As Facebook introduces consumers, developers and brands alike to a world of frictionless sharing, the focus of all media strategies will now more than ever pivot on engagement and clicks to action. Social media is forcing the evolution of paid, earned and owned media (POEM) to now include more interactive channels including shared and also promoted. In this session, Brian will review the new philosophies behind frictionless sharing and why customer expectations are forcing the evolution of a more diverse landscape of media products. More importantly, Brian will review what is needed to improve engagement, trigger sharing and lead customers through rewarding click paths.

Panellists:

• Kristin Kovner, VP of Marketing, AOL

• Tammy Gordon, Director of Social Communications, AARP

• Shanee Ben-Zur, Social Media Strategist, NVIDIA

• Jordan Viator-Slabaugh, Director of Social Media, Spredfast

Measuring social media is definitely still in its infancy, but it’s entirely possible to measure it using today’s tools. Indeed, there may be a lack of standards – and even disagreement on what to measure – but if you tie it back to the same measures you have for other activities such as reach and referrals, you can certainly tie it to ROI. But how do you determine and measure the right KPIs? And what is the best way to integrate social media and web analytics? This panel discussion will reveal all.

Key takeaways:

• What are the important metrics to track using social media?

• Is there a new breed of web analytics on the horizon or should current solutions be forced to fit?

• Understand that social media is in a stage of nascent emergence, so sticking to metrics that matter to your brand and nothing else could pave the way to a more profitable future

When it comes to engaging consumers across devices, it’s not only about making a good first impression, it’s about making a lasting impression – one that’s memorable, measurable and gets your brand some action. In this interactive session, you’ll experience top-performing campaigns for yourself, get a deeper understanding of measurement capabilities and the audience targeting that move consumers forward, and learn how cross-channel marketing can and should be an integral part of your marketing strategy.

Key takeaways:

• Understand your mobile customer-base, and learn how to increase brand loyalty and customer spend

• Truly engage your customers in the growing world of mobile

As communication channels continue to shift and evolve, online marketers are faced with the challenge of identifying the best ways to integrate email and social mediums in a way that more strongly engages customers and drives increased revenue. Yet, although the effective integration of these channels holds undeniable potential, successful implementation requires careful planning. This workshop will show you how.

Key takeaways:

• Discover why ensuring the same ‘voice’ in your email communications and social network interactions is more key than most businesses realise

• Utilising the preference centre: Offering alternatives to email such as social media, SMS or direct mail helps companies communicate with customers on their terms

• How to write personalised, relevant content into emails to attract more traffic via links to suitable social media sites

The presentation will focus on best practices in search to improve your relevance and positioning. Key tactics will include: How to utilize website analytics to improve SEO and increase traffic – Improving your content within search – Looking at traffic and testing meta data to improve performance - A dive into link building strategies.

Key takeaways:

• Creating better reporting utilizing website analytics

• How analytics can drive your SEO strategy

• Online Reputation Management's impact on reporting and the role SEO plays

Agencies and marketers are currently drowning in a sea of data. Access to targeting data and inventory is no longer the challenge; instead, the challenge has become determining what data to apply and what its value is and this has become more complex than ever. As data continues to accumulate, marketers face an enormous challenge: which tools should I be using to optimize my campaign and increase ROI? How should I use my data? And what kind of insights will I obtain? This workshop showcases the strategies and best practices that make data-driven ads perform to their full potential.

Key takeaways:

• What is a data management platform?

• How can a DMP help my bottom line?

• Discover what insights and analysis you can gain from audience data

The eco-system of television is shifting rapidly as social platforms, new consumer behaviors and entertainment collide.  The “show experience” is no longer limited to the designated 30 or 60 minutes of linear time, but rather what happens before, during, after and all around this time. Many programs have moved past being a passive viewing experience into a powerful social currency.

In many cases, fans no longer just watch their favorite shows – they ”check in”, Tweet and join fan groups about them on Facebook. They crave access to talent and on many levels expect it. Fans want bonus and exclusive content delivered to them in new ways and synchronous experiences/tools like Shazam and others help achieve this. Television as “social currency” is also expressing itself through check-in on platforms like GetGlue. Media check-in is not only a way for fans to show affinity for their favorite shows, but also discover new ones. This high passion level continues to drive innovation and has created success in the areas of co-viewing, transmedia and beyond.

This time of hyper-connectedness combined with an emphasis on innovation creates a transformative landscape for fans, networks and brands. In this session we’ll explore how the application of these social experiences helped a show called “The Glee Project” grow to be a multi-platform hit.

As social networking becomes further integrated into the lives of everyone, rather than just the tech-savvy, developers and retailers have awakened to the idea that there's money to be made in the world of social shopping – somehow. Nevertheless, monetizing social media has so far proved elusive for most. So what does social media mean for retail? How can it be successfully integrated into marketing campaigns and loyalty programs? And how do you convert ‘likes’ into ‘buys’?

Key takeaways:

• Learn best practices in using social media for retail, looking at how Luck Brand Jeans has profited

• Discover how to engage the customer across all platforms

• Understand how to measure success using effective metrics and tracking

Craig Newmark is the self-professed nerd who created craigslist in 1995 and craigconnects in 2011. While craigslist is now one of the world's biggest Internet success stories, Craig still works in Customer Service. And for some very good reasons, which he’ll explain in his talk about social media and why it’s not new, and how social media allows grassroots involvement that every organization had better embrace because it's changing the world around them.

Key takeaways:

• Craig talks about the fact that the SOPA strike may have been the catalyst for an Internet spring that could lead to an Internet awakening

• Successful use of social media involves permanent commitment to serious engagement with one's community

• Social media is primarily a means for the voiceless and powerless to change the balance of power and influence, though the powerful attempt to co-opt it

More and more of your potential customers are using social media to talk about your business and, whether you like it or not, there’s nothing you can do about it. However, people also use the exact same sites to announce they need a new product or service – making social media the perfect place to drive new sales leads to your door. The best part: all the information is right there in front of you. This panel will explain how to use social media to exploit sales opportunities from existing and potential customers, taking into consideration advanced search routes to unveil consumer selling options and market trends.

Key takeaways:

• Discover how to utilise the advantages afforded to you as a brand participant in a social, online conversation to increase point of sale opportunities

• Learn why direct customer interaction is the inception point for attracting potential brand advocates and improving company reputation

• Understand how to use social media as a chance to upsell and/or provide extra incentives to new and existing customers

Changes to the top level internet naming system will have an impact on how brands are represented online, search optimization and website architecture. But how can rolling out a dot-brand approach enable your company to take advantage of new business opportunities? In this fascinating presentation, you'll hear from gTLD experts, analysts and brands and discover why firms that don’t take action now could find themselves at a disadvantage to major competitors. Hear from:

• Joe Luthy, Marketing Director, Melbourne IT Digital Brand Services

• Jeff Ernst, Principal Analyst, Forrester Research

• Sarah Langstone, Director of Product Management, Verisign

Charles Purdy is responsible in part for Monster’s social media activity with a focus on job seekers: an audience that has an extremely  high turnover – and that tends to be distressed and even angry. It’s a tough crowd. Charles will discuss how Monster is currently working to keep this audience happy and engaged, and what his team has learned through its PR and social media efforts. This will be a discussion and Q&A – so bring your own stories of dealing with your “tough crowds”. Charles says: “There are no ‘experts’ in social media. This is a fast-changing world, and we’re all learning as we go.”

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network – yet few realize the potential it has to generate leads and close business. Neal Schaffer, having authored two books on the subject, is the world's foremost expert on using LinkedIn for sales, marketing and business development. Join Neal as he provides advice and case studies from his latest critically acclaimed book, Maximizing LinkedIn for Sales and Social Media Marketing.

Key takeaways:

• Learn how to create a sales-oriented LinkedIn Profile - and generate connections to help you drive business.

• Realize the power of LinkedIn Groups and how they can be utilized for a variety of marketing objectives

• Multiple case studies of how businesses from a variety of industries have created business within LinkedIn

Video remains one of the most effective media for online brand building – and YouTube videos are a cheap, fun and effective way to market your business. Indeed, YouTube’s not just a forum for Star Wars parodists, finger-biting babies and skateboarding pets; it can also be a highly effective business tool – if used correctly. You can use it to show off your expertise, share knowledge, market your products and connect with customers, colleagues and prospects. But how do you do this effectively in a world awash with content?

Key takeaways:

• Learn how to use web videos to reach out to current and potential customers and build more engaged relationships with your client base

• Understand how to make your video stand out from the crowd

• Take advantage of the analytics and demographics information that YouTube offers

2011 set records for the amount of time and money customers spent online. Marketers who transformed their strategy to adapt to the consumer behavior across social and mobile channels reaped the rewards of deeper brand affinity, increased demand and more engaged audiences. What are the essential strategies and tools of any digital marketing strategy to stay relevant and win the digitally immersed consumer?
 
Attend this session to:
• Discover the technology innovations across personalization, mobile and social marketing
• Learn about how global brands are transforming their marketing operations to adapt
• Discuss and share best practice

The cycle of disruption and reinvention is fundamental to every primary force impacting our world today, from our media industrial complex to capitalism's core dynamic. As marketers we have two choices: adapt or die.

Key takeaways:

• Standing still is NOT an option

• The new paradigm demands calculated risk

• Core metrics still matter

In this live chat show-style session, Adam Burns – iStrategy MC and Editor-in-Chief of Meet The Boss TV – interviews some of the industry's leading players about today's most pressing social and digital issues, examines the secrets of their success and gets their thoughts on the key trends to emerge from Day 1 of the conference.

In an era where customers’ passion is the main fuel driving brands, storytelling is one of the most important and most easily overlooked aspects of marketing. In this keynote, Rick will review some of the secrets to storytelling for brands and also share stories of triumph and adversity through the eyes of McDonald’s, its fans and foes.

Key takeaways:

• Get a perspective on the passion that drives stories, why storytelling works – and how to harness it

• Understand why storytelling for business must start with your own story, using the McDonald's story as an example

• Hear mini case studies of customer stories from fans and heroes, foes and haters – including insight into McDonald's recent McDStories campaign and its McRib superfans

Panellists:

• Todd Wilms, Audience marketing, SAP

• Trish Nettleship, B2B Social Media, AT&T

• Billy Mitchell, CEO, MLT Creative

• Laura Fitton, Inbound Marketing Evangelist, Hubspot

• Abby Klanecky, Director of Digital & Social Media, Dow Chemical

Traditionally, B2C marketers have been the first to realise the benefits of social media marketing. But a study earlier this year by B2B magazine confirmed that B2B marketers are embracing social media marketing on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter in particular, with LinkedIn cited as the most important social channel. But as more and more brands engage via an ever-growing number of social media sites, the question of how to match up relevant information with the right people will become vital for businesses to succeed. So how do you cut through the chatter and provide a relevant experience in a B2B environment?

Key takeaways:

• Understand why it is essential you provide people with information you know they are interested in – and why they will quickly be ‘turned off’ if you don’t

• Hear how the best B2B firms are engaging their customers

Panellists:

• Akash Pathak, Senior Director of Digital Strategy, Abbott Laboratories

• Ed Terpening, VP Social Media, Wells Fargo

• Jonathan Beamer, Social Business Leader, Progressive Insurance

• Sarah Carter, VP, Actiance Inc.

Most experts agree that highly regulated industries can, and should, get themselves as involved as possible within the world of social media. But where to start? From the initial stages of 'championing the cause' both internally and externally to get the ball rolling, to the more advanced stages of 'humanizing' the organization in order to engage and connect with customers in a valuable customer-service channel, this panel will give you the tools needed to successfully implement a social media strategy in a restricted environment.

Key takeaways:

• The importance of developing an internal social media policy and getting the right legal advice to do so

• Initial stages: starting small to get some easy wins will help your cause in the later stages of implementation

In the new world of interactive, socialized TV, the :30 spot is no longer limited by the dictates of time or space. Reborn as an immersive experience, the reimagined spot upends the purchase funnel, breaking down longstanding barriers to consumer action. In this new model, creativity matters more than ever. We will explain how marketers can bring the best of digital and mobile engagement to play within this mainstay of advertising, creating a pathway to a deeper engagement and, most importantly, purchase.

Key takeaways:

• How digital is impacting the measurement of TV-based campaigns

• The role of physical engagement in television

• The “pocketsizing” of entertainment and its impact on viewing

Many marketers spend millions of dollars on elaborate advertising campaigns when often what’s really needed to help influence consumers is a simple recommendation from a trusted source that cuts through the noise of traditional marketing methods. But how do you generate – and capitalise on – word-of-mouth equity? How do you find your advocates and disseminate the right message through them? And how do you ensure those messages reach the right networks? This workshop will show you how.

Key takeaways:

• Understand why the right message can resonate and expand, affecting brand perceptions and increasing sales

• Learn how to build a trusted community of advocates that will generate meaningful buzz around your products, services or offering

Much hype surrounds the topic of gamification. Largely seen as a technique to add engagement to existing tasks, projects, marketing campaigns and initiatives, the term often lacks the seriousness it deserves. But make no mistake, the benefits of introducing platforms that can help measure and influence real-time user behavior into the enterprise are huge – and gamification offers just that. this workshop will show you how.

With traditional digital advertising increasingly delivering less value to brands, the key to ensuring brand messages are heard is to engage key target audiences through more interactive social advertising. Today’s digital consumer is driven by the ability to share, recommend and participate in conversations. Social video campaigns offer brands the chance to be endorsed by online communities, grow online share of voice and meet the evolving needs of consumers. But with Cisco predicting a whopping 90 percent of online traffic will be video-based by 2013, how do you ensure your content is seen, shared and recommended?

Key takeaways:

• What is so social about social video, and why do we need to focus on engagement rather than video views?

• Look at seeding strategies YouTube and the tipping point – how to supersize your video to make a viral hit

• Understand regional trends and cultural differences

As marketers we often think of CRM as customer relationship management that takes place after the sales funnel. But today, CRM is more than just managing the customer relationship. CRM is about understanding how to market to your customer based on his or her relationship with your brand, even before they become a customer. Eric Bosco, Chief Operating Officer for ChoiceStream, will explain how a deeper understanding of consumers and their online behavior is enabling marketers to target advertising and recommendations based on real-time consumer activity, and achieve a 1:1 approach from acquisition all the way to cross- and up-selling.

This case study presentation will demonstrate how we used a data driven approach to identify and acquire  ideal customers on Facebook. We will also cover advanced news feed optimization and ROI measurement strategies.

Social Media has come a long way from the early days of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. We have all felt its impact in marketing and public relations, but the pace is accelerating and the drive to harness social tools for business process improvement is more important than ever. How does a company apply social techniques to their business to see the same advantages in customer service, HR or product development (and more!) as we did in marketing? How do companies become a Social Business? Using actionable frameworks and case studies, Sandy Carter, IBM Vice President, Social Business Evangelism and Sales, will discuss how you can create your own 'Social Business Agenda' for greater competitive advantage in 2012.

In today's fast moving, ever changing online world, it’s difficult to simply keep up with evolutions in branding – but doing so is not only pivotal to success, it is success. But what does the future hold for online branding? How can both existing brands and those looking to make the transition from offline ensure they’re best positioned for what the future holds when it comes to the arena of online branding?

Key takeaways:

• Top 10 tips to maximize your brand on Facebook
• Understanding your community, understand your brand: Which brands are best maximizing their social connections?
• How to speak to your 'future brand'