Digital Summit is a national series of conferences where marketers, entrepreneurs, and innovators converge for two days of educational speaking sessions from industry leaders on topics ranging from social media marketing to technology trends and more.
The Digital Summit series presents in cities across the United States, and, lucky for us, Charlotte is one of them.
Team Posse was geared up and excited for a great conference this year, and we weren’t disappointed!
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the main takeaways from the presenters that stood out the most to us at Digital Summit Charlotte 2018. We encourage you to check out the speakers that we will be mentioning, and, if you can, go to a Digital Summit conference yourself!
“Digital pirates are stealing your reach.”
Carlos Gil’s fantastic session on hacking Facebook’s content algorithm gave us a lot to think about regarding the way we use Facebook as a business.
We’ve talked about the Facebook algorithm before, but as a refresher, Facebook prioritizes content from your family and friends over brands and businesses. Facebook Groups are also considered a top priority for Facebook.
“Engagement bait” posts are penalized, so stop asking for explicitly asking for likes, comments, and shares. Instead, your posts should encourage engagement by asking questions that matter to people, questions they’ll want to answer.
Facebook will also penalize brands that try to drive users elsewhere. Yes, they put a low priority on posts that link to your website, to other video platforms (YouTube), and pretty much anywhere that isn’t Facebook. So, keep your fans on Facebook with native video, Live video, posts that ignite conversations, and ENGAGING BACK.
Any time a user comments on your post, like their comment and comment back. Thank users for liking your post. Utilize Messenger to start real conversations with your fans. Find older posts that got a lot of comments and re-engage with those users.
It is important to know who you are trying to reach and why. Create a strategy that utilizes these tips for increasing engagement and hacking the Facebook algorithm.
“Your story is the start of the thing that sets you apart.”
Ann Handley taught us how to be bigger, braver, and bolder in our approach to producing engaging content. As a brand, you will be left behind if you don’t push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Find your brand’s tone of voice – avoid corporate-centric messaging, but still find a way to tell your brand story in a new and exciting way. You want marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing in order to instill a mindset of camaraderie with your customers.
Customers today are smarter than ever. And smart businesses LEAD conversations with them, rather than just following them. Remember this, “if you cover up your logo, would customers, employees, and you still know who your brand is?”
“Easiest Wins”
In Michael Barber’s session, he highlighted five marketing truths every brand should embody.
- Be brilliant. Be the best that you can be on the platforms you choose (where your audience is) and create a ridiculously good customer experience for them.
- Be available by always making it easy for customers to connect with you, find your products, and buy your products.
- Be consistent. You don’t have to be perfect, but sameness and simplicity do matter.
- Surprise and delight your customers. Be the best you, and even the tiniest improvements make a difference.
- Be kind. Be empathetic, and win at your customer service game.
This is only a fraction of the information we absorbed at Digital Summit Charlotte. Again, we highly recommend this conference for business owners, marketers, and entrepreneurs of businesses of all sizes. We’ve linked to the social media or websites of the three speakers we highlighted in this blog in their respective sections. Check them out for more tips and info on marketing your business online!
If you would like to take action and start building your brand’s online reputation today, let us know! We’re here to help!