I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, Social Capital Conference is one of those “Go To” social media conferences.
I enjoyed my experience at Social Capital Conference so much that, as promised, I just had to write another blog about it (if you haven’t read it already, here’s my first Social Capital Conference blog post).
How many of you have attended a conference excited to absorb all kinds of great information and knowledge…only to end up bored out of your mind? I sure have. I’ve often wished I’d brought my travel neck pillow (yes, the one I paid some exorbitant amount for at some airport) to a conference just so I can sneak a quick nap during one of those mind-numbing talks.
Well there was absolutely NO need for that neck pillow at the Social Capital Conference in Ottawa this past weekend. This was one conference that was filled with fantastic speakers right from start to finish.
Tweet I sent out during Social Capital Conference 2013
Here are the highlights from the sessions I attended:
GINI DIETRICH (founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, a Chicago-based integrated marketing communication firm) – Gini was the Keynote Speaker at Social Capital Conference and she got the conference off to a great start. I was fascinated with the information Gini was sharing with the crowd, and it appeared the attendees were too. Looking around the room I noticed all eyes were focused on Gini. Think about it, this is a big thing at a social media conference where most people are usually focused on their smartphones, iPads and tablets, rather than the speaker.
Gini was well-spoken and engaging. In fact, the concept of being “engaged” was one of the biggest pieces of advice I took away from her presentation. She confirmed something I have always believed in. You must engage your readers and interact with them. I’m a firm believer in responding to all my reader’s comments. Turns out, so is Gini. Even though she has one of the top marketing blogs in cyberspace, Gini still responds to each and every reader comment. Amazing!
DENNIS VAN STAALDUINEN (heads up local branding and social strategy firm Brandvelope Consulting) – Not only is Dennis incredibly funny, but he is a terrific speaker. I was mesmorized by his presentation, and found it so difficult to take notes – I just wanted to watch and listen to him speak. From Dennis I learned that the “story” or “blog” is what keeps people interested. Your story must keep the reader interested, and must make them care. I seriously hope that I do that. I care about everything I write about. If I don’t believe in it, or don’t have a passion for something, I don’t write about it. Hopefully that care and passion comes through in my blog.
DEE BRUN (Award Winning Author, TV Personality, Resident Cocktail’ista on Steven & Chris) – I’m certain many of you social media fans already know this funny, sassy Deeva – @cocktaildeeva. If you don’t, you should. Besides all the great stuff listed in her bio, she is funny….seriously. She’s “pee your pants” funny. Dee spoke about making your brand memorable. Who better to talk about this than the “CocktailDeeva” herself? She has built up a remarkable brand from the bottom(s) up! She is her own brand.
Dee has followed her own advice by making her brand memorable. How could she not be remembered at Social Capital Conference for her presentation, which included screen shots of gorgeous George Clooney and other hot men, and a warning about how NOT to get yourself blocked on Twitter (#1 Tip –> Think twice before using the 4-letter word starting with “C” and ending with “K” in your Twitter handle). Just ask Kelly Ripa…she’s got Dee on her “blocked” list, lol. Pee your pants funny. Just sayin’.
DANNY BROWN (multiple award-winning marketer, blogger and Chief Technologist at ArCompany) – Danny started off his presentation by making sure we all understood that he was NOT Danny Brown the Rapper. I can see why – there are so many similarities between the two (NOT! lol). Danny had us all laughing with this great introduction as we looked at the comparison picture of he and Rapper Danny up on the screen. Marketing Danny is a white, middle-aged, marketing expert. Rapper Danny is a black, gold-toothed, rapper. Apparently, Marketing Danny frequently gets confused with Rapper Danny by the rapper’s adoring fans. I’d love to share one of Marketing Danny’s tweets he received from Rapper Danny’s fans but, while it was side-splitting funny, it was far too x-rated for this blog.
Danny had many pieces of great advice. He spoke about the importance of being transparent, open, communicating and being accountable in our social media world. He spoke about being upfront with your readers and admitting (being accountable) when you are wrong. When your readers know what you are like, and when you are authentic, they will back you up. My favourite part, that had streams of mascara flowing down my cheeks as I laughed? It was when Danny spoke about using caution with social media influencer sites such as Klout. Klout once tagged Danny as an expert on “sheep” thanks to some social interactions he had with others online – that were totally unrelated to sheep expertise. Danny isn’t really a sheep expert, and if you think he is, well then Klout has really pulled the wool over your eyes!
The lovely Dee Brun (CocktailDeeva) watching Dennis Van Staalduinen’s presentation – Social Capital Conference 2013
One last thing. I had my own little interaction with the CocktailDeeva at Social Capital Conference that made me laugh about all the funny things that can happen on social media. Dee ended up sitting right in front of me during Dennis’ presentation. Right before my eyes sat a tattoo of a cocktail. I just knew it had to be THE CocktailDeeva. So I tweeted her. Here’s our little conversation that followed:
Tweet conversation between Sandy (Canadian Blog House) and Dee (CocktailDeeva) – Social Capital Conference 2013
So Dee turned around, I waved, and we both chuckled.
Now the only thing I’m left to worry about is if I will get banned from all that is social media for using the “C” word too many times in this blog. #Cheers!
