Conference Schedule

7:45 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast


8:10 AM Opening Remarks

Welcome from Triangle AMA President, Ted Seward
Introduction from conference host, Evan Carroll


8:15 AM Session One

The New Business Development Ecosystem
Presented By Mark O’Brien

With the advent of conversion-focused websites and mass adoption of Marketing Automation and CRM, business development has changed in a surprisingly quick and permanent way. During this talk, we will look in detail at the three primary components of the new business development ecosystem: the website, Marketing Automation, and CRM, and describe what roles each are responsible for, how they should be used individually, and how they should be integrated for optimal results. Key takeaways include:

  • How to take the lead in conversations about digital strategy with your clients and prospects.
  • What you should expect from your website, CRM, and marketing automation tools individually and in combination with each other.
  • How to get the most out of marketing automation, and who the major players are.

PCM_CEU_1This program has been pre-approved for 1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) toward American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer (AMA PCM®) recertification, in the category of Conferences and Seminars. (Program ID# 0004-CH-CS1)

For more information about AMA PCM certification or recertification, please visit the AMA PCM homepage at www.marketingpower.com/pcm or send an email to pcm@ama.org.


9:15 AM Session Two

Engage! 7 Strategies for Driving Relevance and
Resonance in Written Content
Presented By Margot Carmichael Lester and Steve Peha

Most of us writers and content creators know we should put our audience first if we want them to be engaged. But few teachers, coaches and others ever tell us how to do that. Let’s fix that! This hands-on, interactive session covers 7 techniques to develop relevant content with your audience in mind so they respond and repost and recommend. It’s for anyone charged with creating or managing content, especially editorial.

Key take-aways include a handy tool to help you assess and address audience needs and values; a strategy for using questions to drive content creation, build strong calls to action and cast your message in terms that will resonate, and trouble-shooting to tackle your specific challenges and questions about engagement.

PCM_CEU_1This program has been pre-approved for 1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) toward American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer (AMA PCM®) recertification, in the category of Conferences and Seminars. (Program ID# 0003-CH-CS1)

For more information about AMA PCM certification or recertification, please visit the AMA PCM homepage at www.marketingpower.com/pcm or send an email to pcm@ama.org.


10:15 Break


10:30 Keynote

Keynote Presentation: How to Build Your Business, Your Brand, and Your Bottom Line With Content Marketing
Presented By Marcus Sheridan

Tired of all the theoretical social media and blogging talk? Want real, applicable techniques to grow your company’s brand and profits? This session will do that and much more as Marcus Sheridan will help you discover the principles he used to go from a struggling swimming pool company to the most trafficked swimming pool website in the world, and how these same principles have sense been applied to other businesses with massive results. If you want actionable items you can apply to your business immediately, you’ll love this talk.

PCM_CEU_1This program has been pre-approved for 1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) toward American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer (AMA PCM®) recertification, in the category of Conferences and Seminars. (Program ID# 0006-CH-CS1)

For more information about AMA PCM certification or recertification, please visit the AMA PCM homepage at www.marketingpower.com/pcm or send an email to pcm@ama.org.


11:45 Lunch


12:15 Session Three

Top Ten Ways to Grow Your Business Online
Presented By Danielle Hatfield

As the public increasingly turns online to learn about, discuss and comment on products and services, the active presence of your organization online is a necessity. Is social media and a strong online presence a driving force in your public relations strategy? Do you have the right tools and team members to deliver the results your clients expect?

Having a solid social media management system that your organization can use to collaboratively execute social campaigns across multiple networks from a single dashboard is one way your can grow your business online. By reaching your target markets with the right message and gathering actionable data to optimize your outreach campaigns you can grow a sustainable community around your business.

A few of the 10 ways you can grow your business online are:

  • Track campaign results and measure messages across multiple channels
  • Track industry trends to rapidly adjust tactics
  • Manage teams for more effective social campaigns
  • Identify and grow audiences

PCM_CEU_1This program has been pre-approved for 1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) toward American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer (AMA PCM®) recertification, in the category of Conferences and Seminars. (Program ID# 0002-CH-CS1)

For more information about AMA PCM certification or recertification, please visit the AMA PCM homepage at www.marketingpower.com/pcm or send an email to pcm@ama.org.


1:15 Session Four

A Fresh Look at Google Analytics
Presented By Jon Parks

Google Analytics is a critical tool in digital marketing. During the past 15 months, this tool has been completely overhauled. How much do you know about the “new” Google Analytics? Are you getting everything you possibly can from this tool? In this session, we will take a fresh look at Google Analytics, the new features and reports available, and will discuss how you can use this tool to track marketing campaigns of all types including social media, e-mail marketing, paid search and more!

PCM_CEU_1This program has been pre-approved for 1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) toward American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer (AMA PCM®) recertification, in the category of Conferences and Seminars. (Program ID# 0005-CH-CS1)

For more information about AMA PCM certification or recertification, please visit the AMA PCM homepage at www.marketingpower.com/pcm or send an email to pcm@ama.org.


2:15 Break


2:30 Session Five

Big Data, Small Data: It’s All About How You Use IT
Presented By Amanda Steinhardt

Learn a step-by-step process to use your data to understand your customers. By asking the right questions and starting thoughtfully, you’ll develop a CRM program that is driven by strategy and is delivering clear, measurable results. You can avoid the trap of collecting large quantities of data that won’t be useful. In this talk, we’ll discuss:

  • The many steps of CRM, from auditing your existing data through marketing automation and measurement
  • Asking key questions before you dig: What drives your business? What makes your customers different? What are their attitudes and need-states? How do you measure success?
  • Goal-setting for an aligned strategy and aligned teams, working to break the silos
  • Customer segmentation: Learn about various ways to segment your customer groups and help prioritize them
  • Integrated Communications Planning – Strategy → Content → Timing → Channels
  • Bringing the plans to action: How to choose the tools that will work for you

PCM_CEU_1This program has been pre-approved for 1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) toward American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer (AMA PCM®) recertification, in the category of Conferences and Seminars. (Program ID# 0007-CH-CS1)

For more information about AMA PCM certification or recertification, please visit the AMA PCM homepage at www.marketingpower.com/pcm or send an email to pcm@ama.org.


3:30 Session Six

Being Found Online – Everything You Know About SEO is Wrong
Presented By Phil Buckley

No segment of online marketing has changed in the last 12 months as much as the search. Google updates it’s core ranking algorithm over 500 times a year, which already seemed impossible to keep up with, but then Google decided to “nudge” you to start using Google+. You didn’t need to be on another social network, so you decided to skip it. You decided to believe it was a “ghost town” and that the real place to make money was on Facebook. In the mean time, Google continues to be the first stop for almost all people looking to buy something. If you’re still focused on ezine links, buying so-so content from text brokers and automating engagement you will soon be on the trash heap of history. There is only one path left open to you if you want to succeed online. That path is the only one Google still recognizes as valid.

PCM_CEU_1This program has been pre-approved for 1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) toward American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer (AMA PCM®) recertification, in the category of Conferences and Seminars. (Program ID# 0001-CH-CS1)

For more information about AMA PCM certification or recertification, please visit the AMA PCM homepage at www.marketingpower.com/pcm or send an email to pcm@ama.org.


4:30 Session Seven – Closing Remarks

Entrepreneurship in the Digital Age
Presented By Bridgette Beam

Join Bridgette Beam, Google’s Global Entrepreneurship Manager for a lively presentation on entrepreneurship in the digital age. Surviving off the social world is nothing new for entrepreneurs. They have been leveraging their social networks for centuries to find capital and build businesses. But today, digital networks and the personalization of web have given anyone, anywhere with a good idea the chance to follow their passion. Bridgette is working to further Google’s efforts to empower entrepreneurs around the world. She brings with her a truly global background and a passion for making the impossible happen.


5:30 Reception

#HootUp Happy Hour

As we close the day, join other attendees for drinks and HootSuite swag at our #HootUpTriangle Happy Hour.