It is a painful irony that, in an industry characterized by answering questions, the biggest question remains largely unanswered: How do I get my website rank online? In this three hour workshop you'll learn what strategies have been proven to work and what pitfalls to avoid. We'll cover on-site (technical) optimization, the importance of a quality user experience, what CRO is and why it's critically important, the truth about link building, and whether or not content really is still "King" (as they say). We'll cover some of the most prevalent SEO myths as well as some SEO strategies that have been accepted as all but gospel that have been proven to harm your online visibility. At the end of this session you should have a very clear idea of where you currently stand and what immediate and actionable steps to take towards a more visible future.

With live video making waves on Facebook and now coming to affluent platforms like LinkedIn and even Amazon, just imagine how much exposure you can tap into with live streaming. Now as a brand, what if you don't have the time or the resources to learn all of the buttons that come along with launching a branded show? What if you could leverage the power of live video without having to fumble over the tech? What if you could just sit comfortably in front of the camera and focus on your message while someone else manages the production?In this jam-packed session with Stephanie Liu, you'll see first-hand how Remote Live Producer is quickly becoming the hot new trend in the gig economy. From brainstorm to production, Stephanie will show you step-by-step how to increase your impact and influence by leveraging a Remote Live Producer. Plus, if you're looking to create an additional revenue stream, Stephanie will show you how to land your first client.

Today, brands are increasing the spend to acquire customers, but struggle with how to use less costly methods such as email to drive higher customer lifetime value and get a return on initial acquisition.Join industry expert, April Mullen, as she shares a proven methodology for creating a strategy that delivers exceptional customer experiences and drives a longer-term marketing ROI. Because of email marketing's complexity and popularity among the C-suite, the workshop will closely examine how email can help drive higher customer lifetime value.In this workshop, Mullen will share how to:Acquire and maintain a healthy email databaseSegmentation and personalization techniquesCompelling content and design approachesTips on keeping deliverability high

Research shows that 50% of qualified leads are not ready to purchase. Yet 80% of leads that your sales teams disqualify will go on to purchase within 24 months. So how can you foster a relationship of collaboration between Marketing and Sales to both nurture these leads and eventually convert them into a successful sale? By using a "Sales-First" approach to content and the Inbound Methodology organizations can begin to align the needs of their sales and marketing teams to increase conversion rates, shorten sales cycles, and win more deals.While still highly valuable for marketers, this workshop delivers optimal value for organizations who can commit to sending a leader from both their marketing and sales teams. By examining the challenges of both, we will use tools, strategies, and technology to build a bridge between the two departments and allow both to return to work with a deeper understanding of how best to work together. During this highly interactive session we will:Discuss Inbound methodology basics including personas, buyer's journey, and full customer lifecycleDeveloping a content roadmap to integrate with your sales cycle and the buyer's journeyUnderstand different types of content and when to use them in the sales processExplore the challenges that each department faces and how to work together to minimize them Examine ways to use Marketing Automation and CRM technology to ease those challenges and deliver the right content to the right prospect at just the right timeDecide what success looks like by understanding the KPIs of both departments, how they are deeply interconnected, and what data can be collected to foster positive change

Have you seen tons of case studies and success stories on how businesses have double and even tripled their ROI from Facebook ads and had instant FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)? Do you want a better way to reach the right audience for your business and turn them into long-term clients and customers by leveraging the power of Facebook ads?Successful Facebook ad campaigns can serve as a lucrative source of leads and sales for your business. However, it takes more than just creating sexy ad creative to generate results from these campaigns. If you want qualified leads for your business and more importantly, you want to convert those leads into long-paying clients, this workshop is for you. This interactive training will show you how to create a Facebook Ads autopilot system that will generate qualified leads for your business while you sleep!After completing this workshop, you will be able to:Determine when it is best to use Facebook ads for your businessCreate compelling ad copy and visuals so people will actually click on your adMaster the three-part Facebook ads system that will help you generate as many leads as you can possibly handleLeverage Facebook ads to transform leads into loyal clients and customersThis workshop is geared towards social media managers, Facebook Ads managers and marketing teams who have experience creating and managing Facebook ad campaigns and are ready for the next steps in generating quality ROI for their marketing and sales funnels.Note: This can be an interactive workshop if you bring a laptop with you. Please have all the needed admin access to Pages/Advertising. It's best to have billing set up as well as we could launch campaigns in this workshop.

To be successful at Content Marketing and use content to grow your business, you need to adopt the three pillars: structure, creation, and amplification. But once you know the rules, that's when it's time to break them! In this intense 3-hour workshop, you'll learn how to apply the latest strategies and best practices to leverage content to generate traffic, leads, and sales. You'll see how properly crafted content can be used and re-used and re-purposed in a variety of ways to stretch that investment. And then you'll learn how to blow it all up to make real magic happen.Mike Allton has been blogging and teaching others how to blog for over a decade, and has been awarded the prestigious Top Ten Social Media Blog designation by Social Media Examiner two years in a row. During this presentation, you'll learn the strategies and tactics that Mike has developed and used to create outstanding content quickly, and how he's used that content to grow a massive audience.

Your company can score high for the services it provides or the products it sells on LinkedIn IF you maximize its presence. In fact, LinkedIn can generate an amazing 80% of your social media leads, according to Entrepreneur magazine.In this workshop, you will learn:Exact ways to enhance your company's brand on your LinkedIn profile and company page to ensure that you'll be found by prospects who search for what you offerSpecific steps to find your target customers, plus discover what free, paid and premium lead-generating and advertising tools to use to reach themHow to deliver your message through LinkedIn to drive business successWays to make the most of LinkedIn's powerhouse network of 645+ million members to generate the leads you need to grow your business!

In this three hour workshop you will learn exactly how to build, launch, manage, and scale a robust Google Ads campaign. These strategies and techniques can be applied to lead generation or eCommerce campaigns and small or large spends. This won't be a light touch into Google Ads philosophy. Instead, this is going to be a deep dive into how Google Ads functions and what to do to make it work for your business or your clients. Most importantly, we're going to help illustrate when and where Google Ads is most applicable to your business success and how to leverage it towards scalable and predictable growth. Whether you're running your Google Ads campaign yourself or managing it through a vendor, this session will help equip you with the tools and strategies necessary for Google Ads success.

As a solopreneur, freelancer or business owner, you wear a lot of hats. So many moving pieces internally, and not to mention when something goes wrong with a client. Suddenly everything goes haywire. Now imagine you could start your day knowing exactly what needs to be done? Imagine taking care of your client without losing track of anything else. And now imagine taking a 4-week vacation! Impossible?! Right now maybe, but with the right systems in place, this dream can become a reality for you too!This interactive workshop you will learn:How to discover and develop your internal workflowsHow to build processes and optimize themWhat interactive SOPs are, why you need them, and how to set them upHow to automate workflowsWe will cover:Client OnboardingProject delivery and trackingClient maintenance & offboardingInternal Processes and interactive SOPsHow to prep for outsourcing & team managementThis is for you if:You are a digital entrepreneur, social media manager, or any service-based businessYou are tired of being reactive and want your business to become proactiveYou are ready for a vacation ;)Make sure you bring your laptop. This workshop is hands-on and you'll walk out with a business setup that is ready to grow with you and make you $$.

You launched a non-profit (or are dreaming of launching). Now what? How do you create a sustainable community who will share your vision, become your biggest fans and brand ambassadors? What do you say? How do you say it and WHEN do you share your message? How do you sustain yourself and a community of enthusiastic supporters, volunteers and partners?Attending this workshop will equip you with a 6 step process from vision to messaging and leadership development.Taught by Geriann Wiesbrook, twice named global community leader (out of a pool of 2.2 billion possible recipients) , this hands on workshop will teach you the building blocks to non-profit success on social media and offline. This workshop is a compilation of lessons learned and strategies she's developed in her 15+ years in non-profit leadership.Vision and MissionPower PartnersRecipientsTime and Energy ManagementSegmenting your MessageSpeaking to power partnersLeading your teamConnecting with recipientsStory telling 5 key steps for in person stories4 square for written storiesGoing live in 5 stepsSharing your mission with would-be leadersThis workshop is fast paced, high energy and hands on. Come with your mobile device and/or laptop to maximize your takeaways. Facebook will be the platform used; this strategy applies across social media and in person meetings.Working knowledge of Facebook tools will maximize your success.Worksheets will be provided, in person or as PDFs to attendees.

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Brainstorming needs to die. It's run its course. It's time for businesses to kill off their ad hoc brainstorming meetings and embrace a new mindset around creating a culture of ideation. This isn't just the semantic difference between brainstorming and ideation, but the difference between a one off impromptu thinking session and turning your team into an idea machine, capable of meeting daily challenges with well planned strategies that adapt to the task at hand.The trick is to identify your braintrust of ideators, create a regular tentpole meeting combined with a digital sandbox for off-meeting collaboration, and empower the different personalities in your think tank to become efficient strategy solution creators.I created this process while leading a dedicated internal creative team, then have used it over the last five years with clients and internally to transform business processes so that teams have the capacity to meet their business needs on an on-going basis.The irony of this is that I discovered this solution because I don't need to brainstorm, I've got ideas for days. In working collaboratively with people who depend on me, I realized that I couldn't carry our team on the strength of my own ideas; that I needed buy in from everyone and a larger pool of ideas from people who aren't natural ideators like myself. I don't sell this process, my day job is making websites and videos for businesses, but I love evangelizing about creating better ideas.

Entrepreneurship is a funny thing. You find your passion and even find a way to make a great living doing it. And suddenly you don't have time for yourself anymore - Workaholics unite.This talk is for the digital entrepreneur tired of hustling day in and day out - ready to use technology to be more efficient, grow and work well with your team.You probably think you don't have the time to do all the things and implement all the systems... Let me tell you, life is too short for you not to. And I promise - You can do it!Let's make you the hero in your business and for your clients.It is assumed you have some business knowledge, are running a business, have a working brain, and a sense of humor.This is for you if:You feel like your business runs youYou don't have time for anything elseYou want to be more efficientYou are tired of doing "busy" work You'll leave knowing:How to plan your day to be more efficient rather than productiveHow to use technology to automate your business, saving you time and moneyHow to prepare to successfully start outsourcing tasksHow to start building residual income this week

GDPR regulations, the introduction of the United States with California's Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal continue to bring sweeping changes to data management policies and consumer privacy. Join our expert panelists as they share their advice, including:What changes are happening around data privacy right now and how they will impact your current businessWays to overcome the challenges of data privacy while creating new opportunitiesHow to balance compliance and creativity

We're all fighting for attention. That's the name of the online game. If you're not visible and relevant, you'll fade to black. In this cannot miss training, award winning online marketing consultant Vanessa Cabrera, will reveal simple yet incredibly powerful strategies you can do right NOW that will amplify your online visibility and position you as the go-to expert you are.In this session you'll learn:1. Why staying in your Social Media lane is vital2. How to easily create killer content your audience will find irresistible3. Why content maybe king but consistency is Queen4. How monitoring your online leads is essential in monetizing your marketing FASTER!

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Email still dominates as the highest performing channel in terms of ROI, yet it continues to receive underinvestment as compared to other digital channels. Imagine a world where email receives the budget it deserves to maximize personalization and relevance for subscribers. Hear from April Mullen, Director of Strategic Insights at Sparkpost on what's causing this underinvestment, how it is impacting email marketing and what you can do about it. It's time to give this high-performing channel the investment it deserves.

Did you know that Facebook Live videos capture viewers' attention 3x longer than regular videos? One of the most important social media engagement metrics is time. And with Facebook's 2 billion monthly users spending more time watching live video, just imagine how much exposure you can tap into with your very own Facebook Live Show. In this jam-packed session with Stephanie Liu, you'll get your hands on a steal-worthy launch plan to captivate audiences online. From chat bots, to promo plans, to teasers, and templates... Stephanie will show you step-by-step how to have viewers buzzing with excitement before you even start streaming. It's the ultimate live streaming swipe-file.

In a world that are reachable for more and more people and filled with selfie junkies we strive for unique experiences. Not only local but glocal In order to compete we combine products, services and lifestyles, create shareable must see experiences.All experiences become "slash (/)boutiques" Barber/surf/icescreamThis session will show those cool concepts that we didnt know exist but couldnt live without The digital as well as IRL solutions that help them differentiate their offer. Do they succeed? 

How are social ventures built and scaled? What marketing tactics and messaging is effective? What are actionable tricks of the trade that other entrepreneurs can employ on low budgets? How do startups run A/B testing experiments? All this and more can be covered by Andrew Glantz, Founder & CEO of GiftAMeal. GiftAMeal is a mobile app that helps provide a meal to someone in need each time a user takes a photo at a partner restaurant. Over 165 restaurants participate and over 330,000 meals have been provided so far. GiftAMeal won 1st Place at the MDMC Startup Pitch Competition last year, is an Arch Grants recipient, and won the Innovation Award by the Mayor's Office.

Are you a high school or college student? Are you attending the Midwest Digital Marketing Conference? If so, then you are eligible to take part in our 2nd annual #MDMC Social Media Simulation Student Competition.Face off against student teams in a social media campaign simulation. $$$ Cash prizes and great bragging rights for resumes! $$$ Competition participants will test promotional strategies and create social media ads, analyze content, manage a social media marketing budget and schedule posts as they compete against other student teams using MIMIC Social Simulations by Stukent.  Additional Details Coming Soon!Student competition brought to you by:

Join us for a riveting panel discussion with seo experts as they share their experience and advice, including:SEO best practices and how are they changingWhat to prioritize when implementing your SEO strategyWhether you should trust Google's advice about SEO best practicesHow metrics and user experience tie togetherWays to analyze keywords and topics for 'ranking gaps'Creating better content that drives better organic search page results

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Join Bounteous and Google as we discuss Google Marketing Platform and Google Analytics. Robust digital marketing programs rely on data now more than ever. You'll learn how Google Analytics (GA) & Google Tag Manager provide the data foundation needed for today's marketing landscape. We'll share quick wins as well as planning tips to improve your digital analytics efforts and drive results. GA drives digital maturity by integrating with key data platforms, providing reliable audience analysis and user journey attribution. The ability to directly connect your data with advertising and testing tools means there's never been a better time to upgrade your analytics capabilities.We'll explain the concept of a measurement strategy, a way to establish your organization's goals and align them with digital analytics features. We'll also talk about key product features like data import, goal analysis and built-in attribution modeling that can drive immediate impact for your organization.Plot your Analytics maturityLearn about the analytics lifecycle as it relates to Google Analytics. Go beyond pageviews with custom data and integrations.

In this session, Jenn Herman, a globally recognized Instagram expert, will cover everything you need to know about how Instagram works. Jenn will go into how content is prioritized and help you get a better understanding of how & when your content is shown on Instagram. She'll share insight into content strategies to help you create content that ranks higher and gets more engagement. Jenn show you how to tailor your posts, descriptions, and hashtags to leverage Instagram in your favor.

Watching great leaders in action is much like adoring the majestic peak of an iceberg. The work they do on the surface is based on years of building a large base of knowledge, experiences and skills. And, while there are many common traits among leaders, female leaders have developed their own special sauce.A simple Google search returns 147 million results on the topic of leadership. However, less than 10% of this information is about the needs of female leaders. While many people focus on how to be a great leader, this session first builds a foundation for self-leadership before moving on to successfully leading others.Based on secondary research and qualitative interviews, "Leadership 101: First Lead Yourself," offers another perspective on how to equip and create exceptional female leaders. Audience BenefitsStart at the beginning with a Personal Brand AssessmentIdentify the steps needed to do "Your Own Work"Develop your Leadership BlueprintChoosing Your Leadership PhilosophyCustomize Your Authentic Leadership StyleLeadership Principles and Practices from the Best

This session promotes the need to continually relate digital marketing concepts and tactics to the bedrock foundations of marketing theory. Students who do not have a solid foundation of marketing principles and can not relate digital marketing practices back to those principles will fall short of reaching Digital Marketing's full potential.

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Here from our startup competition finalists as they share how they have achieved success, advice for building a business, tips for finding funding, lessons they have learned during their entrepreneurial journey and much more!

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I'll talk about the process of taking a podcast concept and going from no show to over 1 million downloads in 24 months. This talk will focus on helping companies and aspiring podcasters learn important aspects of defining an audience, communicating your message and connecting on a deeper level with story.Some of the topics are the hero's journey & why failure builds big audiences. Show production, how anyone can produce quality audio for $60 and a laptop. Lastly and most importantly marketing and distribution to grow a podcast from unknown to award-winning. 

Get a Swift Kick In The Ads and give your Facebook Advertising strategy the fuel it needs to make the most of your advertising budget. Stop wasting marketing dollars and start optimizing the opportunities in front of you.

Often businesses are looking for that single 'digital rock star' to lead their marketing efforts. This results in many businesses combing through LinkedIn to chase after the same candidates and 'steal' from other companies. On the other hand, with the right approach and processes for team development marketers can build entire teams of highly qualified digital marketing professionals that drive their businesses forward.Sean has successfully built digital and analytics teams for 3 companies over the past 14 years. This breakout session would highlight the road map to developing a digital marketing team that delivers sustained, high-level performance. Some of the steps include:Laying a foundation of knowledge and excellenceHiring for fit and potentialCreating an environment of curiosity and learningFostering innovationRewarding achievementDeveloping a 'farm system' (this point would also elaborate how partnerships with educational institutions contribute to building a pipeline of talent)The goal of the presentation would be to have the attendees take away practical and actionable steps they can take to create consistency and stability with their digital marketing teams.

Session provides insight on Entrepreneur Mindset, exploring gaps and differentiation and provides step by step process to go from mind to market.

Educators are not only expected to be skilled researchers and teachers in 2020, but they have to be skilled in formulating brand partnerships within the classroom as well as outside in the industry. Educator influencers are on the rise with building their personal brand, but the next step in formulating strategies to extend this to the next level with official partnerships. Industry partnerships are not just for celebrity endorsers, influencers, and sports figures. Educators can also create these opportunities as well. This presentation will highlight tips on how to bridge the gap between education and practice in formulating partnerships in and out of the classroom for educators and students. Examples and takeaways of different approaches and partnerships will be discussed from the speaker's experience with HubSpot, Facebook, Hootsuite, adidas, and Cannes Lions Educators Summit.

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With the wide variety of tools that enable marketers to capture a range of data at particular stages in their marketing campaigns it seems like there's no excuse for not knowing what your customers want. However, knowing how to leverage that data can be overwhelming. Join our panel of experts as they discuss:The current biggest challenges for marketers when it comes to data and how to overcome those barriersWhat's missing when it comes to supporting data-driven decision makingPractical tips and tricks for measurement and strategy when it comes to making sense of your dataWhat tools can help you adopt a data driven marketing strategy for 2020And much more!

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The millennial consumer requires brands to be able to find emotional connections with them. Make them look good, feel good and keep them entertained. In this session, we'll breakdown how millennials view their favorite brands and ways they've connected with their top fans in a natural/engaging way. With over 8 years of millennial specific research, we've identified key traits and triggers for the most desired consumer base in today's marketing ecosystem. We'll share our research, case studies and ways of thinking about millennials and what they love. This will be our fourth year of speaking at MDMC! 

How do I find and connect with my customers? It's one of the most common questions people ask when thinking about growing their business. The answer is pretty simple: No matter the industry, the consumers your company is trying to reach are likely online. So, naturally, that's where you need to be.In the U.S., individuals spend about 13 hours every week accessing the internet and social media. When we take a closer look at their behavior, it's clear they're not just casually browsing-they're shopping and researching purchases. More than ever, consumers are making informed decisions about where to spend their money based on reviews and recommendations. We also know people use a variety of devices to access information, from desktop computers to tablets to smartphones. In fact, smartphone use is on the rise-in 2019, the average smartphone user checks his or her phone up to 80 times each day-so ensuring your website is mobile-optimized is key to ensuring an easy and intuitive experience for the consumer.When developing your company's digital marketing strategy, including a combination of tactics across online, social media and mobile marketing platforms will increase your brand's visibility. Individually, all three of these marketing strategies are effective when it comes to growing your customer base, driving website and social media traffic and/or building brand loyalty. But when integrated in a thoughtful and compelling way-each one building on the other-your company will realize the difference of employing the digital marketing trifecta. 

You know that creating eye-catching visuals is a must for any marketing plan, but do you struggle coming up with great-looking content? Does the thought of creating images make your head hurt? Does trying to figure out the difference between CMYK and RGB give you PTSD?Join Jeff Sieh (Host of the Manly Pinterest Tips Show, Tailwind's Marketing Unleashed Show, and social team member at Social Media Examiner) as he shares some of his favorite secrets for creating eye-catching images. You'll discover shortcuts and tools that will help streamline your image creation process as well as some design tips that will take your visual marketing to the next level.

Google is oft-cited alongside Facebook and Amazon as just another marketplace. One more marketing channel to add to your checklist of "things to do" when growing your business. Nothing could be further from the truth. Google is the strongest indication of intent in existence. Facebook knows what you tell it, Google knows what you ask it. Facebook knows your lies, Google knows your search for truth. Google knows who speeds on their way to work, who lies to their spouse, and who is cheating on their taxes. Now, does this intense degree of granular tracking herald the coming of some dystopian future where all freedoms are lost? Yes, it probably does. However, until that time comes, we can use this powerful tool to build predictable & scalable pipelines of new customers, identify new market opportunities, and discover entirely new lines of business. But, before you are equipped to do that, you need to understand what Google really is (and what it isn't) and how Google Ads functions within the Google ecosystem.

Welcome to 2020 the year that Messenger grows up. For the past three years, Messenger Marketing has been going through growing pains. It has been the wild west up until sheriff Facebook came along and put the law down. Now marketers are scrambling to make sense of Messenger Marketing. Where does it fit in their marketing strategy? In this presentation, I will explain how Messenger Marketing can be used to grow lists, fill funnels, and make sales. Looking at Messenger through a silo does not work. I will explain the various ways Messenger can integrate with other marketing platforms to create an omnipresence that decreases the cost of acquisition and increases conversions. We will explore various tools and cross-marketing strategies to make sure marketers are using these tools to their full potential. Three key things you will learn:The rules of Messenger Marketing todayWhy having an omnipresence marketing strategy will decrease your cost and increase your ROIHow to use SMS, Email, and Messenger together to become omnipresentCome to learn about Chat Marketing. Stay because it is fun and entertaining to learn these new concepts through Kelly's engaging style. Leave with exciting ideas you are ready to implement. 

What are your potential clients looking for when hiring an agency, how do you balance the agency-client relationship and communication, should you be providers of expertise and education, what defines a good agency experience, and how do you set proper expectations with clients? These are just a few of the questions that the experts will dive into during this panel discussion. 

Facebook Blueprint will be hosting a meeting for faculty and students to discuss a new digital marketing program. In this session, the Blueprint team will be looking for your feedback on the design, content and structure of the program, as well as providing the attending faculty with an opportunity to sign up for the programTo learn more about Facebook Blueprint, visit their website or Facebook page.

This action-packed session is for any company with marketing and sales professionals looking to drive more revenue towards the bottom line while building relationships along the way. In this session, you will learn tools, tips, & tricks to create hyper-personalized marketing and sales videos that prospects, leads, and customers love! After this session, your teams will be able to communicate in a human way, simplify the complex, and educate leads with ease.Key TakeawaysUnderstand the use of personalization and emotion in your process.Learn what tools to use to save time and money.Enable education and assignment selling with ease.Intended AudienceC-suite and sales managers that want to learn how to use personalized video in their sales process.Those already using personalized video in their sales process to up their strategy and revenue results.

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"Content marketing should be fun, not a chore!" This session provides ideas, examples and inspiration for evergreen content ideas that will add sparkle to any social media conversation. Learn how simple prompts can spark an idea and how to develop that idea into social media content for any platform. Learn how this step-by-step approach can be applied and how each prompt can be adapted to create content for sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube.

Have you ever left a concert before it was done because you were bored stiff? Have you ever attended a conference but wished you had stayed home? Every social media marketer wants to create a loyal raving audience that loves the brand and gladly does business with them. But often we become part of the noise. It's time to fix that but we need to look outside the marketing world for inspiration.In this session, Phil Mershon, director of events for Social Media Marketing World and an accomplished jazz saxophonist, will guide you through some practical lessons learned from artists and event planners in how they create loyal fan-bases and truly memorable moments. You'll leave with tools and techniques that can help you create the change your audience seeks.

With so much data available from so many different sources, research and decisions have never been more complex. Instead of a world with no data, gut instinct, and spaghetti-on-the-wall strategies we now have vanity metrics, data manipulation, and KPI conflicts. As digital operations experts, you run the systems that hold the data that everyone needs to succeed at your company from market engagement to pipeline management to audience education. Most importantly, you own the systems that are required for your customers to discover, buy, succeed, and promote your company. How can you as digital marketers get the right level of data to the right people within your organization because the data you use in your job is not the data that people need to theirs? In this talk we will discuss the difference between tactical level, managerial level, executive level, and board level metrics as well as why the wrong metrics in the hands of the wrong people causes more problems and lead to lower budgets. We will talk data process, data culture, and data automation to make proper data support appropriate budgets and produce accolades from your executive team led by the CFO who now fully understands the importance and impact of your digital initiatives.

How do you master the art of personal branding? Well there is no better advocate in this world than yourself. Whether you're interested in finding a new job opportunity, growing your side hustle, or expanding your network, having a strong and identifiable personal brand will take you to the next level when it comes to your career aspirations.Hear from industry experts as they share their insights on how to build a narrative around your strengths, how to turn your personal brand into a job or a business, how to choose the correct mediums to build your brand, and best practices when navigating your online platforms.

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We've been trained to speak "business to business" (B2B) or "business to consumer" (B2C). But businesses and products do not have emotion. Humans do.In Human to Human Marketing (#H2H), Bryan explores why and how communication needs to be adjusted to exude simplicity, empathy, and imperfection – in the same way, humans are built. Through storytelling about his own experiences, as President of a Silicon Valley marketing firm, he delivers practical tools and steps you can use right now to connect with other humans and be better marketers, managers, and fellow members of the human race. Key concepts include: Why the Six Basic Human Needs are critical to understanding to connect  with your audienceHow Human Sensory Building will make you a better communicatorWhat a "Focker Moment" is and why you should celebrate failureThe difference between "Dark" and "Delightful" Disruption 

As consumers grow more and more aware of the value of their personal data and how it is used online, the same old marketing tactics that earned home runs before aren't going to cut it -- and they might not even be legal. The future of marketing is no longer brainwashing people with targeted messaging, but creating a community of advocates who believe in and trust your brand so much they want to share it, live it, be it. How do you do that, and even more important with the marketing technology at our fingertips, how do you, as a marketer, do it ethically? Attendees will learn the downstream ways privacy laws affect consumer behavior, legal considerations and resources to stay compliant, marketing tactics that can be put into place immediately, and what smart marketing leaders are planning for the future. With this new playing field, the marketing ballgame has changed. We look at the new rules defining the forward-thinking marketer's playbook. Play ball!

Emerging technologies like AI and automation are transforming the nature of creative teams and careers faster than ever before. But we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg in terms of how technology is affecting the future workplace. Teams that embrace and drive change are those that will be best positioned for success. In this session, you will learn about:Five transformative technologies and how they're redefining the workplace and creative jobsHow to build a creative team that delivers world-class resultsThe value of a "find a need, fill a need" approach to innovation for your company and careerPreparing for - and getting excited about - change

Bloggers and businesses alike will gain valuable takeaways from this packed presentation on Blogging Best Practices. You'll learn techniques from an established content marketer which will help you target the right audience, generate more content ideas, make your writing more compelling, and find ways to reach more readers.

No matter what industry you're in, or if your B2B or B2C….and whether you like it or not…employees are some of your biggest brand ambassadors. They engage with your customers daily and are the names and faces people associate with your brand. Working in a legacy B2B industry with little to no social media presence, Holland LP applied current social marketing strategies traditionally used by B2C organizations to actively engage employees and highlight their contributions and successes. Their social media analytics skyrocketed as a result, with total page likes AND average engagement more than doubling in the first 3 quarters of 2019 alone. Depending on your specific target audiences, each social media platform can vary in popularity. Using Facebook, Holland connected with past and present employees along with other members of the railroad industry to develop a social community. Utilizing B2C strategies like contests and giveaways helped engage employees and make them feel more connected to the organization. This engagement led to higher visibility among current and future customers when it comes to non-employee focused content such as new product release information and impacted reach on other platforms as well. Join us to take a look at how actively working to engage your employees on social can impact your digital growth.

Video continues to be the increasingly dominant piece of the marketing mix and there is a good reason for that. Video has proven again and again to be more memorable, engaging, and effective than other marketing content. The critical question, however, is how can brands best harness video to build brand loyalty and how do you create a video strategy that sets your brand up for success. During this panel discussion, experts will share their advice on:Creating an effective video strategy no matter your budgetHow to make sure your videos are not just seen but are impactfulUsing video storytelling to find your brand's voiceTransforming one video idea into a seriesHow to layer videos throughout your whole marketing funnelAnd much more!

Stukent has invited all instructors and faculty to a private session where they will reveal the latest in their digital courseware including their simulations, digital library and expert sessions. They will share experiences by other faculty with their program and how it is used to help ensure a rich classroom environment.

Are you attending MDMC? Would you like to network with companies and further your career? If so, then stop by our first annual Student Intern & Career Fair.What to Expect:Have your resume reviewed by industry experts and meet with over 50 companies currently hiring for internships:How to Prepare:Bring your resumePolish your LinkedIn profileDress appropriatelyPractice your elevator pitch

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In the past two years much has changed with Google Webmaster/Google Search Console. There has been a name change, new reports, more data but also a number of features and reports have gone POOF. In this session we will cover some of the new features in Google Search Console that you should be leveraging, some external tools to help you better leverage the data in Google Search Console but also some tips and tricks to help you get more out of your use of Google Search Console.

Is there any strategy more current and relevant than Influencer Marketing (IM)? While IM is the strategy du jour, delivering jaw-dropping engagement rates and solid ROI at manageable costs, there are landmines and risks. The most famous case-in-point being the Fyre Festival. This scandal laid bare how vulnerable unsuspecting consumers can be. As a result of this and other cases, the legal landscape has transformed for brands, agencies, and influencers.Because of IM's power, in 2020 there are questions that need to be addressed pre-campaign to establish transparency for consumers, build credibility for the Influencer, and protect the brand: What are the regulations? How are consumers protected-and how are brands being held accountable? What do influencers need to know and do? And where are legislators and regulators focusing?This session will explore all these legal issues, along with the roots of IM, how it became so potent, and the reasons influencers can motivate change. To make this session even more relevant for our advertising community, we'll explore the case study of Diet Madison Avenue-an anonymous Instagram account that tapped into the power of #MeToo to influence hiring and firing practices. Provocatively, we'll discuss if anonymity is good or bad, or if it creates legal liability that has yet to be addressed.

Most agencies blow it when it comes to their own marketing! If marketing isn't being overlooked entirely, so many agencies seem to abandon best practices and do the very things they advise their clients against. Not only is this not a good look, but it hurts these businesses' bottom lines, as fewer qualified inbound leads come their way and savvy prospects won't want to work with an agency that displays amateur-level efforts.In an attempt to break away from the "do as I say, not as I do" BS, we made 2019 the year of becoming our own best client. Starting with revised branding and a comprehensive strategy, we set forth to transform our marketing agency and have our best year ever by pulling out all the stops and doing what we suggest for our clients.So, what were the results?Well, you're going to find out in this breakout session that's one part case study and two parts actionable advice you can leverage for leveling up your own agency. Packed with takeaways and tips, attendees of this session will find out: what the transformation to being your own best client looks like, how to get there, what to avoid, and which actions they can take to bring the biggest benefit.

As Augmented + Virtual Reality come of age, we are now moving past the novelty phase, and using them to make an impact for organizations and their audiences. In the right hands, we can use these new technologies to amplify brand stories and connect people to brands in powerful, unforgettable ways. In this session, we would like to share an inside look at the creation of a 4-D VR experience called "The Jump," at the Evel Knievel Museum, recently ranked a USA Today Top 5 New Attraction in the nation. To broaden the look at AR + VR for our audience, we'd also like share the development of an AR retail experience for Helzberg Diamonds, where ring shoppers can "see" rings on their fingers, and an immersive AR experience for the United States Naval Academy, designed to help young men and women actually "see" themselves as naval officers. Benefits will include a fuller, more concrete understanding of the real world applications for these technologies and spark compelling ideas for attendee's organizations.

Eventually, every organization faces a serious branding disaster. Think of United Airlines, Wells Fargo, Uber, and other companies whose tribulations made front-page news. Poor business decisions, corrupt cultures, or just plain bad luck can lead to major PR meltdowns, sending once-loyal consumers fleeing in droves. But there's a right way to handle controversy and come out stronger on the other side.Don't leave your brand's fate up to guesswork. Take control today.Using recent high-profile brand implosions as prime examples, Deb Gabor demonstrates how top companies that break their promises inevitably suffer, and she explores the routes the more agile ones have taken to full recovery after letting their customers down. One of the world's premier branding experts, Gabor provides invaluable insights that will help your own enterprise build positive brand equity, goodwill, and the "irrational loyalty" that will support your brand long-term through the best and worst of times.TAKEAWAYS: What every company can learn from a small Ice Cream factory that literally killed customers and is more profitable than everHow the world of branding and marketing changed forever with the 2016 electionHow the Amazonification of the world has made branding an imperative for companies of any size in any industryHow to build a strong brand foundation that propels organizations to be able to charge premiums for their products and services and become more sustainableRipped-from-the-headlines stories of brands that endured a Crisis of Culture, Crisis of Leadership, Crisis of Ignorance and how they fared

CMOs grew their event budgets by 22% in 2019, realizing that offline events comprise the single most effective marketing channel for achieving business outcomes. By placing customized in-person experiences front and center, companies like Apple, HubSpot, and Salesforce are establishing closer branded connections with users that nurtures direct engagement and breaks through the digital noise. What might seem to the casual observer as tech backlash just might be a realization that direct engagement should be just that: direct -- face-to-face, offline. And, this surge in events spending isn't just for optics; it's about differentiation, brand attachment -- and the bottom line. Find out the factors informing this trend towards face-to-face, the business outcomes of event marketing, and practical methods to scale events strategies. Data shows that C-suite executives believe in the power of experiential marketing to reach a precisely targeted audience. For customers to embrace a brand, they must be able to relate to it, interact with it, and see its authentic face. Events also can be the elusive differentiator in a world where Millennials and Gen Zs crave offline experiences. Though some offline strategies involve live events as we typically think of them, for instance hosting conferences or exhibiting at trade shows, others can include one-off installations that activate customers or exclusive product launch events that help build anticipation. Event marketing has proven to boost ROI, providing differentiation, and nurturing brand affinity - and will be a priority for marketing executives in 2019 and beyond.

Interviews are the present and the future of brand building, both for individuals and companies. Interviews can be your ultimate weapon in showcasing your knowledge and becoming known in your market. This is the "Interview Era".In this talk Ben M Roberts will show you how the win the "Interview Era". He will guide you step-by-step through the process of getting and setting up interviews, being interviewed and making the most out of interviews.Interviews are incredibly powerful, they allow you to showcase your knowledge, tell your story, share advice, and talk to some of the smartest minds alive. Over the last few years, Ben has built his personal brand using interviews, both as the interviewer on the 'Marketing Buzzword Podcast' and as a guest on numerous shows, blogs, Twitter chats and podcasts. Now, he shares his knowledge with you!

Podcasts are content machines! Join podcasting experts for an interactive discussion as they share their tips for:Building brand loyalty through podcastingHow to affordably start a podcastMonetization opportunities for podcastersWays to develop compelling content for you podcastHow to tie podcasting into your current content strategyAnd much more!

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With mobile search being the new norm, local seo is more important than ever before. Today the first place consumers interact with your business is online: through your website, your social media and your online business information. From Google Maps, Facebook Places and local search results, having accurate location details is vital to your digital storefront. With the addition of store report details in Google Ads, location information has taken a giant step forward. This session will explore how making improvements to your local information can translate into large revenue increases for your brick and mortar locations along with how marketers can show direct in-store ROI for paid search programs.

A discussion on the evolution of digital advertising and OTT from the way society now consumes video to the multiplicity of connected devices in the household and what this means for marketers. We will discuss how and where to advertise digitally and OTT, and show case studies of how both have been leveraged to success. 

Given the perception of gridlock in Washington, states are enacting laws and regulations on privacy and data protection. Many of those laws and regulations, like the California Consumer Privacy Act, will have national or even global effects. Come to learn about some of the most important state requirements, how they may impact marketing efforts, and where trends in state legislation and regulation may go. 

As the B2B buying process continues to shift more and more into a digital setting, we need to adapt our marketing and sales processes accordingly.Rather than hammering promotional messages into the ears of future customers, it's our job to act as their guide through what's often a long and complex buying process that involves a number of stakeholders.In this session, I'll teach a 5-step process for leveraging the collective knowledge and experience of your organization's subject matter experts to attract, engage, establish trust and earn real human-to-human sales conversations.In this how-to session, I'll take the audience through that process one step at a time (using real-life examples along the way), and leave them with some tools for executing each step inside their own organizations:Creating focus on the right people from the right companies (ideal accounts and buying process influencers)Identifying and what matters to them (their buying triggers, pains, goals and common questions)Documenting your content strategy (creating a content plan that leverages the knowledge of your subject matter experts)Crafting your content (how to extract their expertise and turn it into written, video and other content)Promoting your content (not relying on Google to reward you, but instead, amplifying your content's visibility through email, paid media, guest authorship and syndication)For reference, here's a recent 2.5-minute clip of me presenting on a very similar topic at a private event:https://gorilla76marketing.wistia.com/medias/s83bjvi3u7

Learn how to get BIG returns from influencer marketing on a micro budget! Simply Social Media™️ will teach you how to leverage hyperlocal micro-influencers to build brand advocates with tips you can actually implement.

In this session that's one part panel, one part workshop, and one part sitcom, four incredible marketing experts are going to break down an entire marketing plan for you.You'll learn:How to prioritize and humanize social media. How to create a long lasting base of lead generating content. How to leverage advanced techniques like live video, chatbots and more. The 360 Marketing Squad comprised of Jenn Herman, Stephanie Liu, Amanda Robinson and Mike Allton will share their unique and holistic approach to marketing. You'll come away from this session feeling motivated and educated! Your brain will hurt from the information shared and your face will hurt from laughing the entire time. Guaranteed to be your favorite panel.

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Every day, people talk to their Amazon Alexa devices and say "Alexa, tell me the news". Listeners can subscribe to NPR, CNN, or whatever they're interested in - and one of those things could be your extremely short news program - called a "Flash Briefing". Amazon Alexa devices offer a way to reach an entirely new audience for free. Flash Briefings will appear on Amazon.com search results, in multiple countries, with just a few minutes of setup.There are 660,000 podcasts. There are currently only 10,000 Flash Briefings. There's a huge opportunity here.I have the first Instagram Amazon Alexa Flash Briefing Skill. In 11 months, I've gone from 0 to 22,000 subscribers, starting from no audience and no mailing list. I will show your attendees how I did it, and how they can do the same exact thing.

No one likes making cold calls and talking with people who aren't interested in your product or service. It's time-consuming and takes you away from what you do best.In this interactive Workshop, we'll discuss concrete ways business owners can integrate inbound marketing into their current marketing plan and generate revenue.Inbound marketing focuses on attracting customers through relevant and helpful content and adding value at every stage in your customer's buying journey. By creating content designed to address the problems and needs of your ideal customers, you attract qualified prospects and build trust and credibility for your business.With inbound marketing, potential customers find you through channels like blogs, search engines, and social media. When they find you and reach out to you, they immediately become a warm lead.You'll walk away from this Workshop with the tools you need to implement your first inbound marketing campaign and start generating more revenue.

Committing to invest in a business intelligence tool and hiring a team of analysts is what most senior leaders consider as the first step to creating a data-driven decision-making process. At Anvil, we have seen time and time again that a change in the leadership culture is what is truly needed before any technology can be efficient. Attend this session to learn the key steps leaders need to take to create a culture where data drives action. We'll discuss real case studies and you'll walk away with a step-by-step plan to begin creating a culture within your organization where data drives your marketing strategy.

Marketers may be neglecting a valuable resource to create real customer engagement: online customer reviews and ratings. A recent study found that 80% of consumers are likely to shop at a store that responds to customer reviews. Millennials and Gen Z favor businesses that care, and engage in two-ways conversations. If a retailer never joins the online conversation, it may be falling behind the curve, since responsiveness is an undeniable elevator of brand perception -- which leads to more new customers and repeat business. Agile reviews responsiveness not only can show concern for customer service experiences after a sale, but also they can push leads farther down the funnel toward conversion. Further, good responsiveness to online reviews is a key way to leverage the growing premium on personalization in SEO and SEM. But how do businesses respond to reviews with consistency, authenticity and brand integrity? Uberall's Kelly Benish will share exclusive data on consumers' trending attitudes toward online responsiveness and detail some methods to leverage the power of reviews for better SEO, enhanced personalization, deeper customer engagement, and bolstering brand reputation.

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Sexism. Ageism. Deep-seated, mind-clouding prejudices. Furious customers and failed business launches. Partnerships abandoned out of fear, projects destroyed by misunderstanding. Every problem that exists in the business world can be traced back to a single, common origin: Lack of empathy. When we are unwilling to place ourselves in someone else's shoes-unwilling to talk, listen, or understand another point of view-we remain paralyzed. Instead of finding solutions, we repeat the same mistakes. This impacts our professional reputation, team's productivity, customer's experience and organization's performance.Our digital world does not let us off the hook in showcasing this deeply human connection. In fact, doing business online and in social media demands that we be even more empathetic than ever before if we want to keep customers, gain market share and thrive. Brand strategist, author and speaker Maria Ross, author of the forthcoming book The Empathy Edge: Harnessing the Value of Compassion as an Engine for Success. A Playbook for Brands, Leaders, and Teams, will explore the value of compassion as an engine for brand success. Learn how you as leaders and marketers can amplify empathy through your work, create a more empathetic experience online and bring your organizations along with you to create a better world. With fascinating stories from founders, change-makers and brands we know and love, Ross reveals exactly how empathy is not just good for humankind, but it actually makes brands stronger and more sustainable.  

The demand for inclusive content has never been higher. Look no further than Google trends, where the topic "gender-neutral language" has steadily climbed in interest since 2012, reaching a new peak this month. This session will show attendees how to create digital content that appeals to an inclusive audience without watering down their message.At the end of this session, you will be able to:Audit your content for the most common inclusivity mistakesReframe content to speak to an inclusive audience without creating confusionGenerate brand loyalty through inclusive digital content

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