Viva Nashvegas

Posted on March 27, 2012 Written by
explore

I’m going to spend a day in Nashville next month, and I’d like to see you there.

I am going to be one of many speakers at Explore Nashville on Friday, April 13 — a traveling roadshow of digital marketing expertise led by the Chief Social Media Explorer himself, Jason Falls.

The lineup is a powerhouse, and I would stack it up against anything:

  • Jason Falls – keynote (link)
  • Amber Naslund - keynote (link)
  • Scott Gulbransen – lunchtime “chat” (link)
  • Nichole Kelly – No Fluff Social Media Measurement (link)
  • Zena Weist – Operationalizing Social Media (link)
  • Mark Schaefer – The Future of Digital Engagement (link)
  • Tom Webster – Drowning in Numbers: Turning Social Data into Insight (link)
  • Courtney Seiter – Break the Rules of Social Media (link)
  • John Morgan – Building Your Brand in a Digital World (link)
  • Dave Delaney – Social Networking in Real Life (link)
  • Tim Hayden – Mobile Marketing: Turning Passive Customers into Advocates (link)
  • Eric Boggs – Addressing Niche Social Networks (link)
  • Kevin McGee – How Can Big Brands Go Local (link)
  • Sam Ford – Creating Spreadable Social Media (link)

…and, amid all those rockstars, I’ll be contributing some thoughts on “How to Make the Unsexy, Sexy.”

The Skinny

So, here’s the deal.

Jason is a Louisville guy, but he left a part of his heart in Birmingham from his time in sports information. He would love nothing more than to create a traffic jam up I-65 for the Explore event.

If we get 25 people from Alabama to come to Explore Nashville, Jason will give $500 to the Red Cross in Alabama. Another 25 after that? Another $500. That simple.

Oh — and be sure to use the promo code IKESEXY. That cuts the price in half.

Speaking of “Cutting in Half,” that’s part of the genius of the Explore format. Each speaker is given just a half hour. Half their usual time. You’re getting concentrated doses of social media expertise without the filler. The extra time will be used for networking with people who came from cities not as cool as yours, but are worth knowing anyway.

See you there.

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Filed Under: Marketing

Dacning With the Stras!

Posted on March 19, 2012 Written by
20120319-213419.jpg

There are seven (or eight, depending upon whom you listen to) different types of intelligence. Those who excel at math might look down upon the social prodigies; the spatial geniuses may not have an appreciation for the musical marvels.

And, of course, those blessed with kinesthetic gifts may have little use for language.

There’s no excuse for this, however, pulled from the site for Dancing with the Stars:

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The problem comes in the lower right corner of that screen capture.

Take the Season 14 Cast Trivia Quiz

  • Which star did stand-up comeday?
  • Who was a beauty pagent winner?
  • Who’s writes children’s books?

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Yes, I can understand that a professional dancer might not have lifelong career regrets from a failure to master spelling and contractions. But this site wasn’t built by dancers. Apparently, it was built by interns inturns.

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Filed Under: Marketing Tagged: , ,

How Many Does It Take?

Posted on March 17, 2012 Written by
network shape

Influence, reach, funneling, cross-linking — the web is indeed a web of good intentions with unintended outcomes.

  • You have a great message, but it matters little if no one reads it.
  • You have a huge audience — but why again, exactly?
  • You reach people with great teases, but do you convert them into purchasers?
  • You have all of the above — so why not goose it further with like-minded people?

So what could possibly go wrong, if a bunch of people with similar aims and tastes decided to help each other out? This is what I saw in my Twitter stream tonight: [Read more…]

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Filed Under: Marketing