Everything: Content & Social Event Recap – Training Day In the Motor City

Everything: Content and Social is an event put together by Digital Summit, a U.S.-based event company that specializes in marketing events throughout various U.S. cities. Strathcom attended this conference for two reasons: the first being it was close to Toronto, only four hours of driving; and the second being we enjoy learning and want to learn as much as possible from industry leaders in marketing. This was an eight-hour conference that occurred on March 23, 2018, with industry leaders from companies such as DocuSign, Best Buy, National Geographic, City of Detroit and Verizon speaking at the event. The event was set up in a two-stage format with speakers talking about various online marketing topics. Let me start this Everything: Content & Social event recap with the first thing I learned and that stuck with me from the conference: be relatable.

The only thing I was disappointed about with this event was I didn’t have a twin to write down notes from ALL the speakers; there were 16 total. It was hard to pick and choose the sessions I wanted to attend, but I made a list and attended eight sessions I believed will help me grow as a marketer and as an asset to Strathcom Media and our clients like you. Perhaps you’ll find some common themes here like the importance of being relatable with your customers.

So I started the road trip with a large double-double, headed to Detroit and–wait, you are interested in the conference summary and not my Detroit adventures? (But coffee is still relatable, right?) Even though I could write a short story with all the notes I acquired, I am simply going to point out a key takeaway from each of the sessions. The following Everything: Content & Social event recap is what I found to have the most value for and greatest benefit to dealerships:

Micro-Storytelling: Shaun Ayala

I am a true believer in storytelling when it comes to advertising. Customers feel connected when you can tell a story about your product or services, or through your product and services. Shaun spoke about how we can use tools such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to tell stories that will bring your presence to your followers and others interested in your services. The idea is to be as engaging and interactive as possible.

As a dealership, you know your target audience and with that in mind, the content you put out should connect with them. If you are showcasing a new vehicle, instead of telling them why it’s the best in the market, utilize images and videos to show them the value of owning or even just test driving the vehicle.

Unraveling the Mystery of the Facebook Algorithm – Alex Baker-Whitcomb

The name of the game is competitive advantage, and as a Facebook advertiser, I was keen on this session. In this session Alex talked about types of ads Facebook prioritizes, building partnerships with brands and how to avoid penalties and potholes. It is a constant battle as an analyst to find the middle ground with the client and Facebook. The key takeaway from this session was that video is Facebook’s best friend (I was disappointed to learn it wasn’t me).

As a dealer, you can have multiple pieces of content we can use to showcase your vehicles and your dealership. Using videos that reference your store, services, and products will bring a much better value to your dealership and help potential customers connect with you on a personal level.

Facebook Ads: Mastering the Power of The Demographic Fire Hose – Susan Wenograd

This was my favourite session at the conference! Susan had so much energy and let me (and the other attendees) in on tips she uses to maximize Facebook advertising. Susan took us through various types of creatives and ad formats she uses along with how she optimizes them to get the best results. It was interesting to see a different perspective on bidding and targeting and how someone else sets up their advertising structure. An important takeaway from her session was testing creatives to review and learn which type of ads bring the most value.

This session leaned more towards advertisers. At Strathcom, we test ads with creatives to bring value to our clients. The information from this session will be shared with the team so we can try looking at optimizing the ads a little differently.

What? How? Why? Building Query Personas to Power Your Content Strategy – Grant Simmons

Simmons’ session was a refreshing course in AdWords. Although I utilize the tools and understands how it works, a different perspective on strategizing AdWords was welcome. Just like Susan, Grant focused on delivering strategies that worked for him, and he helped the audience think about effectively finding and using keywords to get the best customers who are looking to convert.

Just like with the previous session, this session was geared more towards analyst and digital marketers. However, it is important for dealers to understand how we as analysts bring traffic to your websites and essentially aid with conversions.

Behind the Scenes – Everything: Content & Social Event Recap

There were many other sessions that provided in-depth value to me as a Digital Marketer. However, these four sessions stood out in particular as the information was more relevant to how Strathcom’s Online Advertising Team can help clients maximize their advertising budgets. Entrusting your account to Strathcom Media simply means that you are putting your faith in capable individuals who are constantly learning about how to utilize the technologies and products available to us so we can enhance your services. On top of attending events by Google and Facebook, we also attend other conferences that provide a different perspective on digital advertising. For example, strategies and lessons learned at Digital Summit will be discussed among the advertising team, and along with the information provided by the client, we will tailor strategies that fit your agenda.

We hope you enjoyed our Everything: Content & Social event recap! At Strathcom Media, it’s our goal to ensure each client gets the VIP treatment, working to the best of our ability to deliver amazing results. Get in touch with us to learn more about those events we recommend for the 2018 year, or to learn about what digital advertising Strathcom can help you and your business with!