SXSW Panel Proposal: Building a Team That Embraces Social Technologies

I submitted a panel for SXSW - South By Southwest 2010 - titled: Building a Team That Embraces Social Technologies. My co-panelist is Kami Huyse of Communications Overtones. I will add 2 additional panelists if the panel proposal is accepted.

Here is the panel description:

Event: Interactive 2010

Level: Advanced

Type: Panel

Category:

Branding / Marketing / Publicity, Business / Entrepreneurial / Monetization, Career / Work Concerns, Case Study, Social Networking

Organizer:

Bert DuMars, Newell Rubbermaid

Questions:

1. When is the right time to bring in a consultant or agency?
2. How do you determine if a consultant has the required expertise?
3. What does it take for this arrangement to be successful?
4. What approach should the team leader take to keep it working?
5. How can agencies and consultants effectively work alongside internal teams?
6. What is best left to the internal team?
7. What role is best played by the external team?
8. How to avoid infighting among multiple agencies and consultants?
9. How can these blended teams work together to craft strategies to engage?
10. Why do some efforts fail to produce the desired results?

Description:

This session will cover how brands successfully integrate internal and external teams to engage with customers using social technologies. Both agencies and companies will learn how to work together more effectively to serve the customer. It also covers what consultants can do and what is best left to the brand.

If you find this panel of interest and think it would add value to South by Southwest 2010, please go here and vote.

AMA Atlanta Panel Presentation: Advocacy In The Digital Age

I was honored today to be part of a panel presenting ideas, concepts and case studies related to social media, social web and interactive marketing to the American Marketing Association - Atlanta Chapter. It was an energized, sold out crowd that provided insightful and eloquent questions during the Q&A.

The panel: Advocacy in the Digital Age was moderated by Glen Caruso (@glencaruso), FY 2008-2009 AMA Atlanta President, and Director of Advertising Sales at Tremor Media.

Panel Description:

Social media is greatly impacting the lives of everyday people and as well as the marketers that are trying to reach them. After all, online communities provide businesses with an efficient way to reach targeted segments of the population as well as monitor their customers’ opinions about products, services and brands. But what does this sea change really mean for brands? Join us to learn how to:

Effectively tap into this groundswell of activity.

Leverage your most passionate fans to drive bottom line value.

Foster brand advocacy while adhering to the delicate and varied mores that govern marketing’s role within social networks

Panel members included:

Thought Leader Perspective on Social Media and Advocacy - Dave Rollo (@iRollo) – SVP, Director of Digital Media Strategy, 22squared

WOM as Social Media – Dave Balter (@DaveBalter), CEO, BzzAgent Dave will look at the role of WOM in creating advocacy and spark a discussion of what social media means for brands. Balter will explore a selection of word-of-mouth generating success stories and highlight how marketers have effectively engaged with brand advocates and measured the outcome. Mr. Balter is also the author of several books including: The Word Of Mouth Manual: Volume II and Grapevine: Why Buzz Was a Fad but Word of Mouth is Forever.

Brand Case Study - Bert DuMars (@bwdumars), Vice President E-Business & Interactive Marketing, Newell Rubbermaid. Bert will present how Newell Rubbermaid has successfully used social media to drive business results.

Dave Rollo and David Balter did an excellent job of framing the social web ecosystem and provided a number of statistical insights and case studies from their clients. I discussed our social media marketing efforts at our Graco Baby, Rubbermaid and Sharpie brands. See my post: Newell Rubbermaid Social Web Ecosystem Update.

I want to send a big Thank You out to the AMA Atlanta Chapter and especially Glen Caruso and Tracy Frank for running an excellent event and inviting me to participate.

How and When to Incorporate Social Media Into Your Next PR Program

I was part of a Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) (@PRSA) webinar today, June 9, 2009 from 3PM to 4PM EST - How and When to Incorporate Social Media into your next PR Program.

The webinar panel included the following industry experts:

• Moderator - Peter Himler is an award winning public relations industry veteran. He is also the founder/principal of Flatiron Communications LLC, a PR/media consulting firm. (@PeterHimler)
  

• Rob Key, CEO, founded Converseon in 2001 to provide new, innovative communication solutions designed to help companies meet their business objectives in a digital environment. Previously, he was head of the Innovations Group at a division of Young & Rubicam and member of the WPP.com board. His twenty years of experience spans public relations, reputation management, search marketing, affiliate marketing and online media/advertising. (@robkey)
  

• David Bradfield, partner, Fleishman-Hillard, manages the FH Digital team, which combines industry-leading strategic counsel in interactive, digital and social media with full-service design and development capabilities to help clients navigate the evolving world of communication, conversation and community. He is also a practice group leader, which includes more than 120 digital communication consultants, and creative and technical development professionals. (@dbradfield)
  

• And me -

  Bert DuMars, vice president, E-Business and Interactive Marketing for Newell Rubbermaid, is responsible for directing and coordinating e-marketing, interactive marketing, social media marketing and e-commerce initiatives for Newell Rubbermaid’s externally-facing Web sites, overseeing a new e-business shared services model with standard processes, enterprise services, technologies and metrics across the company’s brand sites. (@bwdumars)
  

We discussed several topics including

• How to engage with your target customer segments through social media efforts.
• How to start - Listening - and how tools like Converseon Conversation Miner can help.
• The value of Twitter and how to begin using it to engage with consumers.
• How to handle bloggers who are unhappy with your brand.
• How to find and engage with influential bloggers.
• How to manage your social media efforts.
• How to use the way consumers talk about your brands and products in your communications

I want to send a big thank you out to PRSA and Peter Himler for including me as a panelist.

TAG - Technology Association of Georgia Speaking Engagement

I will be speaking at the Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2008 in Atlanta, GA. The topic is "Consulting 2.0 .... it's all about the customer." The discussion will focus on the following statement:

"The proliferation of Web 2.0 tools is in top gear, countless number of platforms are available out there. Early adopters of these tools are practically creating a new type of “digital divide”, those who are in Web 2.0, and those who are not."

Should be an interesting panel and conversation.