2011 Social Media Summit

Detailed Agenda with Moderator/Panelist/Speakers

Firday, October 14, 2011
7:30 am - Noon
Farmington Marriott, Farmington, CT

Hosted by: the Hartford Business Journal and the Public Relations Society of America

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

The Power of Social Media Communities

This keynote will be focused on defining a social media communities and understanding ways to build, measure and maintain them. By the end, attendees will be empowered to create and grow their own communities.

• What is a social media community?
  • Define
  • How to create
  • How to build

• How do you measure them?
  • Listening Tools
  • Standard metrics

• How do you maintain and grow them?
  • In house vs. Agency
  • Community managers

Keynote Speaker: Amanda Nelson

Amanda Nelson is a Community Content Manager at Radian6, a Sales force company. She has been in advertising for over eight years for full service and interactive advertising agencies in New York and Connecticut. Amanda has worked on a number of brands including JetBlue, Atlantic Records, Connecticut Light & Power, Twinings Tea and Liberty Bank. She has account management awards from the Advertising Club of Connecticut, New England Direct Marketing Association, the Publicity Club of New England and the American Banker Association. Her current role involves building, growing and managing the expansive Radian6 community, as well as curating and creating content for the brand. She is also a blogger and avid writer.

                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Beyond the "Like": Social Media Strategy for Business Owners and Executives

Track 1 - Session 1

Intended Audience: Business Owners and Executives

People want-and expect-to interact with brands and businesses in the digital world. As a result, social media is no longer a marketing afterthought or campaign add-on. It must be a core, organic part of your strategy. In this workshop, you'll discover:

• Key considerations for planning your strategy
• How to determine your audience's digital water cooler (where they're talking) and listen in
• Which social media platforms can best meet your and your audience's needs

Speaker: Paul Pita, Principal & Executive Creative Director, The Pita Group

Paul Pita has an amazing ability to build consensus among groups of people who each have individual agendas and points of view. He does this by listening and engaging groups through creative, thought-provoking discovery exercises that ultimately lead to brand and marketing strategies that get results.

In his life before Pita, Paul developed advertising campaigns for clients including Nike and Modell's Sporting Goods. He is past president of the Connecticut Art Directors Club, and has donated pro bono creative services for organizations including the March of Dimes Connecticut Chapter, Taste of Hartford, Rebuilding Together Hartford, Trust House, Riverfront Recapture, HARC, Park Road Playhouse, M.A.D.D. and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation. Currently, he serves on the Board of Directors for the United Way of the Capital Area and Golf Fore the Kids, an organization that benefits the Jimmy Fund.

Paul was named to the "40 under Forty" list by the Hartford Business Journal in 1999, and has been recognized internationally for his creative concepts and advertising development. He often makes national presentations on the importance of brand education and empowering employees to deliver on the brand promise each and every day, as well as using social media to build and motivate brand communities.
                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Brand Building Online 

Track 2 - Session 1

Intended Audience: In-house Marketing and Public Relations Professionals

Social media has enormous power while connecting you with thousands of people - it's what you do with those connections that make brand building stronger. Building your brand online means knowing how all of your brand activities fit together.  Consistency, frequency, message, and tone of voice are all pieces of the social media puzzle that shapes the picture people have of you.   We are judged by what we say, how we say it and who we associate with; these are choices we make as a brand.  In this seminar you will learn how to create two-way engagements.  How you can take the conversations you've traditionally been having offline...online to elevate and build your brand image and awareness through social media.  We will review how to structure and measure your social media efforts by creating a social media plan through appropriate social channels for your company and how to use social media to effectively  to deliver your brand message.

Call to Action

• Aligning corporate objectives with social initiatives | Sample Goals Chart
• Organizing your social media team | Sample Team Chart
• Defining social media voices and creating content | 4 Key Questions To Identify Your Audience
• Identify core content topics | Sample Posting Schedule
• Baseline your social presence | Listen and Monitor

Speaker: Andrea Cusano, VP Work Branding & Advertising

Andrea leads agency teams in brand research, positioning and strategy - and is noted as one of the region's top social media experts. She assesses current client initiatives, defines market opportunities and develops strategic plans. Prior to joining Worx, Andrea founded Redhead Unlimited, a brand marketing and strategy company. She spent the last 20 years helping shape brands including FOX Television, Reebok, Nike, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Gap, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola, TJX, IBM, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Time Warner, AFC Capital, US Airways, TheLadders.com, Radio City Music Hall, Sirius Satellite Radio and McDonalds. Andrea helped launch initiatives such as the Fox Kids Network, The Howard Stern Radio show on Sirius, Reebok's flagship stores and the reebokwomen.com website. She managed sponsor activities at the 1996 and 2005 Summer Olympic Games, The NFL Experience at Super Bowl XXXVIII and XXXIX, and the NFL Draft at Madison Square Garden. Cusano also created several custom publications for Reebok, Rockport, Kraft Foods, Jack Morton Worldwide, Converse and AOL. Andrea earned a Bachelor's degree in Corporate Communications at Southern Connecticut State University (New Haven, CT). She lives in Hamden, CT.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Use Social Media to Build a Steady Stream of Prospect

Track 3 - Session 1

Intended Audience: Sales Professionals

In this seminar designed to help you generate prospects and increase sales, we will focus on what social media is, what social media is not, why you should care, and how to get started. Whether you've begun to experiment or have remained on the sidelines, it's a good time to learn more about what social media is, and whether it could be useful for you, including:

• Why social media will make you a more efficient sales person
• A look at which tools make sense for you
• Techniques for making great connections online

Speaker: Jeffery Cohen, VP, ImageWorks, LLC

CEO of ImageWorks, LLC Jeffrey Cohen has a distinguished career in the Computer Generated Graphics, Sales and Marketing, and Technical Support industries. Previously owning American Screen Graphics, a silkscreen and graphic design firm, Jeffrey has also worked in Information Systems for Travelers Insurance, Savage Computers, and Technical support for ITW/Promark. A graduate of the University of Bridgeport with a degree in fine arts, Cohen also holds a degree from the Computer Processing Institute. Jeffery was recently recognized by the Connecticut Technology Council's Innovation Pipeline awards as one of the Connecticut Companies to watch in 2009, and 2010. Jeffrey has also been quoted in Time Magazine, and has been published in Business 2.0 and WIRED. A leader in the New Media Sector, ImageWorks has been a producer of independent small business commercial films. Jeffrey is currently on the Board of Directors for the Tolland County Chamber of Commerce, The Chair of the Economic Development Commission in the town of Vernon, and is the Host and Executive Director of the Connecticut Business Network. His hometown is Vernon, CT.

                                                                                                                                                                                                

Connecting with the Future Generation through Social Media PR/Marketing Integration

Track 4 - Session 1

Intended Audience: Agency Marketing/PR Professionals

You may not think so, but youth and young adults know marketing very well. Are you prepared for your future customers? Find out how they interact, communicate online, and especially with brands or businesses. Social media and the internet is the majority of where they spend their time. Get a unique, fresh youth perspective from a 14-year-old marketer who coaches on social media. You'll come away with...

• Connecting with your future customers, how they interact/communicate online with brands and companies.
• New tools, best practices, case studies, tracking the ROI/measurement of social networks like Twitter and Facebook.
• Examples of how brands use social media to connect with their customers, and how Domino's Pizza reinvented their brand after a major PR nightmare through social media.
• How media outlets use social networks to connect with sources and their audience.

Speaker: Lane Sutton, Social Media Strategist, Social Media from a Teen Perspective

Lane Sutton is a 14-year-old young entrepreneur who has grown up with technology and social media. He works as a Social Media Strategist for diverse types of businesses. He helps companies increase their online social media presence to build their brand's customer base showing the importance of the social media revolution of how it affects their business. CNN, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The Week magazine, The Boston Globe, The Young Icons, and New England Cable News have profiled Lane as the kid to watch. Lane can be found connecting on Twitter, @KidCriticUSA where he creates conversations, and shares content by building up his personal brand with close to 4000 followers. He has spoken at the Boston Apple Store, Microsoft's NERD Center, Trinity College, Constant Contact, and several other places who seek Lane's fresh unique youth perspective on marketing, social media, and business.

                                                                                                                                                                   

"Social Media Staffing and Management"

Track 1- Session 2

Intended Audience: Business Owners and Executives

Many organizations want to engage in social media, but doing so in a well-thought out and deliberate manner takes planning. How will you make a significant ripple in the water when the marketing team is relatively small? How can you engage your senior leadership in the social media conversation? In this workshop, you'll discover how to:

• Approach social media as a team sport
• Effectively manage and monitor the social media plan with a shoestring team
• Engage c-suite level voices in your social media initiatives
• Look to the future in terms of what else is possible in team and audience engagement

Speaker: Allison Lantieri, Director of Marketing, Ovation  

Allison joined Ovation in early 2011 as Marketing Director. Allison brings sixteen years of marketing and communications healthcare experience to the team and has worked for both B2B and B2C companies in both the non-profit and for-profit arenas. Prior to her position with Ovation Allison provided strategic marketing consultation to the Pioneer Network, a national eldercare advocacy non-profit dedicated to improving the lives of elders and their caregivers. She spent 7 years as Director of Marketing and Communications for the Institute for Caregiver Education. The Institute, based in Chambersburg, PA is a nationally-recognized not-for-profit organization dedicated to the professional development and continuing education of caregivers. Allison has also worked for Apple Rehab, an Avon-based eldercare company with healthcare centers in Connecticut and Rhode Island as their Marketing Director. It was during her time at Apple that she developed a love for elders and made long term care advocacy a personal commitment.  She is also an avid fan of Hartford, having gotten her foot in the marketing door as marketing and publications assistant at Hartford Stage.

Allison holds a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communications, a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre and a Minor in Public Relations from West Virginia Wesleyan College. Allison is a member of the International Association of Business Communicators and the American Marketing Association. She is a blogger, antique lover and storyteller, and lives in Broad Brook with her husband and her two children.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Leveraging LinkedIn to Increase Your Sales

Track 3 - Session 2

Intended Audience: Sales Professionals

For Business Owners, Business Development Professionals, Salespeople and anyone else who needs to market themselves or their business offerings to others, there are many benefits that LinkedIn can bring you. Discover some techniques for using your LinkedIn account to:

• Learn how to uncover high-value potential prospects in and outside of your 1^st degree connections with customized search
• Leverage your first degree connections to help you gain access to these potential prospects by making an introduction for you
• Learn the proper next steps to go from an introduction to an appointment
• Leverage your old and new relationships in LinkedIn to build a referral tree

Primarily, by creating a LinkedIn profile and starting a network of contacts, you are ensuring that you remain top of mind for future business needs and networking opportunities. By maintaining an up-to-date profile showcasing all relevant information, you keep your network of connections up to speed on all new business developments as well as recommendations and testimonials from current clients. It is a quick and easy way to ensure that you are within easy reach to your business network.

Being within easy reach of this network means you have tremendous opportunities to use LinkedIn as one of your primary networking and prospecting tools.

Speaker: Susan Powers, Partner, Sandler Training

Susan Powers, Partner at the Southbury based offices of Sandler Training, is an award-winning: trainer, coach and mentor in the central and eastern Connecticut regions. She is a lifelong resident of Southbury, and prior to joining Sandler Training was acting Membership Director for the Waterbury Regional Chamber of Commerce. At the Chamber, she brought significant value in membership drives; organizing Out-For-Business networking functions while delivering several new key initiatives to grow the Chamber and bring added value to its members. Sue also held various sales management positions within the mortgage and banking industry. Additionally, from 1987-2003 Sue was intricately involved as a project manager in the homebuilding industry, responsible for overseeing the building cycle from foundation installation to preparing for final home inspection. In summary, for the better part of her working career, Sue has supported and built strong working relationships for countless businesses throughout the region. Now, as a partner at Sandler Training, she can help individuals achieve their goals, both personal and professional, by discovering their communications styles and identifying their personal obstacles - obstacles that may be holding them back from reaching the success they are capable of achieving.

                                                                                                                                                                                                

Customer Engagement: The American Idol Effect

Track 2 - Session 2

Intended Audience: In-house Marketing and Public Relations Professionals

Engagement marketing is an approach to brand development that builds on the time-honored notion of listening to customers and keeping them for life. This session will:

• Identify the differences between the traditional and new engagement approach
• Highlight the powerful forces that are reshaping the way traditional marketing and communications work
• Introduce the American Idol effect,
• Outline the engagement lessons business-to-business marketers can learn from entertainment star makers that will make their brand more accessible, responsive and relevant. 
  

Speaker: Chris Knopf,CEO, Mintz & Hoke

Chris Knopf is CEO of Mintz & Hoke Communications Group (www.mintz-hoke.com), an integrated agency in Avon, CT. As a copywriter he's won awards at regional, national and international competitions. In 1990 he was named a Creative All-Star by AdWeek magazine. Between gigs at Mintz & Hoke, Chris worked for Union Carbide, where he developed a worldwide integrated communications program. In the non-profit arena, Chris has helped fight breast cancer, homelessness, teen pregnancy and compulsive gambling. Chris is a published author of several mystery novels (www.chrisknopfmystery.com), builds cabinets and plays rock ‘n' roll when he can steal the time.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                 

The Evolution of PR and Social Media

Track 4 - Session 2

Intended Audience: Agency Marketing/ PR Professionals  

As the media continues its evolution, it's no longer enough to simply capture eyeballs or count page
views. Communications professionals are challenged to ramp-up their storytelling game and produce
consumer-centric content on multi-channels and provide nearly instantaneous access to the information audiences and stakeholders desire.

• This session will discuss:
• The paradox of emerging media and the challenges facing content providers and media professionals.
• How hyper local initiatives and mobile apps are shaping communications.
• Tips and tricks for PR professionals looking to succeed in the digital age.

Speaker: Johna Burke, Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communication, BurrellesLuce 

Johna Burke is Senior Vice President, Marketing & Communication, for BurrellesLuce, a media monitoring company.  Prior to joining BurrellesLuce, Burke was director of public relations and investor relations for U-Haul International.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                 

How to Avoid the Goofs and Gaffes of Social Media

Round Table Discussion

Track 1 - Session 3

Intended Audience: Business Owners and Executives

What do Rep. Anthony Weiner, Kenneth Cole and the Red Cross have in common?  All of them created their very own crises by misusing the public stage of social media.  This panel will help you learn about the changes, challenges, and charms that social media poses.  It will help you head off the goof and gaffes that have become the stuff of late night comedians.  You'll learn how to head off a social media crisis; how to establish policies that establish a clear understanding of how employees can and should use social media and how to deal with today's "porous" during a crisis.  Is your organization ready for today's 140 character world?  If not, you must attend this workshop to help protect your company's reputation, mission and future.

Round Table Discussion (10 minutes per participant)

• Goofs and Gaffs - Examples and why they happen - AO
• Setting Social Media Policy - DS
• Setting the tone and "voice" for your social media and staying true to that - GK
• Making the best use of social media in a crisis - AO

Q & A (5 minutes)

• From the audience is preferable
• AO to act as moderator
• AO to work with panelists to create questions if none

Speaker: Andrea Obston, Owner Andrea Obston marketing Communications, LLC

Andrea Obston is the president of Andrea Obston Marketing Communications, LLC.  The firm works in partnership with its clients to maximize the impact of their marketing dollars. The firm creates and executes marketing strategies that improve clients' bottom lines. It mobilizes traditional and social media in an approach it calls B2E (Business to Everyone) to bring a client's message directly to the people and organizations it needs to reach. The firm's expertise includes strategic marketing planning, brand development and marketing, public and media relations, social media and other website-based connections as well as communications training.   Its subsidiary, Andrea Obston Crisis Management, provides public image crisis planning and management. The firm, which celebrated 25 years in business in 2007, is based in Bloomfield, CT.  Since the firm began in 1982, they have handled local and national accounts that range from a law firm to publicity for an astronaut.  Andrea received her MBA from the University of Connecticut; and her BS in public relations from Boston University, School of Public Communications.

Speaker: Gillian Kenny, Marketing Coordinator, Site-Seeker

 Gillian has more than 10 years experience in graphic design and marketing. Currently she is Marcom Czar for Site-Seeker, Inc., an Internet marketing and social media strategy firm. Gillian has a reputation for tackling sales and marketing objectives from the big picture. She has a strong understanding of the sales dynamic so her marketing skills fully support growth and opportunity. She has a special gift for email marketing campaigns and is passionate about the benefits of Constant Contact.

 

 Speaker: Daniel A. Schwartz,Esq., Pullman & Comley, LLC

Daniel A. Schwartz represents employers in various employment law matters such as employment discrimination, restrictive covenants, human resources, retaliation and whistle blowing, and wage and hour issues. Dan is a frequent presenter on a wide range of employment law topics, including the impact of social media on the workplace, and has been interviewed by newspapers, radio and television programs, and legal blogs.  He recently published a chapter on social media and human resources issues in "Think Before You Click":  Strategies for Managing Social Media in the Workplace (Thompson Publishing, 2011).  Dan is the author of the independent Connecticut Employment Law Blog, one of the most widely-read blogs of its kind in the nation. The blog discusses new and noteworthy events in labor and employment law on a daily basis.  In 2009 and 2010, the ABA Journal named it one of the top 100 blogs produced by lawyers (the "Blawg 100"); that same year, the publication honored Dan as a "Legal Rebel," one of 50 attorneys across the country who are leaders in bringing new and innovative ideas to the legal profession.  In 2010 Dan received the Hartford Business Journal's 40 Under 40 Award.  He serves as chair of The Future of the Connecticut Bar Association Task Force and is a member of the "Social Media" Subcommittee of the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association.

Dan represents companies in disputes related to contracts and other commercial matters, and advises employers on topics such as voluntary and involuntary reductions in force, employee investigations, restrictive covenants and trade secrets, benefits, wage and hour laws, hiring and termination, employment handbooks and policies, family and medical leave, and responding to government audits. He represents employers in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies.  He received his J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and his B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.

                                                                                                                                                                    

You Can't Measure if You Don't Plan: Measuring and Analyzing Social Media Results

Track 2 - Sesssion 3

Intended Audience: Business Owners, Executives, Communications, Public Relations Professionals

There's no doubt that brands and businesses understand that they need to have a social media presence to connect with their audience.  Social media goes far beyond setting up a Facebook page and hoping for the best. In a competitive and demanding business environment, it's critical to measure and analyze your social media program to demonstrate its overall success and effectiveness.  However, you can't measure if you don't plan ahead.

In this workshop, you'll discover:

• The importance of planning your social media program before going live. Defining your goals and objectives during the planning stages of your social media initiative will allow you to define what the results are and how to measure them,
• How to incorporate creative thinking into social media strategies and how it leads to the desired results,
• How to tie social media back to the brand and the your marketing objective,
• Methods of measuring your social media program

Speaker: Derek Beere, New Media Manager, Mason, Inc.

Not afraid to roll up his sleeves, Derek has more than 9 years of experience in the marketing and communications industry.  A strategic thinker with the "big picture" in mind, Derek is able to connect the dots using various marketing disciplines, including social media, public relations, branding and advertising.

Throughout his career, Derek has worked with a variety of brands, including Bruegger's, Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Kardea Nutrition, Salsarita's, The School Nutrition Association, Connex Credit Union, The United Illuminating Company, Emhart Teknologies, InsurBanc, Bigelow Tea and others.  The end result is helping clients achieve their goals. Take his strong public relations background and combine it with social media and you have what we like to call the new breed. Derek's focused approach encourages companies to take an active and engaging role to introduce the real personality of their brands and connect. It's all about the strategy, integrated implementation and not just throwing up a Twitter page hoping for the best! If it's your story that needs to be told, it gets told.

Derek has secured hundreds of media results for clients, including hits with high profile outlets such as NBC's Today Show, CBS Early Show, USA Today, Fox News Channel, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, MSNBC, CNN, and others. Derek has served on the board of the Advertising Club of Connecticut and has been a part of more than 30 plus award-winning campaigns in the public relations profession. Derek is a world renowned DJ and producer and has traveled to exotic locales such as Ibiza, Iceland, Munich, Miami, Los Angeles, Montreal and everywhere in between to spin his sounds. Locally, he can be found as a part of any high profile event, including fashion shows for the Nordstrom brand or the Connecticut Science Center events.

                                                                                                                                                                     

Facebook Versus Google+ for Business Growth

Track 3 - Session 3

Intended Audience: Sales Professionals

• Learn the differences between Google+ and Facebook for marketing
• Do's and don'ts for successful relationship building on social networks
• Creating Lists and circles on each platform to send targeted messages
• Proper profile creation and development 

Speaker: William Derosa, Principal, Talking Finger

Bill is a Principal/partner at Talking Finger, specifically and only a social media marketing agency. Bill has 20+ years of traditional marketing experience, and decided to create a new type of marketing agency along with his business partner Erik Granato. Talking Finger is social media marketing agency.  Talking Finger is skyrocketing to greatness, our specific choice of becoming only a social media marketing agency instead of a traditional agency has sent waves through out businesses locally and nationally. Recent clients include the Bridgeport Soundtigers, Webster Bank Arena, Purple Heart Homes, and many more.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Integrating Video, Geo-location and Mobile into Your Communications Campaigns

Track 4- Session 3

Intended audience:  Agency Marketing/PR Professionals

Digital media has evolved to be an all-encompassing necessity for all marketing and communications professionals.  Tools, applications and platforms have transformed the way in which we interact and how we receive and exchange content.  Technology is now used to not only serve information, but to verify location, provide research, incentivize sales, and more. In this session we will cover:

• What geo-location means and how to best use it to connect to your target and push your message
• What's new in digital video and how to incentivize user to generate greater viewership
• New ways to enhance connection, productivity, and entertainment through mobile.

Speaker:  Emily Garvey, VP, Account Director at Media Contacts (the global interactive media network of Havas Digital - the interactive division of Havas Media)

A seasoned digital marketing veteran with deep expertise across the travel and luxury sectors, Emily has overseen digital strategy and media planning for key clients including Volvo Cars, Oppenheimer Funds, and V Australia.  Her holistic approach to brand marketing challenges, her experience on both the agency and publisher sides of the business, and her passion for travel & lifestyle brands make her an invaluable asset to both her clients and agency teams. 

Emily began her career at Digitas CT, where as a media coordinator she handled digital advertising for clients Delta Air Lines, Marriott Hotels and Kraft Foods. After a move to Razorfish in New York, she handled the media planning and buying for all Starwood Brands.  With a passion for all things travel, Emily made the switch to the publishing sales side at Travel & Leisure, where she oversaw all Northeast Online Sales for the publisher.  Emily is currently an Account Director, overseeing all Travel accounts at Media Contacts.