to be a little all over the place.  The replies appear to be very helpful, but some of the posts don’t really have much to do with the intended purpose of providing support.

Another issue with a twitter execution is that it can be difficult to ask and answer technology related questions in only 140 characters.

What About Facebook?

I went on to take a look at the twelpforce Facebook page and found it to be bustling with activity.  First, the page has almost 1.2 million fans – that is more like what I would expect from a national company like Best Buy.

On the Facebook page fans are actively asking questions and Best Buy is providing helpful answers.  This makes more sense vs. the twitter approach for a number of reasons.  First, Facebook has a broader audience than twitter.  The portion of the population regularly using twitter is still relatively small, however the % using Facebook is high.  Due to the broader appeal of Facebook it seems like promoting the Q&A service on Facebook may have produced better results.  In addition to broader adoption, Facebook allows for longer postings and isn’t limited to 140 char.  This is probably a better fit for posting and answering technology related questions.

Finally, Facebookers are a more natural fit with Best Buy vs. Tweeters.  Twitter is still in the early adoption phase vs. mass population.  Twitter users are typically more tech savvy than average and more likely to shop and search for information online.  The Best Buy work force is probably targeting a more average group of the population who wants a person to inform their decisions, after all, you could use google, review sites and discussion forums to answer most of these questions.  Since Facebook has such mass adoption the user base is likely to be more in line with the average people asking questions to the Best Buy TwelpForce.

What do you Think?

This was obviously a good experiment…. what could they have done better?  Would you classify this as a success or failure?

While all forms of traditional media – from print to radio to tv news – seem to be struggling, the key question that needs to be asked is How do we reinvent ourselves to stay relevant?

Here are a few examples of how new and old paradigms of business have co-existed by adapting.

Blogs are like WalMart

Remember when WalMart started to grow and how communities reacted? Some communities tried to keep WalMart out, for fear that their local businesses would be destroyed.  The reality is that WalMart did put a lot of companies out of business – both retailers and suppliers.  Businesses that survived adapted their model and built their business around a strong value proposition.  They provided something that was more important than just price, or they died.  Despite the success of WalMart there are still new retail businesses starting every day.  They differentiate themselves on quality, selection, location, convenience, etc and thrive and grow despite WalMart.

Blogs are the WalMart of the media world.  They create content that people like for a lower price.  Most bloggers publish as a labor of love – they don’t need a huge paycheck.  Big blog publications have a different cost structure than traditional media, so they can generate profits from online display ads (a cost structure that won’t work for most traditional media).

In order for traditional media to survive the content revolution (where everyone is a content creator), they have to adapt their strategy to focus on their core value proposition – investigative journalism.

Most bloggers (not all) don’t do a lot of primary research.  They actually build their stories on stats, facts and research from traditional media and use it as a source for their articles.  Traditional media should be The Resource for investigative journalism – a service that is needed for bloggers to exist.

I have a friend who is a TV news producer.  To “create” the news producers do research.  They check facts.  They look up stats.  They get multi-media from different sources, or create it themselves.  They go out and interview a variety of people.  They investigate and report. These core competencies of traditional media must be heightened to create a clear value proposition.

Video Killed the Radio Star

Actually, it didn’t.  When TV and video came along, radio didn’t die – it adapted.  Now I wasn’t around at the time, but if you look at the evolution of radio, prior to mass adoption of TV radio was a platform for both music and story-telling entertainment. Families would gather around the radio and listen to stories for entertainment.

Then TV came along.  Radio wasn’t really the best medium for story-telling type entertainment – TV was.  So, TV focused on fictional story-telling entertainment and radio focused on music.  Radio adapted the content to focus on content areas where it could win – music, call-in talk shows, etc.

Both TV and radio continue to exist but with different content and in different use cases.

So What Now?

There are some traditional media sites that have innovative views about how they can adapt.

Chris Graves at the Cincinnati Enquirer launched a program called LOL: Locals on Living .  LOL creates content for both the web and print editions, and it clearly changes the cost structure for the enquirer (no full time writers creating content). Clicking on the blogs opened 2 highly annoying ad pop-up windows, however as the model evolves perhaps there will be opportunities to find different revenue streams.  It launched last July and has expanded to integrate local bloggers from lifestyle content to Sports Content (see SportsTalkCentral).  The program is beginning to dip into news/business with the integration of BuildingCincinnati, which is featured both on our business and news page. They currently integrate 17 bloggers on the site.

At ad:tech Chris Anderson, EIC of Wired shared information about how Tablets can provide new opportunities for publishers.  By leveraging interactivity and the tablet technology, publishers may have the opportunity to charge for content vs. the current web model where everything is free.  It will be interesting to see if this plays out.

What do you think?

How can news sites continue to thrive?  Quality investigative journalism is important for our society, but traditional media outlets are struggling with their business models.  How can they reinvent themselves?  Have you seen other examples of this?

Over the weekend I was reflecting on last year and thinking about this year and what I want to accomplish.  There are things personally and professionally that I want to do this year, and by writing them here, and stating them publicly I’m hoping to increase my accountability.

What I want from you: Help keep me accountable – ask questions and call me out when I’m slacking.  And THANK-YOU in advance for reading my blog and taking the time to care about my goals.

Here are my 10 goals for 2010:

1) Learn how to play guitar

I bought a guitar a few years ago and never really learned to do much with it.  To help me stay focused I signed up for lessons already (had my first one last night).  Maybe by the end of the year I’ll post a video of me playing something (probably not).  On this note I signed up for lessons last week and have my second lesson on Friday.  Yay!

2) Take a Painting Class

I’m not particularly artistic, but I have always wanted to try to paint.  So my goal for this year is to take a painting class.  I will definitely post a picture of something that I paint, although it might totally suck and embarrass me.  I’ll do it anyways.

3) Volunteer More

I want to increase my volunteer efforts with local organizations this year.  Last year I was pretty busy and didn’t dedicate what I would have liked to in terms of giving back.  My goal this year is to find 2 local organizations that I am passionate about and really get involved and help them grow.  If you have any suggestions please let me know.

4) Post reviews of 26 Books

So I love to read, and I read a lot of books.  I have a lot of books on my shelves at home.  This year I want to read at least one book every other week (so 26 for the year) and post reviews of each of them on my site.  Keep me accountable for this!  If you don’t see reviews leave a comment!  I’ll write the first one this weekend.

5) Get in Shape

OK, so this is everyone’s goal (and explains why my gym is so crowded and diet food is all on sale).  A few years ago I ran a half marathon.  I didn’t really train right and hurt my knee, so I don’t know if that is in the cards again.  This year I want to really commit to fitness and creating a more active lifestyle.  I joined a hiking meetup group and a mountain biking meetup group to get things off on the right foot.  I also feel better on days that I work out (no surprise there), so the benefits are huge.

6) Take Surfing Lessons

So I’ve always wanted to surf.  I even looked up surfing schools a few times.  This year I will actually take a trip somewhere and take surfing lessons.  Anyone know any good locations?

7) Post on my Blog Weekly

OK, so this is probably another typical resolution, and I’m clearly off to a bad start since it is already mid Jan and this is my first post.  BUT, starting NOW I will post at least weekly. That is right.  At least once a week.  I did it.  I committed to something specific.  Now I have to do it.

Try a Video Podcast

Those of you who know me in real life know that I am very opinionated and that I love to talk.  So, I figure it is worth a try to bring this to life online with a video podcast.  I have a camera, so there really are no barriers.  My goal is to start this in Feb and to post regular videos as a test for a few months.

9) Do a Detox or Cleanse

OK, so I turned 30 this year (yeah, I said it).  I have definitely put my body through a lot over the years.  At New Years my good friend Jeremy Wright was telling me about the benefits of the Lemonade Cleanse that he did.  I figure that now is as good of a time as any to reset my body and make sure that I am healthy this year.  (I won’t do anything crazy).

10) Make Small Decisions Faster

I read a blog post from Seth Godin a long while back about how we spend a ton of time agonizing over decisions that don’t really matter.  For example, if you spend 3 hours comparing email newsletter solutions to save $5/month are you really ahead?  I spent months looking at different offices and office solutions before I finally made a choice.  The differences between the different offices were really marginal at the end of the day, but I spent a lot of time researching, looking at different options, talking to people etc.  My goal is to make the small decisions faster.

OK, so I hope that this wasn’t boring or off-target for my readers.  I usually focus on marketing, but figured that a slight detour would be acceptable as we all try to make the most of this upcoming year.

Do you have any resolutions or goals?

Here were my 3 key takeaways from ad:tech.

The Digital Economy is Recovering

The attendance and buzz in the exhibit hall were enough to signal this.  Despite the current economic climate ad:tech NY attracted over 10,000 marketers – exceeding attendance expectations.  The exhibit hall was overwhelming.  Companies are still spending.  Digital is still growing.  The hottness of the party scene further confirmed this – smart businesses are growing and spending.

The tone was upbeat (although these industry conferences always are) for continued growth in digital.  As brands continue to tighten their spending, digital is still seen as an area with potential for ROI.

What is Hot? Social and Mobile.

The two “hottest” areas at ad:tech NY were social media marketing and mobile marketing.

Social Media is transitioning from infancy and ideation to real results.  We are seeing a clear shift in brands from simply creating assets (i.e. having a Facebook Fan Page or Twitter account) to building creative campaigns that leverage the social space.  Success in the social space is about creating contagious ideas that drive conversation.  Sharing is the new form of syndication and it has to be earned (vs. bought with traditional media).  Listening in social media is one of the keys to preventing social media disaster – especially since content spreads so quickly online.

While every year is “the year of mobile” one of the key trends from ad:tech was the interest in mobile and the general acceptance that mobile will become a key way that consumers consume digital content.  Mobile apps like the Charmin “Sit or Squat” app provide brands with opportunities to really add value.  Consumers vote on quality of toilets and there have been amazing results:  8.5 million mobile web ad impressions, 350 million impressions, 400,000 app downloads since the Charmin sponsorship.

While there is a lot of hype around mobile, one of the key questions to ask is: Is the Mobile Web a New Marketing Tool or an Extension?  That was the question posed by keynote Jonathan Miller, chief digital officer and chairman/CEO of the digital media group at News Corp., New York.  He went on to say that marketers and brands do not know how to treat the mobile space.

Brands need to include a mobile strategy early and learn how mobile web behaviors differ vs. traditional.

Don’t Forget Nuts and Bolts Digital Marketing

While social and mobile get lots of hype, traditional digital marketing might be your best opportunity to drive results.  Things like email marketing, landing page optimization, search marketing, PPC and branded websites are often downplayed, however these basic online marketing tactics are known to consistently drive results.

Queensland Tourism (the ones who ran the ultimate dream job campaign) said that most of their audience preferred to be contacted via email vs. on social sites.  That being said, social sites were the single biggest driver of traffic to the site.

I presented on Facebook Marketing – how to get more out of Facebook.

Most of the people in the room were on Facebook, but few were using it as a marketing tool. Facebook can be difficult for marketers – figuring out the right ways to interact with potential audiences can be tough. Facebook was created to facilitate social connections – not as a marketing platform.

Facebook is the #1 global social network and has over 300 million active users – 50% of whom logon to the site every day. The Facebook audience is both active and committed to the network.

Prior to engaging in marketing your brand or company on Facebook:

1. Don’t be a dirty spammer. Be relevant. Use channels appropriately. Don’t annoy people.
2. Real world networking principles apply. Don’t immediately sell people. Don’t get in their face. Like in the real world you will have no friends.
3. Give your audience something of value. People do you the honor of following you. Repay them by giving them value. It doesn’t have to be financial value either.
4. Know your target. Know who your target audience is. If you fan page is comprised of your family and friends it probably isn’t very effective. Come up with creative ways to engage with your target.
5. Focus on business value, not activity. It is easy to get caught up with tracking your activity – # of posts, # of fans friends and followers, etc. The real question is what is the actual business value?

We then covered 4 key ways that brands can leverage Facebook as a part of their marketing strategy.

1. Create a Fan Page. This is the most popular way brands and companies are using Facebook.

• When you create a fan page build a content plan (what you will post when)
• Use photos and videos to engage – post yourself and encourage fans to post
• Provide valuable information
• Be a resource for questions
• Run a contest
• Integrate Facebook as a syndication and engagement platform for offline campaigns
• Use insights and analytics to track effectiveness and value

2. Create a Group – Create a group about something related to your product that people are interested in and passionate about. Also, participate in relevant groups to get your brand out there.

3. Create an Event – Facebook events can be a great way to engage with your audience. If you are having an event, creating a Facebook event increases your exposure and lets attendees see who else is going.

4. Facebook Ads – Facebook ads work best when they are targeted. Target your ads as specifically as possible and you can get great results.

Any other thoughts or comments?

Having working for P&G for nearly 6 years and now having them as a client, I can really see some of the barriers that big companies face when dealing with social media.

Byron Gordon from SEO-PR hijacked me during the happy hour at SES Toronto and interviewed me about some of the issues that big companies face in dealing with social media.

I *hate* seeing myself on video (or recorded in anyway) – super embarrassing. Enjoy.