Tag Archives: Marketing

Marketing Conferences I’d Like to Attend in 2013

Posted on by in Uncategorized | 511 Comments

 

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I love conferences, I love to attend, network and track new trends. I love to speak, contribute and share. Luckily, I joined several conferences till now as a speaker. With the list I shared below are some of them that I would like to attend in 2013.  It would be great to find a conference sponsor for myself 🙂

PS: I like to follow marketing, digital media and mobile events, nowadays I am in search of big data events. It is the future of tech!

March 2013

AMA Analytics with Purpose: The Human Edge of Big Data
March 4-5, 2013 | San Diego, CA
http://www.marketingpower.com/Calendar/Pages/analytics-with-purpose-the-human-edge-of-big-data.aspx

The way we compile, assess, and act on data is evolving all the time, and marketers and researchers must adapt to it. AMA’s new conference is designed to help them do just that. This conference will provide two full days of emerging approaches, thought-provoking conversations and meaningful interaction for practitioners and researchers alike. It will focus on the purpose of analytics – driving better decisions, creating insights, and growing business, but it will also focus on the human side.

SMX West – Search Marketing Expo
March 11-13, 2013 | San Francisco, CA
http://searchmarketingexpo.com/west/

SMX West content is so compelling, you’ll want to implement what you’ve learned before leaving the conference. Dramatically increase the number of people who come to your site with ROI enhancing paid search advertising and search engine optimization techniques and best practices. Personalize your SMX West experience. Attend any of the more than 60 sessions and keynotes that suit your needs and maximize your investment. There are sessions just for you – whether you’re new to search or an experienced internet marketer, employed at a Fortune 500 company or run your own business or agency.

April 2013

Inbound Marketing Summit (IMS) New York 2013
April 3-4, 2013 | New York, NY
http://www.inboundmarketingsummit.com/new-york/

Inbound Marketing Summit (IMS) is the one event that brings together enterprise CMOs, business leaders, agency execs and their teams, awesome keynotes, expert panels, plus solutions providers and their tools, all in a dynamic, community-based setting. Learn about the latest in social strategy and branding, content marketing, online video, Social CRM, mobile payments and more. And explore how to turn your plans into action with exclusive demos, showcases and the multimedia experience you expect from The Pulse. Come join the marketing revolution

Social Media Marketing World
April 7-8, 2013 | San Diego, CA
http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/smmworld/

Join 1,000 fellow marketers at the mega-conference designed to inspire and empower you with social media marketing ideas—brought to you by Social Media Examiner. You’ll rub shoulders with the biggest names and brands in social media, soak up countless tips and new strategies, and enjoy extensive networking opportunities. This is a historic opportunity for you to connect face-to-face with the top social media marketing experts while breaking bread with like-minded peers from around the globe.

eM13: eMarketing Association Conference
April 9-10, 2013 | San Francisco, CA
http://www.emarketingassociation.com/2013/index.html

You will leave energized and ready, with relevant, actionable new processes,
techniques, ideas, and a bunch of new meaningful contacts. You can design your
own conference around dedicated topics on Social, eMail, Search and Mobile
marketing. Sessions are highly interactive and our speakers, panelists, moderators and
attendees attend most social networking events at the conference.

DemandCon: Accelerating the Sales and Marketing Funnel
April 15-16, 2013 | San Francisco, CA
http://www.demandcon.com/sanfrancisco/2013/

The industry’s premier event for education and insight into the art of aligning and accelerating your company’s sales and marketing funnel. DemandCon’s content is presented by the world’s foremost thought leaders and covers information on the latest research, strategies and tactical best practices in B2B Sales and Marketing today. The conference includes Keynotes, 45-minute presentations, 90 – 120 minute mini hands-on workshops, as well as optional full day intensive workshops.

iStrategy Miami 2013: Transform Your Digital Strategy
April 23-24, 2013 | Miami, FL
http://www.istrategyconference.com/events/miami/

It’s where the rubber meets the road in serious online business marketing. SEO, SEM, social, mobile, community, commerce. Join North America’s most forward-thinking digital marketers, social media mavens and online experts as they converge on Miami in April 2013 to discuss the future of digital marketing and share strategies for improving customer engagement, driving conversions and developing campaigns that positively ring with authenticity, relevancy and significance. If building a high-performing, integrated marketing strategy is important to your organisation, then iStrategy is for you!

May 2013

Content Marketing Strategies Conference
May 8-9, 2013 | Berkeley, CA
http://contentmarketingstrategiesconference.com/conferences/

The Content Marketing Strategies Conference, hosted by dlvr.it, is the only event to specifically focus on helping Small Businesses understand the pivotal role content marketing plays in demand generation, sales, SEO and social. Attendees are guaranteed to walk away with an action plan to kick-start or enhance a content marketing program. Our boutique conference brings together thought leaders for two days of intense discussion and case studies. Come explore the future of content marketing.

The Un-Conference: 360° of Brand Strategy for a Changing World
May 16-17, 2013 | San Diego, CA
http://theblakeproject.com/un-conference/360-degrees-brand-strategy/

A unique, competitive-learning workshop limited to 100 participants, each working and learning in teams.  Dedicated solely to the art and science of brand strategy and management, this two-day workshop will be unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced!  A small, exclusive group of marketers will gather together with legendary marketer John Sculley and the senior partners of The Blake Project to create a one-of-a-kind learning and networking experience dedicated to all aspects of building successful brands for the 21st century. Intensive and illuminating, this workshop will equip participants with the insight, tools and techniques required to release the full potential of their brands in a new era where consumers / customers now drive and own the conversation about brands.

BlueGlassX 2013 Digital Marketing Conference
May 21-22, 2013 | Los Angeles, CA
http://www.blueglass.com/event/blueglassx-la/

BlueGlassX isn’t just a conference — it’s an experience for marketers, by marketers. When you attend, you’ll learn from world-class speakers, share unrivaled knowledge, and build priceless relationships, all in an intimate environment, with only 175 attendees. Here’s your chance to be a part of the next digital marketing eXperience. Attendees include representatives from some of the world’s biggest brands (like Disney, HSN, Google, Facebook), to the brightest startups, to agency pros, entrepreneurs and small-medium size business owners.

International Business Marketing Association (BMA) Conference
May 29-31, 2013 | Chicago, IL
http://www.marketing.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=5681

Conference details and info to be made available in the near future.

September 2013

Content Marketing World 2013
September 9-12, 2013 | Cleveland, OH
http://contentmarketingworld.com/

The largest content marketing event on the planet, produced by the Content Marketing Institute. Content Marketing World is the one event where you can learn and network with the best and the brightest in the content marketing industry. You will leave with all the materials you need to take a content strategy back to your team – and – to implement a content marketing plan that will grow your business and engage your audience.

October 2013

DMA2013: The Global Event for Data-Driven Marketers
October 12-17, 2013 | Chicago, IL
http://dma13.org/

As all marketing becomes data-driven, marketers will need to up their game to not only anticipate their customers’ needs, but also deliver relevant, measurable, on-demand messaging—all the time—in an omnichannel marketing environment. DMA2013 will focus on meeting the tough demands of big data, global consumers, and shrinking attention spans so your integrated marketing efforts keep winning.

Pivot Conference: From Social Brands to Social Business
October 15-16, 2013 | New York, NY
http://2012.pivotcon.com/

Pivot is not a Social media conference, nor even a traditional conference at all. Pivot is as close to a true Social community of powerful leaders as a physical gathering can be. In our incisive on-stage conversations, the speakers contribute to the audience, the audience contributes to the speakers and everyone contributes to one another. All Pivot’s participants are leaders of Social initiatives from major brands and the organizations that serve them. The result is a singularity that defines the heart of Social for the year ahead. NOTE: Pivot is primarily an invitation-only conference for senior executives driving Social initiatives at Big Brands and Agencies. If this describes you, visit the site to request a VIP invitation to Pivot 2013.

The Market Research Event: The New Value Proposition: Transforming Insight Partners Into Strategic Consultative Leaders
October 21-23, 2013 | Nashville, TN
http://www.iirusa.com/research/event-home.xml

TMRE delivers more proven value than any other event of its kind. The annual meeting place for career researchers. Budgets are precious. Spend smarter with TMRE – the brand that delivers NEW value every year…making it the best investment for the future of both yourself and your company.

Date TBA in 2013

The Mobile Marketing Conference: Capturing Share of Mind, Driving Transactions & Proving ROI
Date TBA | Location TBA
http://www.iirusa.com/mobilemarketing/homepage.xml

37 Facebook Pages Every Smart Entrepreneur Must Follow

Posted on by in Social Media | 462 Comments

Below is a list of 37 Facebook pages to enhance your learning.  Blogging, Social Media, Productivity, News/Trends, Branding/Marketing, and of course, Business/Creativity.

Blogging

Bloggingpro
www.facebook.com/bloggingpro

Blogging Tips
www.facebook.com/BloggingTips

Copyblogger
www.facebook.com/CopybloggerMedia

ProBlogger
www.facebook.com/problogger

Spice Up Your Blog
www.facebook.com/spiceupyourblog

Social Media

Amy Porterfield
www.facebook.com/AmyPorterfield

Jeff Bullas
www.facebook.com/jeffbullascom/103782605406

Likeable Social Media
www.facebook.com/LikeableBook

Mari Smith
www.facebook.com/marismith

Social Media Examiner
www.facebook.com/smexaminer

Social Media Explorer
www.facebook.com/socialmediaexplorer

Social Media Today
www.facebook.com/pages/Social-Media-Today/18797601233

Productivity

Dumb Little Man – Tips For Life
www.facebook.com/dlmblog

Lifehack
www.facebook.com/lifehackorg

Lifehacker
www.facebook.com/lifehacker

Marc and Angel Hack Life – Practical Tips for Productive Living
www.facebook.com/pages/Marc-and-Angel-Hack-Life-Practical-Tips-for-Productive-Living/60187856377

News + Trends

Blogtrepreneur
www.facebook.com/Blogtrepreneur

The Blog Herald
www.facebook.com/blogherald

Brian Solis
www.facebook.com/thebriansolis

ClickZ
www.facebook.com/ClickZ

Mashable
www.facebook.com/mashable

ReadWriteWeb
www.facebook.com/ReadWriteWeb

TopRank Online Marketing Blog
www.facebook.com/toprank.online.marketing.blog

Branding + Marketing

Boom Social
www.facebook.com/kimgarstboomsocial

Content Marketing Institute
www.facebook.com/ContentMarketingInstitute

Convince & Convert
www.facebook.com/ConvinceConvert

Duct Tape Marketing
www.facebook.com/ducttapemarketing

HubSpot
www.facebook.com/hubspot

KISSmetrics
www.facebook.com/KISSmetrics

Marketo
www.facebook.com/Marketo

ViperChill
www.facebook.com/ViperChill

Business + Creativity

Business 2 Community
www.facebook.com/business2community

Entrepreneur Magazine
www.facebook.com/EntMagazine

Forbes
www.facebook.com/forbes

Inc. Magazine
www.facebook.com/Inc

Sprout Social
www.facebook.com/SproutSocialInc

UnMarketing
www.facebook.com/UnMarketing

Mobile: Are we forgetting to help our clients understand

Posted on by in Marketing | 66 Comments

At the recent MRMW conference held in Amsterdam, Elias Veris from Insites Consulting showed how a mobile MROC application can boost responses and allow observational tasks to be included in community research. In this follow-up article, he discusses how people are using their smart phones and what are the core drivers for using it.

A couple of weeks ago, the MRMW conference took place in Amsterdam. A fine event, with many bright minds talking on how to use mobile as a method. I had the opportunity to present about mobile in MROC’s there too (the presentation is available here) and tremendously enjoyed the discussions I had with many of the other delegates. What struck me however, is how almost all discussions were about the method of mobile, and only very little were about mobile as ‘content’. In other words, how can we in the market research industry help our clients really understand how to use this new era of connectedness in their daily marketing practices?

To kick this discussion off, we have recently conducted a study among 800 + smartphone users in 4 countries (US, UK, The Netherlands and Belgium). Our aim? Finding out how smartphone users use their phone, and what the real drivers are of using it. And, how can brands tap into the power of mobile?


Check the full report here:

How does social media in the U.S. help brand building?

Posted on by in Marketing | 66 Comments

Social media is pervasive in the U.S. and is becoming increasingly integrated into the entire media landscape. From a consumer point of view, people use social networks in a few primary ways:

Connection: Facebook is far and away the most popular social platform; as it’s grown over the last 8 years, Facebook has gone from connecting college classmates to being the central social network. Facebook’s wide reach means many people are becoming more selective about what they share, and have higher standards for what they consider relevant or interesting on the platform.

Nicheworks: More active social users are turning to what we call “nicheworks” that have a more specialized interest or functionality and smaller circle of sharing. Sometimes this means sharing similar information, but more in-depth or with a different audience (for example, professional information on LinkedIn). Other platforms, like Instagram or Pinterest, are focused more on image sharing where users upload and post content based on certain topics – like recipes, crafts, travel, or other hobbies and interests.

Discovery & Sharing: Twitter is the most open information platform and has become a cascade of data consisting of personal updates, news and politics, and TV. But it also tends to be the sharing platform of choice for users of nicheworks: when those users create or find something cool, they share it more broadly on Twitter. As Twitter has grown both as a “pure-play” social medium and as a distributor for many smaller networks’ updates, it’s become a microcosm of what’s happening across nearly all of social – and traditional – media.

What do consumers think about brands using social media to reach them? What challenges do brands face in the U.S. when using social media?

Consumers are tolerant of brands but tend to be somewhat transactional in terms of what they want in exchange for their “likes” – they want something back for their attention. Ultimately, almost no one voluntarily wants to interact with ads, so it’s up to brands to change their messaging strategies to offer something genuinely interactive and interesting. This also means brands must have a much stronger arsenal of content at the ready, and they need to be limber and experimental in how they deploy it.

Facebook Mobile Hits 543 Million Users [Infographic]

Posted on by in Social Media | 442 Comments

According to Socialbakers’s report, in May, the Facebook Mobile application for mobile devices had 488 million users. Four months later, Facebook demonstrates the power of mobile by hitting 543 million monthly active users out of their 955 million strong Facebook community, resulting in a 57% penetration!

North America continues to be the strongest Facebook Mobile continent with over 161 million monthly active users and South Africa, Nigeria and Japan still rule the ranking of the countries with the highest Facebook Mobile penetration.

Facebook for Android has grown the most in absolute numbers (22.5 million new users) and iPad increased its mobile Facebook base by 45%! Now that Timeline is available for iPad, it will be interesting to see how the numbers grow. Let’s check more Socialbakers’s exclusive infographics!

Report: Social network demographics in 2012

Posted on by in Social Media | 526 Comments

Do you know how old the average Twitter or Facebook user is? Do you know what share of Reddit’s users are women? We could go on and on; when it comes to social network demographics, the questions are endless. This research is going to answer those questions for you, showing you the age and gender distribution on 24 of today’s most popular social networks and online communities.

Average age distribution

If you average the age distribution across all the sites in the survey, this here below is what you end up with. You could think of it as the age distribution in the social media sphere.

Age distribution per site

When it comes age distibution among social media networkds, the youngest site is at the top.

This chart should make something very clear; social media is most definitely not just for the young. Some examples:

55% of Twitter users are 35 or older.
63% of Pinterest users are 35 or older.
65% of Facebook users are 35 or older.
79% of LinkedIn users are 35 or older.

Average user age per site

Based on the sites in this survey, the estimated age of the average social media user is just under 37 years old. Here are some other observations:

The oldest users: LinkedIn has the oldest user base, with the average user being 44.2 years old.

The average Facebook user is 40.5 years old.

The average Twitter user is 37.3 years old.

The age trend for Facebook and Twitter. Compared to a previous survey which was conducted 2.5 years ago, the age of the average Facebook user has gone up two years, while the age of the average Twitter user has gone down two years. In other words, Twitter’s user base is getting younger, while Facebook’s is getting older.

What about gender?

Based on the United States demographics data (from Ad Planner) there is a clear gender imbalance on many of these sites. Some are much more male dominated, and vice versa. However, when you look at all the data together, it becomes clear that women rule social media. More than two thirds of the sites in this survey have more female than male users.

17 out of 24 sites (71%) have more female than male users.

The average gender distribution is 48.75% male, 51.25% female.

Most male-dominated site? Slashdot (87% males) is the standout, followed by Hacker News (77% males) and Stack Overflow (76% males). In general, the more tech-focused sites in this survey have more male users than female.
Most female-dominated site? Pinterest (79% females) is in a league of its own, followed by Goodreads (70% females) and Blogger (66% females).

Facebook and Twitter have the same gender distribution: 40% male, 60% female.

Market Research Mobile World Asia Pasific 29-31 January 2013, Kuala Lumpur

Posted on by in Technology | 1,417 Comments

I am honored to share this event since I am one of the official blogger of MRMW- Market Research Mobile World Asia Pasific 2013. If you follow MMA which is the premier global non-profit trade association representing all players in the mobile marketing value chain, you may hear about Market Research Mobile World too.

Mobile has a strategic position in our lives. To take a deeper look at mobile market in Asia, lets check how MRMW explains:

Smartphone adoption and usage continues to soar in Asia. According to the recent Mobile Planet study (2012), smartphones are becoming increasingly indispensable to Asian consumers. 54% of smartphone owners from China would rather give up their TV than a smartphone. In Japan 100% of smartphone owners use their mobile device to research products or services. These mobile trends provide businesses with an exceptional opportunity to rethink how to reach the new mobile consumers, interact with them and generate insights for marketing, branding and new product development.

The Market Research in the Mobile World will be an exciting and impactful event comprising of presentations from distinguished experts around the world and wide-ranging contributions on the current state-of-the-art and the future of mobile insight generation in Asia-Pacific markets.

Succesfull iPad Marketing Streategies

Posted on by in Marketing | 100 Comments

Just 22% of the top 50 retailers in the country have an iPad app. Yet the iPad is the fastest-growing consumer computing device on the planet. Why haven’t brands embraced it as quickly as they have the iPhone?

Clearly, brands have been slow to launch apps for this device – and other tablets – for a combination of reasons. Many marketers have already sunk millions into creating iPhone apps and assume these apps will works just fine on the iPad. Sometimes, this strategy works. After all, some apps offer an almost identical experience on the iPhone as the iPad. But to really get maximum marketing impact, brands do need to create iPad-specific apps that take advantage of the tablet’s larger screen and tap into the unique frame of mind of an iPad user.

There are some hurdles to overcome, like where to start, and whether a brand should go with a native app, a web-based app, or a hybrid app? The short answer is that a lot of this depends on the company. But there are some basic best practices to keep in mind when coming up with how to market your business on the iPad. Here are five tips.

1. Content is King, Context is Queen

People are only interested in the things they are interested in. This means marketers should use the iPad to reach target audiences based on their specific interests. The first step is to not create a one-size-fits-all app and then flood app users with tons of irrelevant content. Instead, plan for user segmentation so the content you deliver to individual users appeals to their interests, needs, and wants. It’s the same segmentation methodology brands are using for email marketing, just applied into the iTunes distribution model. Aside from letting users choose what type of content they want to view, always give them ways to revise their selections.

2. Invest in the Right User Experience

You can create fantastic content, but if users have a bad app experience, they won’t continue to launch the app. That’s why it’s critical to invest in UX testing as you develop iPad apps. Take a look at how Flipboard created a great user experience for content aggregation, or how an iPad app like Collarbone displays content and photography.

3. Focus on the Long Term

An iPad app is like a baby: It needs constant care and feeding. You can’t launch it and forget it. Invest in maintenance, content updates, testing, and optimization. The best way to ensure your iPad publishing app gains and maintain users is to create an editorial team much like magazines do. Hire writers, photographers, videographers, editors, and other creative types to constantly focus on it. They can be freelancers or contractors, or in-house, but everyone must meet regular deadlines. And there will always be iOS updates, so ensure you continue to optimize your app in that way as well.

4. Open the Door to Adjacency

Consumers may love your brand, but they also love other brands. Think about other, non-competitive companies also in your category. These partners can help enlarge the audience for your app if you keep them close. iPad publishing apps are a great potential advertising platform for partner brands. For example, if you develop a monthly iPad magazine full of branded content, let adjacent brands advertise within your iPad magazine to generate increased partnerships and/or ad revenue.

5. Get Your App Found

Consumers don’t just stumble upon apps. You know you’ll have to promote your iPad app. The question is how best to do it among your target audience. One of the best ways to promote apps is through links in paid advertising. For example, tag or promote the brand’s iPad app in print, TV, and display ads. But brands can also gain an audience for their app by promoting it through in-store signage and kiosks, search engine marketing, and social media. The North Face experiences a spike in downloads for their Snow Report and Trailhead apps each time they are featured in a print ad.

The iPad may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for marketers. Brands that can win hearts and minds on the tablet will be ready for the major shift away from the laptop and PC that’s sure to happen in the next decade.