I had the privilege of attending IMS Boston 2009 down at Gillette 10/7/09-10/8/09, and wanted to share my reflections as well as the general lessons and ideas. First off let me extend my gratitude to Chris Brogan and Justin Levy for putting together an excellent fast paced lineup. With over 20 hours of information from some of the best in the business, it was tough trying to pick the best to share, so forgive me if I made an egregious oversight by missing anything.
The overall message that got through the many sessions over the two days was the fact that many industries are being revolutionized (or “dying”), and some may very well not survive unless they adapt to the new environment. Social media is rooted deep in each of our lives whether or not we choose to participate in it, some companies still are not taking it seriously. Furthermore, as a business, regardless of your industry, you MUST care, listen, and engage with your customers. The shift we are seeing is that our "Joe Plumbers" are getting just as much (if not more) of a voice than the so-called professionals. Another message that was hammered into us again and again is that silos suck, in the modern world everything is connected and needs to feel organic. The modern consumer can be a powerful marketing tool, a brand advocate, but if you keep your content honeycombed you're making it hard for them to help you. All the faces of your brand need to be unique for the environment there are to be implemented in, but they should all tie to each other and be able to exchange content. Finally, we're are seeing a blend of many disciplines, as Brogan said, "customer service IS marketing." But you could take that a step farther, adding PR and sales to the melting pot in that these disciplines need to function as a single organic entity. The modern consumer wants to be influenced on purchases by their friends and peers, and as a brand you must find a way to enter this circle. Relationships are the new marketing currency, the more you stockpile the stronger your company will be for it.
@cspenn Christopher Penn
Turning Social Into Steak - How to Isolate and Evaluate Social Media Performance
Make no mistake, the cookies were popular too, but he had contagious energy that won us over for the final stretch of day two. He got us pumped up, while teaching us that social media campaigns can be measured, informed us of the key tools, and what we would start to measure. "Unless your making money, it's just a hobby."
@jasonfalls Jason Falls
Give Them Content Or Give Them Away - How Your Corporate Website Can Capture Or Deter Your Customers
Maybe it's because I've always been able to click with folks from Kentucky, or maybe it's because I'm a webmaster (and a fill-in IT department), but Jason spoke on my level. He reinforced the staples: Content is king, and you must make it as easily and widely available as possible. Another candidate for favorite quote, "if you don't have a CMS, get one, or your IT guy will go postal." Jason connected with the more technical by feeling their pain, and delivered succinct yet vital information in an entertaining manner.
@Southwest Paula Berg
Nuts About Online Communication
Paula won over the crowd with her upbeat attitude and speed of delivery, not to mention the authentic feeling that she loved representing her brand. The takeaways I got from her presentation was to always be listening, and take risks in being transparent and open with your customers, they'll appreciate you more for it. Also, Southwest is a great example of a company in an industry with low customer opinion, that is managing to set themselves apart from the rest. The fact that the final two seconds of that Youtube video mentions a leading competitor underscores the importance of authenticity.
@cc_chapman CC Chapman
There is a Hole In The Bucket
Trying to cater to everyone can mean not reaching anyone now, and brands need to be creative in order to set themselves apart. Furthermore, CC is adamant that widgets, gadgets and media will only be useful if there is actual meaning for them (content for the sake of content, is NOT king). His down to earth style and authentic feel earned him a spot in my favorites.
@dhramesh Dharmesh Shah
Startup Marketing: Tips From The Trenches For Entrepreneurs
I wasn't alone in being won over by this quote from Mr. Shah, loved his presentation as well and coming immediately after Chris Penn their sessions flew by leaving everyone craving more. His presentation was the best session for the small business "swiss army knife" marketers covering the essentials of competing on the intimidating landscape of the internet.
@garyvee Gary Vaynerchuk How to Crush It!
Gary had the second keynote slot on the opening day and was another popular pick. His raw, edgy, and authentic style as well as the true american dream story got everyone pumped. While by no means an equal to Rockefeller, he definitely left me with an impression of that same personality. There's always room for improvement, you can always work harder, and you should do as much as you can with your own hands. This style of business earns the respect of your customers and peers, as well as helps to progress the industry as a whole. Another way he reminded me of Rockefeller is his style was that you do not need to invent the technology, but rather be the first to use it in a way that people will assume you did. I'm sure I wasn't alone in being ready to rush down on the field and play after the keynote pep talk from Gary. "Be Loud, and try not to get fired." Words to live by.
Selected Twitter Quotes
Search the #IMS09 stream for an excellent transcript of quotes, links, and conference chatter
Remembering to have fun while you're working is another crucial takeaway from here.
Signs of the time
This conference was unique for me due to three crucial events. The first morning there was a severe WiFi bandwidth shortage, and only those with mobile broadband were not yanking their hair out in frustration (or withdrawal depending on your opinion). The sheer amount of smart phones, netbooks, laptops, and other gadgetry blitzed poor Gillette's bandwidth beyond capacity. This is something conferences have to factor in now, "do I have the bandwidth to support these fiends?!" Fortunately the bandwidth issues were resolved during the lunch break the first day, to a great relief to those of us completely reliant on WiFi.
While I am sure it has happened before, I found it hilarious that the twitter side of IMS09 suffered a spam attack. The concept that a conference where I was in the same room as everyone else, could "suffer" a spam attack, boggles my mind. It is yet another (creepy) sign of how infused technology has become with society, and an illustration of frustrations to come that we have yet to imagine. I wonder if spammers have conferences discussing how to revolutionize the world with the methods and technology available to them?
As a joke during the Listening and Marketing session, where techniques for listening were discussed, I had pointed out that the left coffee bar was missing Splenda. The same thing had happened the day before, and I didn't want to come off as an artificial sweetener snob, and suffered through the Equal that day. While I had pointed out the missing Splenda as a joke to hold them to a practice of what they preached, they DID listen. The Splenda was fully stocked for the rest of the day, and I was that much happier at the conference because of that. This is something small, but that something small influenced me in a big way. I experienced first hand the power of the tools being taught to us.
Suggestion for Next Year
This was acknowledged on stage (after the above tweet), and was surely just an oversight in the amazingly difficult process of getting a conference together. I know your pain firsthand guys, so I won't beat a dead horse here. There are a ton of successful, interesting, and charismatic women in the industry, I had the privilege of sitting among and nearby to a strong number of them.
The Takeaway
People are talking regardless if you are listening, and with modern technology anyone interested can hear. Back from my recruiting days I was told the average person knows 256 people (in real life), but in social media one's voice can be broadcast to thousands upon thousands. One of the things that struck me is that the presenter from Kodak informed us that someone was being hired in her department just to be a full-time listener.
As we develop a symbiotic relationship with the gadgetry we can't get enough of, people are becoming much more calloused and jaded to traditional methods of marketing. People don't want to be sold to, they want to be interacted with, they want to feel heard and noticed. It is a very tough job to do, and there are a variety of worthy companies ready with software to help make your job of it easier. Brands are no longer just a font, color scheme, or an appealing set of geometric shapes. People want personality, they want an emotional reaction, and short of actually conversing, joking around with, or listening to them you won't inspire such.
All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I am inspired and motivated to bring it to Gilbane Boston in December and help set our brand to a new standard from the rest.
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