Besides the free stuff, I already have some good take-aways, in terms of ideas and concepts from the Search Engine Strategies conference 2010, here in New York City.
The day started off with keynote speaker David Meerman Scott, social media pioneer and author of “The New Rules of Marketing and PR“. His presentation consisted of six rules, but out of those rules I found four trends that really spoke to me, so I thought I’d share those gems with you.
Video. Video is one thing that I am just now exploring, but according to this keynote, it is the next biggest thing for businesses. Simple videos on YouTube, on your Web site, or your blog, video is going to be shared more than regular content and a great way to attract new audiences. Key take away: Buy a Flip camera.
Who are you? The elevator pitch has changed because people don’t care about your product, they only care about themselves. “On the Web you are what you publish.” I thought this quote was great! It really shows that you need to talk to your audiences in a way that they understand you. Key take away: Explain you business to a child and see if they understand.
Share. Getting your customers to create content about you. It’s one thing to talk about yourself; it’s another when somebody else becomes your advocate. We do this for our clients and it is key in communication today. Copy should no longer come from PR news releases, if you want it read, it needs to be the correct people putting it out there. Key take away: Find those online influencers and build relationships with them so they’re eager to write about you or your client.
Lose control. This one is my favorite, allow yourself to lose control of your content. Although this was not one of his rules, I love this concept because it touches on fear, and fear of social media is what some companies still have. By producing free content and allowing it to be shared and downloaded on all online tools, the possibilities are endless. Key take away: Be like the Grateful Dead, don’t tell your fans they can’t film or take photos, encourage it!
Great stuff Molli – thanks.
I’d only take on one point. the elevator pitch hasn’t really changed because people never really cared about your product – they’ve always only cared about themselves.
Great post, Molli! Thanks for sharing these takeaways.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by ginidietrich: Here is @MolliMegasko’s take on the opening keynote at #sesny http://su.pr/212L8V…
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This has some good things to consider — but good luck getting company execs to buy in to most of it. I’m not saying you shouldn’t try, I’m just letting you know that what people say should be done from the outside looking in often aren’t in touch with what the people on the inside are having to deal with on a daily basis.
I think David’s talk is spot-on and the take-aways solid. I know that many companies are afraid of these new strategies; my advice is simple. Adopt them, lay back, think of England, and let karma happen. Give to others and you will receive in kind. It’s no longer about pushing things AT your audience, it’s about ENGAGING your audience and drawing them in.
Ari – if I can get today’s blog post to publish, it has some great tips for getting buy-in from the C-suite. I’m also a bit disappointed that some of the content I’ve shared on this blog hasn’t helped you sell Web 2.0 to your boss (or bosses). I am a business owner and I work with CEOs all day, every day. There are some who don’t want to give up the perception of control, but when they see the value (and begin to do what Susie says in her comment here), they begin to buy-in at a deeper level.
ITA that video will continue to grow, but it needs to do so smartly. There are times I’m sent links to vids or SlideShares, and I’d rather just read the info. All depends on if the content really works BETTER as video.
The last two, Share and Lose Control, go hand in hand. You want your info and content to go viral, to be passed from influencers to your customers. You have to let go a little and let that happen. FWIW.
Great writeup of my keynote. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
Ari – What I tell people is if the bosses don’t follow the ideas, try to convince them that this is where the world is going. If that doesn’t work, you need to find a new job.
David
Thanks David! And thanks for the book. I’m almost done and I’ll be sure to write about that as well…stay tuned.
[…] I saw David Meerman Scott, author of “The New Rules of Marketing and PR,” speak at the Search Engine Strategies Conference in March, I was pretty impressed. After learning about his six rules of the rave I was intrigued […]