Whitney and I attended the second annual BlogPotomac bloggers conference on Friday at the State Theater. Hosted by Geoff Livingston and a variety of wonderful sponsors and volunteers, I thought that the presenters, topics and overall format were relevant and timely – they really got to the heart of social media challenges and benefits. I had initially bought my ticket so I could see Ford’s sole social media powerhouse, Scott Monty speak about how he put a new coat of paint on Ford’s brand by actually listening to its customers. (I also got to hang with Scott and Pam & Frank Martin – Pam is in the photo with me – during the lunch break!) But I was pleasantly surprised by the thoughtfulness and quality of the other speakers as well. Topics ranged from utilizing blogging for political activism to the pros/cons of personal branding. Any proceed from the event were donated to DC Central Kitchen, a nonprofit who helps train homeless people in the culinary arts. To date, they have trained over 700 folks with culinary skills.
Kudos to Geoff and team for pulling off such an outstanding event. Can’t wait for October!
Here are a few takeaways from the event:
- Who should own social media? Orgs own their own efforts.
- Engage employees who “get” the mechanics of social media; but these people aren’t your strategists, but they will get things done.
- Understand the resources that you will need to be successful in social media (ex. Southwest Airlines had to hire 2 new full-time people just to moderate comments.)
- Hashtags (ex. #blogpotomac) are incredibly important for following important conversations.
- Folks who blog for orgs or corps – learn to speak with your own voice, not your directors (sometimes this is difficult to overcome). Ask if the single “voice” is speaking to everyone – investors, staff, customers, constituents, etc.
- Personal brands are not created. They are earned.
- Scott Monty stated that he was “not online to sell cars. He is online to build reputation.”
- Crisis is the opportunity to turn a negative into a positive.
- Brands aren’t only built around just a name but larger, the reputation.
- The name is just a label. Never let your personal brand eclipse the greater goal of your company.
- Despite shiny tools, strategy is still key!
There are also a ton of great wrap-ups out there. Check it out.:
- Twitter Search: #blogpotomac
- BlogPotomac Exceeds Expectations
- Live From BlogPotomac – Scott Monty on “Social Media in a Crisis”
- #blogpotomac as grassroots as you can get
- The Ten Best Ideas from BlogPotomac
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Great snapshot of the conference. I particularly liked how one speaker said that he is online to build reputation and not to sell cars. Thanks for the details!