Analytics Is King

So, we're about five days after BlogWorld and I am just now getting to write my recap. I suppose I could come up with some ridiculous excuse of wanting to gather my thoughts (and I was doing that, actually), but it was mostly because I was trying to enjoy my Memorial Day weekend. Plus, like most of you I'm sure, after five days of talking about social media the last thing I wanted to do was to come here and write more about social media. Enough already!

Anyway, BlogWorld NYC offered much of what I love about this business: an opportunity to interact with some of the brightest minds in this business. I've talked about it before, but these conferences are valuable to me just from a networking point-of-view. If there are a handful of sessions that I get something out of then that is a bonus. And no, I mean actual networking...not just attending every party under the sun and getting hammered.

So besides networking, what did I take away from this year's BlogWorld? Oh, before you ask, no, I didn't take anything away from the closing keynote. Yes, I mentioned to Rick Calvert that it wasn't my favorite part of the conference. No, it's not because I was offended by the content, though I can see how some people took it the wrong way. My bigger beef was with the overall style of the closing keynote. I want to leave on an up-lifting note, and not on a comedic one. But, these are all things I've said to Rick so I'll just leave it at that...On a more positive note...

1. Tactics win out over strategies - With as much as the blogosphere talks about strategy, I think we're in danger of turning it into a buzz word. Most bloggers are actually talking about tactics and not strategies anyway, but I'm not sure how well talking about strategies translates to conferences anyway. Most attendees that I talked to told me they wanted to hear from others about what worked. Sure, there are strategic elements in that, but mostly people are concerned with what tactics worked. They can then take those tactics away, adapt to fit THEIR strategic goals and everybody wins.
2. Tom Webster - One of my favorite sessions (I'm a numbers guy, right?) was Tom Webster's presentation on "The Social Habit." If you missed some of the tweets, or Tom's talk, you can download the research here. It was a fantastic talk with very actionable items coming from the data. Tom delivered the goods...if you have an opportunity to see him in the future, please do so!
3. Cautious optimism about the power of social media - This has something to do with the data Tom presented, but I left the conference feeling only cautiously optimistic about the power of social. Yes, I think social is valuable. No, I don't think that's changing anytime soon. However, Tom presented a data point about the power of social channels in influencing purchasing decisions. In the survey, 72% of respondents said that no social network influenced a purchasing decision. Only one social channel - Facebook - was above 1% (Facebook was 24%). 
4. Is location-based marketing really all we think it is? There were multiple presentations about location-based platforms, including a keynote with Aaron Strout and representatives from very large brands, but I left wondering just how useful these are for the mainstream brand. Tom's presentation mentioned that while a larger percentage of American's are aware of LBS tools, a very small number actually use them daily. I sense, as Tom noted, that this is a great opportunity for other mobile platforms that we've been ignoring in our race to satisfy our shiny new object affliction. We'll see...only time will tell who is right.
5. People are measuring the right things! - I've become overly jaded by case studies. Yeah, there are some fancy, creative ideas floating around, but I could care less about fancy and creative. I care about whether something works or not. To date, I was never sure how often the "right" things were being measured in social media. However, leaving the conference and hearing presentations by Lisa Grimm, Shannon Paul, Jess Berlin and many others I feel better about how people are measuring social. They aren't just looking at reach, but more tangible business metrics that executives care about. Perhaps we're on the right track after all? 
6. Damion White - Damion is a very good friend of mine (we were colleagues at WCG), so I was happy he was able to make it out to the event. I've always known him to be an incredibly smart guy, but seeing him exposed to other smart people pumped me up. He was a huge hit, of course, with his ability to drop beats (yeah, I just said drop beats on a social media blog), but so many people told me after the conference how smart he is. I've always known, but I'm glad everyone else has had the same experience. 

I could go on for awhile, but what were your big takeaways? Anything you'd like to see in LA that wasn't present in NYC? We're going to be starting to plan for LA here in the next few weeks (gasp), so please let me know.

In my post recapping SXSWi, it should've been clear that the biggest value driver of the conference for me is networking. I love getting a chance to talk with people I don't see that often who are working hard in this business. The content isn't terrible, it just isn't for me. If I'm trying to learn something I'll go to a smaller event, like Blogworld Expo (shameless plug - Arik Hanson and I co-organize the social business track), where I know the content is more focused and practical. That being said, one of the lasting impressions of the event has to be Gary Vaynerchuck's talk. Gary's premise, based on his new book The Thank You Economy, is that brands need to become more "human." The book goes into great detail about how companies can scale that humanization. This isn't a book review (disclaimer: I've not read it, but am planning on it), rather it is me agreeing with Gary's idea that brands need to become more human. After his talk ended I thought about how my clients could achieve this vision, but also how some people in the social media world should start heeding his call. One of the things that drives me nuts are blog posts or tweets proclaiming the death of a particular platform. A common refrain is, "blogging is dead because of Twitter," or "Quora is a Twitter killer." How on earth would anybody know that? Do you have a crystal ball that the rest of us can't see? Those kinds of posts make for excellent linkbait, but the truth is that none of us really know for sure what's coming down the line. This space is expanding so quickly it's hard to know what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone a year from now. Similarly, there are those who are hyper-critical of what social media has become. Let me be clear for a second...constructive criticism about the value of these tools is certainly warranted. Certain technologies are not for every brand, and there are definitely some snake oil salesmen out there who convince companies that they should establish a presence on every network under the sun. However, slamming a social network because it is no longer you and your four buddies is not only dumb, but incredibly shortsighted in my view. Guess what? You owe part of your career to that explosion. And please, spare us the bullshit of "you've worked harder than everybody else." Most of the people in this space who are recognized for thought leadership are working hard. No, the move of social networks toward more mainstream adoption means you have more career options, most likely a cooler job than you had a few years ago and ultimately more money. Its opened doors you never thought could be opened. Hell, this space has created a book opportunity for me that I NEVER thought would've been possible before getting involved in this space. I think it is time for us all to take a moment to be grateful for those who have:

1. Taught us something new about this space - Guarantee there is someone out there who teaches you something on the regular. Have you thanked them for that recently? I know I haven't. With that in mind, I'd like to take a second to thank Tom Webster. Incredibly smart guy, with an eye for numbers that this space really needs. Read him if you don't already.
2. Gave us our start in this business - Chances are good there's someone out there who told you about these platforms. Or, better yet, helped you gain your first real exposure to others working in the space. For me, that guy was Jason Falls. I pitched him a blog topic in 2009 about social media listening and he published it. I don't thank him enough for that opportunity...So, Thanks, Jason. I appreciate it.
3. Challenged us to continue pushing the space forward - There's someone out there who is pushing you to do better. It could be your boss. It could be a friend. Whoever it is, acknowledge them for what they are doing. For me, that guy was Keith Mabee, now Vice Chairman at Dix & Eaton. I owe him so much for his advice that I could never repay him. Thanks, Keith.
4. Encouraged us to be better human beings - At the end of the day, we can always be better human beings. Have we taken the time to help someone less fortunate than us? Bringing it back to this context, have we thanked someone for going out of there way to provide us with a piece of information we were looking for? I know I need to do this more....You?

So, the next time you are planning to trash social media as "not as cool as it used to be," or proclaim the death of blogging (or insert social network here), take a second to realize that the media you are about to trash has a lot to do with where you are in your career. Resist the temptation to be ungrateful or, in more crass terms, an asshole. The traffic to your site isn't worth it. Thanks, Gary, for helping me refocus on what matters.

The holidays are a great time to catch up with family. Many of us live several thousand miles away from family, and this is one of the few times during the year where we are all in the same place -- yours truly included. It's also a great time to reflect on what's happened professionally over the last 12 months, especially after you've consumed one too many dinner rolls :-) Luckily for me I had a three hour plane flight from Austin to Cleveland to really start thinking about all of the great things that happened in 2010, and what I wanted to change in 2011. What I want to change in 2011 is the subject for a second post, but I wanted to take a second and outline some of the things that happened to me in 2010 that I'm particularly thankful for. This post isn't meant to do anything other then get my own thoughts out there. However, I'd encourage you to consider writing down your reflections on your year. I guarantee you it will help crystallize your own feelings (said by the numbers guy). So with that... here we go -

1. A brand new city - In early January, I accepted a role as an associate, social media, with WCG. The job was in a brand new city -- Austin, Texas. Frankly, until I came to do my final interviews with WCG I'd never been to the area. However, anybody who has spent any time in Austin will tell you that it immediately sucks you in. There's something about it. And yes, there's something other than the 60+ degree temperatures in December. It really does have everything. Nice weather. Nice people. Great nightlife. Great food. Proximity to other cool landmarks in Texas. There's very little not to like about Austin. From the second I arrived I knew this place was going to be home for the foreseeable future.
2. Goodbye to my hometown - With a new start in a new city, came the departure from the only city I'd ever really known. Yes, I lived in Phoenix, Arizona when I was a kid, but I barely remember those years. Cleveland, up until this last year, was the only city that I ever knew. I was familiar with the people. With the culture. With the streets. With the people I worked with. With friends in the area. Picking up and moving is no small thing. I may have downplayed it at the time, but I now realize that picking up and leaving a place isn't easy. I always tell students that the only way you'll ever know how truly prepared you are for your career is if you take the challenge you aren't totally sure you can complete. I do miss Cleveland, and my old colleagues at Dix & Eaton, but I'm happy with the decision I've made because I now know I can meet the challenge.
3. Some fantastic new friends in Austin - This is the area of the post where I could get myself into trouble so let me provide a disclaimer in advance: If I leave you off of this list in this bullet or the subsequent ones, please come and note it in the comments. It certainly isn't intentional, but I'm writing this post late at night and it has been a long year. Anyway, a cross-country move doesn't become successful without the support of a lot of people. I'd like to take an opportunity to personally thank Aaron Strout, Kyle Flaherty, Tim Walker and Bryan Person for really making this life transition as easy as it could have been. Not only have they helped me navigate a new city, but they've provided timely advice on almost anything I've asked whenever I've asked it. Thanks, dudes. Here's to an amazing 2011.
4. Some fantastic new colleagues and friends - This transition would also not have been possible without the people I work (and sometimes play) with at WCG. It's a group of immensely talented people who I couldn't be happier to work with on a day-to-day basis. They are truly thought leaders (an overused term), innovators (another overused term) and are genuinely interested in producing the best quality product for our clients. Thanks, guys. I owe you more than you know.
5. Some fantastic new friends outside of Austin - It's no secret. I did a lot of traveling this year. I think I saw my fair share of New York City and Minneapolis over the last several months. And, to be frank, I love those cities almost as much as I love Austin. Those trips afforded me an opportunity to meet plenty of people in real life that I wouldn't have had an opportunity to meet otherwise. This includes colleagues like Mark Bennett, Matt Snodgrass, Alexis Bizares, Naj McCoy, Tracy Naden and several others in our NYC office. Those people are all top notch professionals and people. In Minnesota, I've met many social media/communications professionals there before but 2010 afforded an opportunity to know them better. This includes Kasey Skala, Arik Hanson, Dave Folkens, Jason Sprenger, etc... A trip out to Blogworld Expo afforded me an opportunity to meet another Minneapolis pro, Lisa Grimm for the first time. She's an immensely talented PR/digital/all around communications pro doing great things at the Mall of America. Since our initial meeting I think we've become pretty good friends. She provides such valued, straight forward advice that I know I cherish all of the time. To everyone on this list (and even the group I didn't explicitly mention) thanks a lot for an incredible 2010.
6. And yet we still have open ends - There was a lot accomplished in 2010. Met a lot of new people. Started a brand new job. Worked with a lot of cool, and interesting clients. Traveled a lot. Helped to develop some cool new products. However, there are still are several things yet to do. There are a number of people (in Minneapolis and otherwise) that I want to meet. Frankly, too many to layout here or I'd be linking to Twitter accounts well into 2011. The people that fit into that category have likely already heard from me anyway :-) In addition to meeting people, there are still more things I want to do. For example, I didn't do a ton of speaking this year. Not because I didn't want to do it. Mostly because I didn't have time. I want to do more of it in 2011. As Kasey pointed out in a recent Twitter chat, there are a lot of imposter's in this line of work. Those of us who know what we're talking about need to get out more. Well, that's assuming you all think I know what I'm talking about :-)

Well, that's it for 2010. I could go on forever recapping this year. It was pretty jam packed. But, alas, I'm already up to an 1,100 word blog post and the experts tell me thats too long. So with that I'll say sayonara to 2010. It's been a blast. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, wait....How could I forget.... One last note about 2010. Shawn Morton, David Alston, Greg Matthews and I did confirm that Ken Burbary is not a bot. Oh, and that Vegas has some super expensive hamburgers. Ok, I'm serious this time...bye 2010!

We all struggle with questions of work/life balance, are we on the right path, what can we change about our personal or professional lives and even is there sanity in the universe. Setting aside the latter (because there obviously is not), how we handle these questions are part of what defines who we are as people. Sure, these aren't the only questions we ask ourselves, but they often cause the most angst because they are typically the most difficult to answer. I'm not going to spend this post trying to espouse one lifestyle over another. That's 100% your call. Working hard is important, but understanding priorities is similarly so. I know I've had the reputation ever since starting my career at D&E as somewhat of a "workaholic." To be totally frank with you, I was OK with that label because it meant I was working hard for our clients and the firm. The older you get, though, the more you realize that workaholic is more of a pejorative term. Do you really want to be working 250 hours a month? Do you want to be constantly tethered to the iPhone or BB? Do you want to be stuck in front of your computer every weekend? I think you'd be hard pressed to answer any of those questions with a "yes." So why do we do it? Is it professional achievement? Are we looking for recognition from our employers? Has it become a habit you can't break? Do you put in countless hours because you love it (I know this is most often my rationale)? Questions I ask myself continuously and you should too. When I came back from Blogworld, I had many of these questions in my own head. Several experiences during the BWE week/weekend contributed to the resurrection of these questions, but most importantly it was sometime during that weekend that I realized how little I'd achieved personally. Sure, I loved the work I did for D&E, and now am continuing to build on at WCG. Wouldn't change those experiences for the world. Yes, I've been promoted a few times and that feels great. I've had an opportunity to work with some amazing clients, and of course that's phenomenal. But, really... what have I achieved personally? I'll spare you the gory details of a 6 year relationship that ended with a broken engagement (unless you really care that much). All I know is that there's been a real lacking of personal achievement in my life so far. And, coming on the heels of the Blogworld experience, I've been wondering if that's because this is how I really want it. I think after almost 3 weeks of asking myself the question I think I'm comfortable saying the answer is "no!" (Before you coming running after me with a pitchfork, please know that I understand the career I've chosen dictates obscene hours sometimes. I'm OK with that. It's part of the job.) So you're probably asking yourself where this post fits in with an analytics blog. Guess what? It doesn't so stop trying. Where did it come from then? I was fortunate enough on Friday to watch a video of Scott Stratten's talk at TEDxOakville that caused me to think about this very thing (again) all weekend. I wont spoil the video by telling you what it entails. Just know that I'd highly encourage you to check it (click the TEDxOakville link above) out if you're curious about work/life balance perspectives. When you do, come back and answer this question: Are you ready to stop and move things around to accommodate things in your life that are equally as important? For me, the answer is a definitive YES! Enjoy...

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." We all know the saying by now, right? And, before the true explosion of Facebook and Twitter it was probably a true statement. Now, however, as social sharing has taken off we cannot wait to disclose what we are doing with our friends or followers. This is especially true when social media/digital communications "nerds" get together for a conference. Not only are we looking to share content from presentations, but also who/who can't dance (read: most of us can't). Anyway, over the last five days I've had the pleasure of being a part of BlogWorld and New Media Expo at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. You'll probably remember that Arik Hanson and I had the fortunate opportunity to co-organize the social media business summit track this year. It was a tremendous experience, and all feedback we've received is that the content was very solid. Aside from the work organizing the track, I've been thinking (since I called it an early night last night :-)) over the last few hours about what are some of my key takeaways from the event as a whole. Here are five things I am taking home with me: 1. A desire to learn from other brands - One of the reasons I think the feedback on the track has been so good so far is that Arik and I made a conscious effort to include as many professionals on the brand side as we could. Not that folks aren't interested in listening to consultants/vendors speak, but my experience tells me that most are interested in hearing about how other companies are doing it (social media/digital communications). We had representatives from Ford, AT&T, Bank of America, ThomsonReuters, Swedish Medical Center, Kodak among many others. These are the folks on the front lines. 2. Lee Odden - I've met Lee in person at conferences before, but never had the opportunity to hear him speak. Aside from some technical difficulties at the start of the presentation, Lee's discussion on SEO and social media was a total homerun. This is one of those instances where practical advice wins out over a slick slide deck every day of the week. If most people were talking about SEO like Lee does, I think we'd all be better off. 3. Minneapolis social media crew - Again, I've met most of these guys before but never really had an opportunity to hang out with them for a prolonged period of time. Arik Hanson, Kasey Skala, Dave Folkens, Tony Saucier are all amazing people. Yes, I know I left Lisa Grimm off the list, but that's only because she's #4 on my list :-) 4. Lisa Grimm - There is nobody I've had more fun getting to know online over the last 6-8 months than Lisa. She'd probably say I give her a lot of grief for poking fun at the fact that she's always rubbing elbows with the Hollywood elite through her work with the Mall of America. Honestly though, I think the work she is doing there is amazing. Over the last couple of days, I've had the chance to get to know her more in real life as well. In addition to being super smart, freaking hilarious and having the ability to shorten words like nobody (see: "mod" for modern as an example) I've ever seen, she's just the genuine article. In many respects, I think social media has eroded the value of the term "friend," but I think it's safe to say that Lisa and I would fit that category now. Oh, and we were both born on January 16th. How's that for random?! 5. A return to fundamentals - I heard a number of times this weekend from panelists/speakers on the importance of nailing the fundamentals of Web 1.0 or Web 1.5 or Web 2.0 (whatever moniker you want to put on this era of digital communications is fine by me). It started with Scott Stratten on Thursday morning and continued all of the way until the last panel on Saturday afternoon. Frankly, I couldn't agree more. There's always this gold rush for what's next, but I'm not sure we've ever nailed what's now. After jotting these five things down on paper before writing the post, and now seeing it on the screen I'm struck by one thing: how people oriented these takeaways really are. For all of the value we receive from online interactions, there will be nothing that replaces seeing people in person and having the chance to interact/have fun with them. Here's hoping I get to see everyone again very soon...Until BlogWorld 2011!

What is the best part of social media/marketing/public relations conferences? If you asked 10 people in the "biz" that question you'd probably hear seven or eight times out of ten that it's about meeting the people. I can't disagree with that feeling. Every conference/event I've been to over the last few years has had the same feeling. It's great to catch up with and meet new people. The content? Well, in the words of my old co-worker Alex Kidd... "meh." The 2010 version of BlogWorld & New Media Expo? Great content, with a much greater brand presence. Now, I'd be remiss if I didn't disclose my connection to the BlogWorld event. This year, Arik Hanson and I are the co-track leaders for the Social Media Business Summit. It's been a blast setting up the conference schedule with Arik. My impression coming into the process that it was going to be somewhere between threading a needle blindfolded and herding cats into a concentric circle. My experience has been quite the opposite. Everyone, including Rick Calvert and Deb Ng, have been fantastic to work with. One of the goals that Arik and I had when we started the planning process for SMBS was that we wanted to make sure that brands, and people who don't often get to speak on "the circuit" were well represented. After reviewing the schedule, I think we've been pretty successful in that endeavor. Some of the folks you'll be hearing from include:

• Aaron Strout/Wayne Sutton/Jeff Holden (Whrrl) - These guys do get to speak a lot, but their topic at BlogWorld is something that's on everyone's minds -- location-based services or geolocation. Personally, given the number of tools available, and the available data as a result (this is an analytics blog after all), I'm excited to hear what these guys have to say.
• Chris Smith (Bank of America), Greg Matthews (WCG), Dana Lewis (Swedish) - Again, because my work is so heavily rooted in pharmaceuticals/regulated industries, I'll be curious to hear the perspectives lent by someone in financial services, insurance (Greg was formerly the VP of Innovation at Humana) and a health system.
• Social media at the enterprise level - We have a bunch of great speakers here including Shawn Morton from Nationwide Insurance, Len Devana from EMC and moderator Michael Brito of Edelman Digital. This panel will also have reps from Adobe and RIM. Should be a great discussion.
• Community management panel - This is becoming a pretty common topic, but the folks we have on this panel definitely bring a fresh perspective. Bill Johnston, global community manager at Dell, Lauren Vargas, community manager at Radian6 and Suzanne Marlatt, community manager at Edelman Digital. This panel is being moderated by Bryan Person from LiveWorld. Should be a great mixture of vendor, and brand community management from this panel.

Obviously, there are a bunch of great panels on this track. I'd encourage you to check out everyone of them when you're in Las Vegas next month. If we've never met and you're going to be there, please stop by and say hello. It is, after all, about meeting people! :-) Oh, and before I leave you... here's a place for you to create your schedule. Enjoy! http://2010.blogworldexpo.com/attendee/show-information.aspx