BlogWorld and New Media Expo 2012 or Where Did All The Exhibits Go?

On June 5, 2012, I attended day one of BlogWorld and New Media Expo at the Jacob Javits Convention Center.  During the day, I was treated to some amazing sessions, covering social media and blogging.  But, what I didn’t get to experience was the “Expo” part of the New Media Expo.  That’s right, there was no expo on the first day.  You could see some of the exhibitors setting up their booths for the next two days (BlogWorld, for those that don’t know is the world’s largest conference and tradeshow for bloggers, podcasters, web tv content creators and social media innovators).  Yes, it is a trade show with no trade show.  Advice for next year?  Go on day two and three!
But, what I did get were some amazing seminars covering the 7 Deadly Sins of Social Media, The 6 Important Shifts for Social Media Strategy, and 12 Imperative Must-Dos for the Serious Blogger.  Let’s break down the factics learned throughout the day.
7 Deadly Sins of Social
Scott Stratten, from Unmarketing outlined his seven deadly sins of social media.  They are:

1. Gluttony – Don’t automate.  Don’t be everywhere, just be great where you are;
2. Apathy – Social media’s biggest threat.  It is passion that makes Pinterest great;
3. Pride – Don’t ignore something just because you don’t like it.  Learn it if you hate it!;
4. Sloth – Invest the time, but don’t create accounts if you have no intention of being “there”;
5. Greed – There are no shortcuts to being great in social.  It is not a numbers game;
6. Lust – Be awesome when the *&^%$ hits the fan!;
7. Envy – Don’t do things just because everyone else does it;

And the bonus:

1. Wrath – Power is in the conversation and the community.  The power is in the people.

So, what does this all mean?  It means that social media is all about the conversation and the engagement.  Have passion in what you offer and in your on-line presence.  Invest the time, and it will pay off.  And, BE AWESOME!
6 Important Shifts for Social Media Strategy
Dave Fleet, VP of Digital for Edelman, a global public relations firm offers the answer to the question, “What is social going to drive for our organization?”  And he answered it with his Six Important Shifts for Social Media Strategy.

1. Social Business – Step away from the new and shiny.  Buzz is not a reason to be on any specific tool.  Ask, what are the business objectives, and know when to step away.
2. Objectives – Set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound objectives.  In other words, be S.M.A.R.T.
3. Measurement – Measure against your objectives.  Don’t focus on the wrong things, and don’t be unrealistic with your numbers.
4. Integration – Forget about the “silos”.  Social media needs to be owned by the entire organization, not just one department.
5. Content – Content is king.  It should improve your reputation and trust within the community.
6. Community Management – Engage like a human.

The result?  Look at social media the way you would any other aspect of your business.  Embrace it, but don’t let your objectives become unreasonable.
12 Imperative Must-Dos for the Serious Blogger
This was a great presentation by Jay Baer, from Convince and Convert, and started with the premise that, “we are all teachers and we are all students.”
So, what are the 12 imperatives?

1. Be patient.  Give yourself permission to take time to be successful.  It will be measured in years, not months.  (It took him 3 years to make his first nickel from his blog).
2. Be specific.  What is your blog about?  Blogging is the most competitive form of communication.  You are better off being the favorite blog to fewer people than being the “meh” blog to lots of people.
3. Be consistent.  Don’t value inspiration over perspiration.  You always have something to say.
4. Embrace variety.  Don’t become forumalic.  If it’s boring to write, it’s boring to read.
5. By a “youtility”.  How can you help people?  Be genuinely useful.
6. Find an anchor.  This is the type of post that you can go back to again and again.  It is something special to put on the editorial calendar every week.
7. Have a call to action.  Traffic has little inherent value.  It is about behavior.
8. Cultivate community.  Community drives repeat visits and sharing behaviors.  To drive community, use WFACT – Welcome, Facilitate, Answer, Connect, Thank.
9. Be findable.  The most important reader you have is Google.
10. Keep score.  What is your real goal?  Measure behavior, not numbers.
11. Embrace extensibility.  Your blog is your trampoline.  It is your central location but it also needs to live elsewhere (LinkedIn, Scribd, YouTube, etc.)
12. Be shareable.  And share down, not just up.  Share content created by those below you, not just the experts.

And the bonus?  Write good headlines.  The second bonus?  Check out Jay’s slides: