Topics

Most of my presentations are framed around a core concept that I call “Trust Drives Transactions.” In a nutshell, over the last sixty years, time, attention and trust have decreased drastically while product choice and media noise have exploded. Of these five impactors of consumer behavior, trust is the only thing that can be changed. Meanwhile, peers are the most trusted source of company and product information. Advertisers and marketers are the least trusted. Social marketing provides a way to leverage peer trust rather than trying to buy trust. In my opinion, trust is the fastest way to revenue.

Upon that framework, I cover four different concepts in depth:

• Why the marketing profession must embrace social approaches
• “Social branding” – why you need a strong brand now more than ever
• How to craft an engagement strategy
• How to leverage social channels to find talent or jobs
• Venue-specific how-to’s (e.g., “Facebook for Business”)

Trust Drives Transactions: Why Marketing Must Go Social (30-40 mins)

SYNOPSIS: While the marketing profession continues to operate under long-standing practices, our time-and attention-starved consumers have moved on. Empowered with search, intrusion blockers and the ability to express and share opinions with a wide audience, they trust each other and distrust marketers—and as a result, the efficacy of our traditional marketing spend wanes.

Trust Drives Transactions examines this trend, explains the draw of social channels, and offers a new approach to a multi-channel approach: through the lens of trust. Marketers will walk away armed with new data about consumer behavior and with actionable ideas on creating a multi-channel Trust Strategy.

For private or corporate workshops, this talk is usually accompanied by category market research and a competitive social media landscape.

Branding in the Era of the Empowered Consumer (30-40 mins)

SYNOPSIS: As many publicly-traded companies shift all focus to the fiscal quarter, longer-form activities like branding often end up as a lower priority. Yet through this critical activity, identity, messaging, differentiation and positioning drive market success and extend the efficacy of purchased media.

Branding in the Era of the Empowered Consumer covers the practice and importance of branding in an era where customers now control the conversation, message and perception of a brand. In this presentation, we will examine the shift in trust described in other presentations and reexamine the branding process for ways to maintain a brand’s cohesion and promise when distributed across social channels. Attendees will walk away with a fresh perspective on crafting a brand and setting it free in ways that grow revenue.

Crafting an Engagement Strategy (40 mins)

SYNOPSIS: Because of diminishing time, attention and trust amongst consumers, along with simultaneous explosions of product choice and media noise, the marketing practice has become incredibly challenging for most categories and brands. Marketers need to move past communication efforts toward engagement, in which customers go past simple message consumption to engage with your brand.

There are plenty of presentations on “social media strategy” but they mostly justify the selection of specific tools. Ditching Communication for Engagement gets away from tool talk to discuss the actual steps needed to craft an engagement strategy.

AUDIENCE: Marketing VPs, Marketing Directors, social media practitioners

Talent is Social: Employer Edition (30 mins) and Job Search Edition (40 mins)

SYNOPSIS: As with the Marketing profession, the practice of Human Resources is being altered by social channels. Time starvation is driving recruiters and hiring managers to avoid job boards and seek the perfect candidate via search. Few candidates, however, are leveraging social tools to create an intellectual footprint online.

Talent is Social shows both hiring managers as well as candidates how they can be better matches for one another.

Facebook for Business: A Primer (20-30 mins)

SYNOPSIS: As denizens of one of the largest social networks in the world, Facebook’s graying member base is a lucrative audience for business. Yet how should corporations establish a beachhead on Facebook, a social network where consumers are drawn to connect with one another, rather than with brands?

This presentation will show marketers how to set up an initial Facebook presence; walk them through the Dos and Don’ts of Facebook marketing, and discuss consumer behaviors that can build viral awareness for your brand in authentic, selfless ways. Marketers will learn about fan pages, group discussions, social ads, custom pages, “apps,” and the power of the Facebook Connect platform.