It wasn’t supposed to be like this.  You launched a new blog or maybe you created a Facebook Fan Page, thinking that you’d tap into these amazing social media tools as a way to connect with your customers and create raving fans and passionate evangelists for your business.  Now it’s 4 months later and you have 12 fans on your Facebook page, and virtual tumbleweeds taunt you as your blog struggles to reach 10 visitors a day.

What happened?

Many companies find themselves in this exact situation, and this workshop will show you how to think like a rockstar. Rockstars don’t have customers, they have fans.  And this doesn’t happen by accident, rockstars have a very special connection with their customers that makes them become raving fans for them and their products.  Some companies are finding that they can use social media in many of these same ways to build vibrant online communities that are passionate about them.

In the “Think Like a Rockstar; How to Build Fans and Community Around Your Social Media Efforts” workshop, you will learn:
·    The four key things that Rockstars do to create fans for their work and how you can do the same with your social media efforts
·    The keys to building a vibrant community around your social media efforts
·    The importance of ‘fishing where the fish are’ when you’re trying to build awareness
·    How to create content that taps into the ‘Bigger Idea’ that’s more relevant and exciting to your customers

Mack Collier is a social media consultant, trainer and speaker that specializes in helping companies use social media to better connect with their customers. He has been actively immersed in social media since 2005, and in that time, has helped businesses of all shapes and sizes better connect with their customers via these amazing tools and sites. While being passionate about the social media space, what truly excites Mack is the human connections that can result from the proper use of these social tools. His motto is “Don’t focus on the tools, focus on the connections that the tools help facilitate.” His goal is to help his clients create those connections with their customers, and nurture them into relationships that help grow their bottom line.

His social media ‘homebase’ is The Viral Garden, which in 3 years time Mack has grown into an influential marketing/social media blog with a monthly readership of over 200,000. He is also a frequent contributor to the website Marketing Profs, as well as the marketing blog Daily Fix, and small business blog Search Engine Guide. His thoughts and writings have been referenced in several mainstream publications and websites, including The Washington Post, MSNBC.com, Ad Age, CNET, and The Boston Globe.

Mack is also a requested speaker and has presented at some of the top social media conferences and events, including South By Southwest Interactive, Marketing Profs Digital Marketing Mixer, and Small Business Marketing Unleashed. He is also passionate about teaching companies how to use social media sites and tools more effectively, and offers training and seminars privately to companies, in addition to his public speaking schedule.

Mack wrote this bio. The third-person thingie is just for fun.  If you need to reach him/me, please email me.

Jason Falls Social Media Explorer is the online home and blog of Social Media Explorer LLC, which is my consulting company. I’ve been called all sorts of things by folks around the social media, public relations, marketing and communications industries. I shy away from self-aggrandizement, but you’ll find some quotes about me from others below.

I see myself as a social media educator, a social media strategist and a public relations professional. I help companies understand the social web and show them how engaging consumers online can help their business. I’m also a writer, both of blogs and other materials, and try to spend much of my spare time doing that.

If I have a unique perspective it would be the result of having lead a national advertising agency’s Interactive and social media efforts, working with Fortune 100 brands as a social media strategist and serving as an independent consultant in the social media industry. I have advised major, regional and niche brands including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, Humana, Purely Products, SHPS, Sun Tan City, Mighty Dog, Louisville Slugger, Bionic Gloves, The National Center for Family Literacy and WeSeed.com.

My work has resulted in social media executions deemed “innovative” and industry firsts, particularly in the spirits industry. One project I was involved in won a 2009 Sammy Award, the main honors given to work in social media. Paul Gillin, Tamar Weinberg and Kyle Lacy have written about my work in books, which is really flattering.

Perhaps the most fun I have is speaking and conducting seminars for conferences, groups and even private corporate events. I’ve spoken in three countries and on two continents, unless you count my late night soliloquies at the hotel bar in Cancun on vacation.

SocialMediaExplorer.com, the blog, gets a fair amount of recognition, of which I’m very grateful. The most notable of which is probably listing in the top 20 or so (it changes daily sometimes) of the Advertising Age Power 150 Blogs. For a few weeks in 2009, I was actually ranked No. 1. (Not sure why.)

I maintain a handful of professional affiliations and memberships, including serving as president and co-founder of the Social Media Club Louisville. I am also a member of the Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators and Greater Louisville Inc., (the Louisville Chamber of Commerce).

At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops on topics ranging from Social Media to Revenue Management, all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!

REAL-TIME RESULTS

Whether it’s designing a real Facebook page that’s optimized to develop stronger relationships with your customers,  or using WordPress to design a powerfully communicative website or blog that represents your newly optimized brand, or actually raising your existing website to top search engine ranking; you won’t just listen … you’ll see, hear, and do. Even before you leave the event, you will design and develop your own New Media solutions, and begin to experience real-time results that will continue to grow as you apply the solid strategies and integration plans you’ll also receive.

“Business as usual” is no longer an option, and that’s why the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world.  Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive.  But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.

We’ll see you there!

“2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls

Internet marketing conference, Social Media Measurement, OptimizationSsummits, Social media, Social media ROI, Social-media-marketing, Social-media-strategy

Duct Tape Marketing Using Social Media to Generate Referrals – Wednesday- Two, Two Hour Sessions

Everyone’s buzzing about the awesome online global power of social media tools, but few people focus on touting practical ways to use social media to generate leads and referrals for the local business. In this session, John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing, will reveal practical strategies and tactics that any small business can use to leverage online social media tools to create deeper customer relationships, valuable strategic partnerships, local leads and ultimately more sales and profits.

John Jantsch is a marketing and digital technology coach, award winning social media publisher and author of “Duct Tape Marketing – The World’s Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide” published by Thomas Nelson, with foreword by Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth and afterword by Guy Kawasaki.
After working with small business owners for over 15 years and growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of a systematic approach to small business marketing, including online and social media, Jantsch decided he could make his mark on the small business world by creating the perfect small business marketing system.
He has made it his mission to bring the simple, effective and affordable Duct Tape Marketing approach to the millions of struggling small business owners all over the world through workshops, the Duct Tape Marketing small business marketing system and the Duct Tape Marketing Authorized Coach network. His Duct Tape Marketing Blog was chosen as a Forbes favorite for small business and marketing and is a Harvard Business School featured marketing site. His blog was also chosen as “Best Small Business Marketing Blog” in 2004, 2005 and 2006 by the readers of Marketing Sherpa.
What Others Are Saying About Duct Tape Marketing Speaking Appearances

“John Jantsch was a fantastic keynote speaker for our eMarketing For Entrepreneurs Conference. Working with John was a pleasure, as he not only served as keynote speaker, but also as a breakout session facilitator. His vast knowledge and experience in the area of marketing — and specifically eMarketing — showed throughout the day. There is no doubt that John contributed to the conference’s incredible approval rating, with 97% of polled participants stating they would recommend the conference to others.”
-Brad Kleimann, Corporate College Cleveland, OH

“John Jantsch is one of the best resources available today for small business owners looking for real-world marketing ideas that actually work. Duct Tape Marketing proves that there are REAL business benefits to a disciplined approach to marketing!”
-Anne Plese, Marketing Alliance Manager, Sage Software

“Your presentation at our annual conference was informative, right on point and clearly targeted to our audience of independent information professionals. You provided practical insight on the topic of small business marketing that should be shared with all small business owners. You presented in a manner that was thoroughly captivating with just the right balance of humor. Our members left wanting more and anxious to put into practice the tips you provided. Thanks for the inspiration! “
-Jodi Gregory – President Association of Independent Information Professionals

“I thought I’d let you know that we thought the PRSA workshop yesterday was fantastic. We got a lot of great ideas from it. We have already set up our own blogs to practice our blogging skills.”
-Plattform Advertising

At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops topics on  Social Media marketing, management and training , all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!

REAL-TIME RESULTS

Whether it’s designing a real Facebook page that’s optimized to develop stronger relationships with your customers,  or using WordPress to design a powerfully communicative website or blog that represents your newly optimized brand, or actually raising your existing website to top search engine ranking; you won’t just listen … you’ll see, hear, and do. Even before you leave the event, you will design and develop your own New Media solutions, and begin to experience real-time results that will continue to grow as you apply the solid strategies and integration plans you’ll also receive.

“Business as usual” is no longer an option, and that’s why the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world.  Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive.  But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.

We’ll see you there!

“2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls

Internet marketing conference, Social Media Measurement, optimization summits, social media, social media ROI, social-media-marketing, social-media-strategy

Dallas Optimization Summits Workshop  Leader Mark Roberge is the Vice President of  Sales at  HubSpot.

He will be leading, Achieving Measurable Results with Advanced Business Blogging

Creating content is one of the most successful inbound marketing strategies a company can use to get found by prospects online, and one of the best ways to do this is through business blogging.  As a corporate blog is a central place for customers, prospects and like-minded individuals to share ideas, discuss trends, and present a vision, it ultimately reinforces a company’s image and brand as a thought-leader and visionary in its industry.  This workshop will teach attendees how to how to turn their blog into a powerful business tool that will engage customers in a conversation while also improving search engine rankings.  Attendees will learn how to create a business blog that will pull in the right prospects, reach their Internet marketing goals without breaking the bank, and attract loyal customers through comprehensive SEO techniques and other inbound marketing methodologies.

Specifically, attendees will walk away from the workshop with an understanding of:
·    The tactics for building a brand loyalty program through a business blog
·    How to create top-notch, keyword-rich content
·    How to use a blog to generate leads and sales for their business
·    SEO techniques to increase awareness for a corporate blog
·    How to build your blog’s subscription base
·    Comprehensive methodologies on how to write a quick and effective blog article
·    Simple tips and tricks to promote a blog
·    How to measure the performance of your blog

Mark Roberge, VP Sales, HubSpot

Mark Roberge is VP Sales at HubSpot, an Internet marketing software company based in Cambridge, MA.  He oversees HubSpot’s entire sales function, having grown the department to 40+ sales reps and approximately 2,000 customers in just over two years.  Prior to HubSpot, Mark founded and held executive positions in startups in the social media and mobile sectors.   Mark started his career as a technology consultant with Accenture.

Mark holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management where he was a semi-finalist in the 2005 MIT $50K Business Plan competition and was awarded the Patrick McGovern award for his contributions to entrepreneurship at MIT.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University.  Mark has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and other major publications for his entrepreneurial ventures.

Mark is a regular speaker at MIT and various industry conferences on the topics of inbound marketing and sales 2.0.

Jason Falls Social Media Explorer is the online home and blog of Social Media Explorer LLC, which is my consulting company. I’ve been called all sorts of things by folks around the social media, public relations, marketing and communications industries. I shy away from self-aggrandizement, but you’ll find some quotes about me from others below.

I see myself as a social media educator, a social media strategist and a public relations professional. I help companies understand the social web and show them how engaging consumers online can help their business. I’m also a writer, both of blogs and other materials, and try to spend much of my spare time doing that.

If I have a unique perspective it would be the result of having lead a national advertising agency’s Interactive and social media efforts, working with Fortune 100 brands as a social media strategist and serving as an independent consultant in the social media industry. I have advised major, regional and niche brands including Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark and Knob Creek bourbons, NASCAR driver Robby Gordon, Humana, Purely Products, SHPS, Sun Tan City, Mighty Dog, Louisville Slugger, Bionic Gloves, The National Center for Family Literacy and WeSeed.com.

My work has resulted in social media executions deemed “innovative” and industry firsts, particularly in the spirits industry. One project I was involved in won a 2009 Sammy Award, the main honors given to work in social media. Paul Gillin, Tamar Weinberg and Kyle Lacy have written about my work in books, which is really flattering.

Perhaps the most fun I have is speaking and conducting seminars for conferences, groups and even private corporate events. I’ve spoken in three countries and on two continents, unless you count my late night soliloquies at the hotel bar in Cancun on vacation.

SocialMediaExplorer.com, the blog, gets a fair amount of recognition, of which I’m very grateful. The most notable of which is probably listing in the top 20 or so (it changes daily sometimes) of the Advertising Age Power 150 Blogs. For a few weeks in 2009, I was actually ranked No. 1. (Not sure why.)

I maintain a handful of professional affiliations and memberships, including serving as president and co-founder of the Social Media Club Louisville. I am also a member of the Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators and Greater Louisville Inc., (the Louisville Chamber of Commerce).

At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops on topics ranging from Social Media to Revenue Management, all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!

REAL-TIME RESULTS

Whether it’s designing a real Facebook page that’s optimized to develop stronger relationships with your customers,  or using WordPress to design a powerfully communicative website or blog that represents your newly optimized brand, or actually raising your existing website to top search engine ranking; you won’t just listen … you’ll see, hear, and do. Even before you leave the event, you will design and develop your own New Media solutions, and begin to experience real-time results that will continue to grow as you apply the solid strategies and integration plans you’ll also receive.

“Business as usual” is no longer an option, and that’s why the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world.  Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive.  But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.

We’ll see you there!

“2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls

Internet marketing conference, Social Media Measurement, OptimizationSsummits, Social media, Social media ROI, Social-media-marketing, Social-media-strategy

At the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits, you’ll experience learning by doing. You’ll build your own two-day curriculum out of flexible full-day, half-day, and two-hour component workshops on topics ranging from Social Media to Revenue Management, all of which are carefully planned to build upon each other progressively, and expand your understanding and skill set exponentially. The knowledge you receive will be continually reinforced by hands-on interaction to make certain you have not just the knowledge, but the know-how!

REAL-TIME RESULTS

Whether it’s designing a real Facebook page that’s optimized to develop stronger relationships with your customers,  or using WordPress to design a powerfully communicative website or blog that represents your newly optimized brand, or actually raising your existing website to top search engine ranking; you won’t just listen … you’ll see, hear, and do. Even before you leave the event, you will design and develop your own New Media solutions, and begin to experience real-time results that will continue to grow as you apply the solid strategies and integration plans you’ll also receive.

“Business as usual” is no longer an option, and that’s why the Dallas 2010 Optimization Summits should be a key element of your transformation plan. There will simply be no better opportunity or environment to develop the skills and knowledge you need to meet the challenges of today’s New Media world.  Joining us means that you’ve chosen for your business to survive.  But we’ll go you one better … be there and we’ll teach you how to THRIVE.

We’ll see you there!

“2009 was about learning social media. 2010 will be about figuring out how to use it well.” Jason Falls

WordPress 101
WordPress is one of the most popular, flexible, and easy-to-use open source applications available for building dynamic websites and blogs. This interactive, hands-on session will teach you to use WordPress to optimize your web presence by actually creating a website or blog from setting up your domain; choosing a host; selecting a format template; customizing your design; working with “widgets”; maximum search engine optimization (SEO); and more.

WordPress Intro
Table of Contents
WordPress Intro    1
1 WP101    2
1.1 Module 1 (2hrs)    2
1.1.1 Intro To WordPress as a CMS    2
1.2 Module 2    2
1.2.1 Organizing Your Content    2
1.3 Module 3    2
1.3.1 Function, Form and Putting The Pieces Together    2
1.4 Module 4    3
1.4.1 Extending the Reach of Your WordPress Site (moderate)    3

1    WP101
1.1    Module 1 (2hrs)
1.1.1    Intro To WordPress as a CMS
What WordPress is and What It Does (15min)
Why WordPress? (5min)
Installing & Managing WordPress (30-45min)
Requirements (LAMP)
FTP Basics
Install
File Permissions
Adding Themes & Plugins
Keeping it Secure (15min) (moderate – advanced techniques)
Organizing the WordPress Admin Interface  (5min)
Tools for Making Working In WordPress Easier (15min)
Q&A  (20-30min)
1.2    Module 2
1.2.1    Organizing Your Content
Posts vs. Pages in WP (5min)
Building Your Content Map (45min) (moderate level)
Diving Into Content Types (30min) (advanced)
Using Media (Audio & Video)
Email & Auto Responders
Writing For the Web (20min)
Q&A (20min)
1.3    Module 3
1.3.1    Function, Form and Putting The Pieces Together
Basic WP Settings (15min)
Advanced WP Settings (15min)
Importing Existing Content (5min)
Walking Through The Admin Interface (30min)
Example of Adding a Post
How Media And Images Work In WP (advanced, we’ll cover a lot of territory here)
Plugins (30min)
The Good and The Bad of Plugins
Standard/Best Practice
Finding More Plugins
Themes (30min)
Premium vs Free
Original Design
Q&A  (10min)
1.4    Module 4
1.4.1    Extending the Reach of Your WordPress Site (moderate)
SEO Mechanics (30min) (basic to moderate SEO)
Integrating Social Media (30min)
Twitter
Facebook
Sharing from your blog/site
Setting Up Your RSS Feed (15min)
Other Tools (5min)
Ping.Fm
Su.pr
Pretty Link Pro
Q&A  (40min)

Ping.Fm

Su.pr

Pretty Link Pro

Q&A  (40min)

V. Scott Ellis
Scott Ellis has been on the cutting edge of web technology since 1997 building websites, e-commerce engines and on-line marketing strategies for corporations and clients such as CSC, Vignette, IMB, Verizon and others. After a 2 1/2 year stint in Management Consulting with Risk Management Firm Protiviti, Scott co-founded BlackBox Technologies with partners Martin Wind and Victoria Wind who had been colleagues for the past 10 years. With a focus on Web 2.0 technologies and websites, BlackBox was established to provide technology guidance to all sizes of companies from start-up’s to large corporations interested in taking advantage of leading edge web technology.

With a background in web content management and design, Scott’s expertise has enabled him to build a practice around a philosophy of helping clients build technology into their business while keeping their business goals and ROI at the forefront rather than putting the technology first.

Scott holds a Bachelors in Psychology from Purdue University and currently resides in Dallas, TX.

Internet marketing conference, Social Media Measurement, optimization summits, social media, social media ROI, social-media-marketing, social-media-strategy