The MarketingProfs Digital Mixer is Over, But the Work is Just Beginning

Posted by DJ Francis / October 28, 2009 8:44 am

I attended the MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer last week here in Chicago and learned a lot that will eventually translate into the creative work we do for our clients.
MarketingProf Digital Marketing Mixer
But this conference illuminated a change in the learning process, altogether. It showed me why agencies like Critical Mass must be involved in these conversations as well as the changing ways we can use these events to inform our work moving forward.

The Snowball Starts Rolling

This was a different kind of conference. From the start, a strong symphony of tweets and a streaming video feed allowed everyone in the world to feel as though they were there. There were no firewalls – everyone was encouraged to share.

To distill and salvage the best ideas, attendees were asked to submit and vote on the best insights from the conference – in a sense, crowdsourcing reference material.

These small bits of data – tweets, quick insights, even over-heard conversation – were collected and documented. Blog posts tallied quick insights (by @damphoux) or categorized learnings (by @anetah) or took more time to provide longer, more detailed lists (by @JayBaer).

Lists gave way to more analytic posts – some taking a broad view by session (like @AlexPoulos‘ Takeaways) and others meditating over one particular element of the event (like @SonnyGill‘s Online Community post).

It’s the snowball effect and a good conference – one that provides the best information and then encourages attendees to share it – can get that snowball rolling.

Not What I Intended

When I sat down to write this post, I intended to do a recap from the sessions I attended. It would have been descriptive, useful…and utterly boring.

Instead, I’m captivated by what’s happened after the conference. Just days later, the philosophy and strategy discussed at the conference have been launched into action, using the same social media marketing tools that spurned it.

Check out the Twitter stream – it’s still going! Attendees (and non-attendees) are still sharing information, insights and ideas about smart social media/marketing strategies.

On top of this continued sharing is that we know each other personally now. I shook hands with Ann Handley, had a one-on-one blog therapy session with Paul Chaney, and drank some beers with DJ Waldow. These are now people I can ask for help or bounce ideas off of, and who hopefully feel like they can do the same with me.

What’s This Mean And How Do We Use It?

In the past, you came home from a conference, stacked your collected business cards on the counter, and may have never given it a second thought.

Now, conferences have to be more. Your attendees expect it. What they’re buying isn’t just a ticket or a rubber chicken lunch – what they’re buying is access and an experience that continues long after the conference ends.

It also means that attendees will have more resources than ever to guide them. My time at the conference was amazingly useful – I have tons of notes, believe me – but now I have even more presentations and reports at my disposal to peruse afterwards.

Here’s one concrete example: Michael Stelzner wrote the Social Media Marketing Industry Report and presented a session about marketing that paper. (Stelzner was quite successful; 40K people read the report and 500+ media outlets and blogs ran stories about it in just the first 4 weeks after publication.) I know about the report because I answered the survey and read it on the day of its publication.

But what I didn’t know was the amount of strategy used in its release. Stelzner walked us through the entire process – helping influencers to gain social capital, pre-writing emails sent by these influencers on his behalf, setting up a double opt-in email list process…even the type of URL shortener selected for its measurement capabilities. This story emphasized all of the little tactics that support an overall strategy.

Make no mistake: these collected, categorized, uploaded, and saved resources (like Stelzner’s) will inform client work I touch in the future. Instead of one or two days to absorb this information, I now have all of the time in the world. I get more out of it, Critical Mass gets more out of it, and our clients get more out of it.

Consider these points if you haven’t joined the conversation yet. It might seem like just starting a blog or just attending a conference. But it could also fundamentally change the way you do business.

MarketingProfs Digital Mixer

http://www.thesocialmediahandyman.com Paul Chaney

It was a pleasure meeting with you DJ, even though I felt as if I was preaching to the choir. You’re all over this! Great to meet you as well.
http://socialbutterflyguy.com/ DJ Waldow

Hey “other DJ” – Nice recap.

The biggest takeway for me is what you said about conference attendee expectations:

“Your attendees expect it. What they’re buying isn’t just a ticket or a rubber chicken lunch – what they’re buying is access and an experience that continues long after the conference ends.”

Spot on dude.

theotherdj.com

DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
http://www.convinceandconvert.com Jay Baer

DJ -

Thanks so much for the kind words about MPDM. You’ve nicely encapsulated what I describe as the “MarketingProfs Difference.” Events that are intentionally intimate, with universally solid content, that create connections – not just learning.

As someone that works closely with the MP team on events, I can tell you that it’s no accident. But, none of it works without amazing attendees willing to go far beyond the typical conference experience, and keep the fire burning days, weeks, months into the future.
http://wordswillsaveme.wordpress.com Teresa Basich

How did we not meet?! We were supposed to and we didn’t! I blame DJ Waldow.

I think this is a fantastic post, and a nice change from usual post-event wrap-ups — indicative of the conference, I think.

Seeing as this was my first professional conference, I might be in for a let-down if I go to any future events not hosted by MarketingProfs. Like you, I’m impressed with how long the affects of MPDM are stretching out. I only wrote my recap post yesterday because I took in so much information that is directly applicable to the work that marketers are doing these days, I had to digest it all.

I agree with Jay, too, that this sort of conference is made just as much by its attendees as by its planning committee. In today’s business climate marketers are looking for real actionable items to take away from their conferences, and I think attendees want to make the most of the investment they made in the event, too.

I’m incredibly happy to see #MPDM is still alive and kicking and that real changes are happening because of the Mixer. Great post!
http://www.marketingprofs.com Beth Harte

DJ-

It was great to finally meeting you after what seems to be a year or more of knowing you via Twitter. Thanks for such a nice write-up on the Digital Mixer.

This was my third MarketingProfs event (first one as an employee) and I can tell you that you have defintely pointed out the “MarketingProfs Difference” as Jay refers to it. Everytime I left an MP event it took me days to recover (in a good way!). I sorted through notes, made sure I connected with folks again, etc. Seriously, I felt like I was on a marketing high from being with like-minded people for two-days.

My favorite part of the conferences have always been the keynotes. Inevitably, they are these people I have never heard of but are extremely smart. My favorite was Barry Schwartz (author of The Paradox of Choice). He was at our lunch table and I said “So, what do you do?” He said “I’m a psychologist.” I said “What’s a psychologist doing at a marketing conference?” He said “I’m the keynote.” For me it’s about the unexpected and learning something I didn’t know… For me, that’s where MarketingProfs always hits it out of the park. He was a great keynote! BJ Fogg was another excellent keynote.

Having been involved with the event this time around, I can assure you and reaffirm what Jay said…it isn’t by accident. The MarketingProfs’ events team works very, very hard to provide great speakers, case studies, connections, environment, etc. [They deserve a pat on the back because they would never do it themselves. ] As well, they tap into attendees & potential attendees to get votes on session topics, which is really important in today’s conference environment.

Thanks again DJ and I hope to see you soon!

Beth Harte
Community Manager, MarketingProfs
@bethharte
DJ Francis

Thanks to everyone for the great comments! I’m glad you felt this was an appropriate response to a special conference.

First, YES – thanks to the MPs planners! Ann, Beth, Jay, and the many folks who put in long hours – believe me, it didn’t go unnoticed. It’s events like this (and people like you) that makes MPs unique in this industry.

Teresa is correct – it’s going to take a long time to digest all of this. But, like I said, the resources are there. The only other thing we need is gumption and, if the #mpdm is any indication, there’s no shortage of that. Thank goodness.
http://www.marketingprofs.com Ann Handley

Thanks for writing this, DJ. Like Jason and Beth said above, you really captured the essence of what we try to create at the Mixers. I’m so glad its obvious to others (and not just us, because that would be depressing!)

Thanks again for coming — and it was *such* a pleasure to meet you. I hope to see you again soon. (And actually speak for longer than a few minutes!)
http://onlinemarketerblog.com/2009/10/marketingprofs-digital-mixer-was-definitely-a-different-kind-of-conference/ MarketingProfs Digital Mixer Was Definitely A Different Kind Of Conference – OnlineMarketerBlog.com

[...] written about it in detail on Experience Matters (Critical Mass’ blog). I really encourage you to read [...]
http://socialbutterflyguy.com/ DJ Waldow

Ok. This is just odd. I think that DJ Francis (aka, “The Other DJ”) is a poser. Come on “other” … expose yourself! Oh wait. Don’t do that.

Just kidding. Seriously though, it’s so odd reading through the comments and seeing MY name. I mean…YOUR name.

Great to meet you man. What’s our ETA on getting theotherdj.com up and running?

DJ Waldow
Director of Community, Blue Sky Factory
@djwaldow
http://sharonmostyn.com/2009/10/25/marketingprofs-digital-mixer-the-best-marketing-conference-ever/ MarketingProfs Digital Mixer = THE Best Marketing Conference. Ever. | Motherhood, Marketing, and Medical Mayhem

[...] Francis posted the only picture of me facing the camera and smiling in his blog post, The MarketingProfs Digital Mixer is Over, But the Work is Just Beginning, although I’m partially blocked by a blurry guy. My goal for the next MPDM is a good pic [...]