Confluence Conference has really grown in its three years of existence. We asked for feedback following last year’s event, and one thing was clear: Even though the speakers were engaging and interesting, people wanted to see more actionable content – something they could take back and show their coworkers. This year, Confluence has taken a huge step in that direction; honestly, it’s more than a step – Confluence sprinted to that goal. Every speaker in this year’s lineup is delivering actionable content that will directly help your business, your agency, and your personal brand. Let’s go over some of those topics now.
Branding/PR
What’s more important than taking care of your business’s brand? Go ahead and try to come up with an answer. Establishing yourself as a leader in your industry that really cares about its customers is the easiest way to succeed; you need to build your reputation to get customers in the door and constantly coming back. How do you gain that kind of trust? Enter: Danica Jones, Marketing Manager for Consumer Affairs. Danica will be speaking on “The Age of Reputation Marketing” – a session that will cover ways marketers can boost consumer trust using social proof and reputation marketing tactics to generate an increase in customer conversions. You’ll leave with at least five highly actionable, cost-effective takeaways that ANY sized business can apply immediately with powerful ROI.
And we’re just getting started – it’s time to get real nerdy. Do you ever wonder how impressions are formed, or what motivates a person to buy? Steve Mann, founder of AbleBrains, has covered this topic extensively. His session – “Wiring a Consumer’s Brain” – delves into the “confluence” of digital influence and neuromarketing. He will be discussing the critical digital marketing techniques that can be used to shape perception and drive the emotional, rational and instinctual thought processes that influence, and ultimately persuade, a consumer to buy. Bet you didn’t think you’d be a neuroscientist by the end of a digital marketing conference, did you?
Content Marketing/SEO
Gone are the days of relying on just SEO to get your content consumed. Turning searchers into readers is harder than ever, but Glen Dimaandal, sole author of GlenDemands.com and founder/CEO of GDI Marketing, has found a formula that is guaranteed to get your content in front of more eyeballs. This session – “10 Ways to Get Your Content Read Aside From SEO” – is for all the people out there that are optimizing their content and just hitting publish. Hell, this session is for all the people that might be doing a few things after hitting publish, but still not seeing their best possible results. Glen’s 10 proven methods to get your content read are guaranteed to help you attract a larger audience. Your content will need new tires from all the mileage it’s getting!
But how do you define what you want that audience to be? That’s where Everett Sizemore comes in. An SMX veteran, Everett is the Director of SEO strategy at Inflow and will be delivering a session on “Audience Personas on a Budget.” If you’ve worked in digital marketing for any time, then you know how important developing personas are for every campaign. You probably also know how expensive and time-consuming that process can be. Everett will teach you how to provide valuable audience personas for a fraction of the normal expense by focusing on certain actionable takeaways and leveraging publicly available data. Audience personas were meant to change and adapt. Don’t let the quest for perfection keep you from getting a quick return on investment!
And don’t worry, we have Local SEO covered for all of you Google+ fiends, too. Greg Gifford, local search superhero and Director of Search and Social for DealerOn, is channeling his inner Goonie with his session – “Local SEO – Never Say Die.” Much like the Goonies, Local SEO is often misunderstood. Greg will explain how Local SEO is different from traditional SEO, as well as walk through the most important signals that influence local rankings. If your business has a physical location, you need Local SEO. Greg will show you how to optimize both on-site and off-site signals to boost local relevancy and gain more visibility in local searches.
So Much More
These are just a few of the topics that we’re working with this year at Confluence. We also have experts from around the country talking on different Social Media, SEM, UX and Analytics topics, as well as more SEO, Content Marketing, and Branding talks! And we haven’t even mentioned our Keynotes – Ian Lurie of Portent, Inc., Mike King of iPullRank, and Dana DiTomaso of Kick Point – all of which are highly-respected influencers in the world of digital marketing.
You wanted big speakers? Check. You wanted actionable content? Check. Super affordable price? CHECK. For just $150, you’ll get access to both days of Confluence, free food and drinks throughout both days, entry into Thursday night’s networking party (with TWO drinks of your choice on us), and so much more. Confluence is the region’s most complete digital marketing conference. You won’t want to miss it.
