Do You Know What Your Customers Are Saying About You? at the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG) in Madison NJ (November 2010)
Time was that there wasn’t much way to find out. But now your customers are talking to each other on blogs, Twitter, message boards and many other social media venues. Do you know how to listen to what they are saying? Do you know how to engage with them? Do you know how to protect your reputation when that talk gets out of control? Find out how smart companies are listening to their customers in brand new ways and starting a new kind of dialogue in social media.
How Should Corporations Tackle the Potential and Pitfalls of Social Media? at the Danish Marketing Association in Copenhagen (September 2010)
A three-hour seminar on what social media is all about and how it affects your corporation in connection with sales, marketing, communication, product development, IT and legal issues. Mike also presented Converseon’s listening platforms which have just been cited among the top three systems by Forrester.
Untangled Web: Why White Hat SEO Is the Way for You at the Search Marketing Expo (SMX) in Stockholm (September 2010)
Marketing has always had an element of deception, even to the point that commentators believe that search marketers are nothing more than spammers. So-called “black hat SEO” has persisted for a simple reason–it has worked. But marketing, including search marketing, is becoming more and more a matter of customer relationships rather than traditional persuasion—now you can no longer fool people for any period of time. Instead, start practicing “white hat SEO” to lead to your success.
Search Engine Optimization online course at the University of California at Irvine (July and September 2010)
Dr. Ash Pahwa and I collaborated on an on-demand online course covering organic and paid search. I taught two of the sessions with Ash handling the other eight sessions. The course covered all the bases of Internet marketing using Search Engine Marketing, Inc. as its textbook.
How the Web Changes the Old Marketing Rules at the Canadian Marketing Association’s Digital Day in Winnipeg (May 2010)
Time was that marketing was for big companies with big budgets, but the web has changed everything. Many web marketing techniques are cheap or free, so any size company can take advantage–you can target even the smallest market segment. And when tactics cost so little, and can be changed so easily, your risk is quite low. And you can apply traditional direct marketing principles to tie marketing spending directly to sales. If you’ve been struggling with how your company can take advantage of the web, or how you can convince others at your company to give it a try, learn how to apply what you already know about marketing to the brave new world of Internet marketing. Despite all the changes, web marketing is still marketing.
Social Media in Higher Education at the Pearson CiTE Conference in Denver (April 2010)
Mike and leading educators formed a panel to explain how to use social media for colleges to attract prospective students, keep currrent students engaged, place graduates, and keep alumni involved.
Untangled Web: Authenticity in Search Marketing at the Search Insider Summit in Captiva Island, Florida (April 2010)
Marketing has always had an element of deception going back to P.T. Barnum, and search marketing has been no exception. Search marketing has always had a deserved reputation for snake oil, even to the point that smart tech commentators like John Dvorak believes that search marketers are nothing more than spammers. Marketing is becoming more and more a matter of customer relationships rather than traditional persuasion–now you can no longer fool people for any period of time, upending industries and practices based on fooling people. So what’s a marketer to do? Start long-term relationships with searchers and search engines based on honesty.
Is Your Company Spending Too Much on Search? at the OMMA Global Conference in San Francisco (March 2010)
Search may be the last click for customers who are buying what you have to sell. But that click often comes at the end of the consumer’s online marketing journey—which includes exposure to banners, video ads, mobile messages and various other marketing techniques. Up to now, search has gotten much of the credit—and the budget—for making the sale. Smart search experts, however, recognize they don’t operate in a void, and more of them are studying and reporting how their discipline works in conjunction with other forms of marketing. They believe that by showing you the impact of marketing dollars spent “upstream,” they can accurately address if your company is spending too much or too little on search. Others, however, are not so sure. This panel will discuss the unpredictable effects of search’s evolving upstream approach. Could it be a minefield for the search industry or will search finally step into the role as your strategic adviser?
The Skinflint’s Guide to Generating Free Search Traffic at the Right On—No Bull Marketing Webinar (February 2010)
If you think that successful search marketing forces you to pay Google and the other search engines to send visitors to your site, think again. Learn the free techniques for search marketing that everyone with a website needs to know. You don’t need to be a technical guru or a star copywriter—what you really need is the right knowledge and a willingness to work. Don’t allow the investment you’ve made in your website go to waste. With the right moves in search marketing, you’ll bring more traffic to your site than ever before, and you won’t pay the search engines a dime.
The Three Keys to International Search Marketing at the Danish e-Commerce Society (FDIH) Search Marketing Stategies conference in Copenhagen (February 2010)
Lots of companies have products that can be sold outside their home country, but search marketing makes it easier than ever. Focus on what customers want, what content you need to persuade them, and how they can find it—those three keys will give you search marketing success in any country. If you’ve been unsure of whether you have what it takes to market globally, don’t miss this chance to find out.
Social Media from the Inside Out at the Danish e-Commerce Society (FDIH) Search Marketing Stategies conference in Copenhagen (February 2010)
Substituting for Rob Key, Mike explained how social media engagement can often be technically simple, but culturally difficult. While much social media discussion revolves around the latest tactic or “viral video,” the most successful social media initiatives are becoming an engine for organizational transformation. This session will focus on best practice approaches being utilized at some of the world’s leading brands to infuse the value of social media across the enterprise—ranging from marketing/communications, R&D, customer service, and more.
Damage Control in Social Media at the Enterprise Social 2.0 conference in Amsterdam (January 2010)
In the age of web 2.0, unhappy customers visit social networks and blog about their complaints. It is therefore essential for businesses to have a contingency plan on how to minimize the damage during a viral “outbreak.” Mike joined other panelists sharing best practices on how to prevent and turn negative viral news into positive.
Online PR Skills Every Public Relations Professional Must Know at the Get Career Insurance Webinar (January 2010)
Online PR provides the means to reach target audiences directly, with or without participation of the news media. Internet marketers have been doing that for years, but public relations professionals have been slow to get on board. Mike joined Jim Bowman and Marc Harty to explain what you need to know.
