We have some exciting news to share. Since last fall’s first ever Social Brand Forum, which brought national social media thought leaders to Iowa’s Creative Corridor, we’ve been thinking about what would come next. This spark was further ignited last week, as the Social Brand Forum was hailed by Social Fresh as one of the “Top 10 Social Media Conferences.” With that in mind it’s with great pride and excitement that we announce Social Brand Forum 2013.
The Social Brand Forum will take place October 24–25 at the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference Center at the beautiful Iowa River Landing. The event is designed to help marketers at organizations small and large build better brands online through social media content, conversations, and community.
Who’s Speaking
I’m also thrilled to share the headlining speakers who will be joining us as part of this event. They represent some of the very brightest names in the social media and digital marketing universe.
Jay Baer, President/Founder of Convince and Convert – A digital marketing pioneer, Jay has consulted with more than 700 companies since 1994, including Caterpillar, Nike, Visit California, Allstate, Petco, Columbia Sportswear, and 29 of the Fortune 500. He was named one of America’s top 3 social media consultants by Fast Company magazine, and his Convince and Convert blog is ranked as the world’s #1 content marketing resource. He’s the author of the forthcoming new book Youtility: Why Smart Companies Are Helping Not Selling and is the co-author of The NOW Revolution.
Gini Dietrich, CEO of Arment Dietrich, Author of Spins Sucks — In addition to running an integrated marketing communication firm, Gini is also the founder of the professional development site for PR and marketing pros, Spin Sucks Pro, and co-author of Marketing In the Round. She’s the author of the PR and marketing blog, Spin Sucks, which is a 2012 Cision Top 100 Blog, the 2010 and 2011 Readers Choice Blog of the Year, a Top 42 Content Marketing Blog from Junta42, a top 10 social media blog from Social Media Examiner, and an AdAge Power 150 blog.
Jason Falls, Vice President of Digital Strategy at Cafe Press/Founder Social Media Explorer – In addition to leading digital strategy at Cafe Press, Falls is the founder and chief instigator at Social Media Explorer, a leading strategic services and information products company. He’s also co-author of the books No Bullshit Social Media and The Rebel’s Guide to Email Marketing.
Additional speakers announced include Lee Odden of Top Rank Online Marketing and author of Optimize, Marcus Sheridan “The Sales Lion,” and DJ Waldow of Waldow Social. Other speakers as well as a full conference agenda will be released in the months leading up to the event.
Why It’s Important
Social Brand Forum follows on the heels of last year’s successful event, which sold out to over 200 attendees hailing from across the state and region, who normally would have had to travel to Chicago, Minneapolis, or further for speakers and content of this caliber.
We’re honored and excited to again bring this kind of expert content to the area for an action packed two days of learning. Social media and digital marketing are changing at such a rapid pace, it’s essential that we all stay current. Our mission is to help organizations of all sizes build better brands online and the Social Brand Forum does just that.
We’re also thankful for early support from an incredible group of sponsors including email and cross-channel marketing platform ExactTarget, Fusionfarm, and Zephyr Printing and Design.
What’s It Cost
Registration for the event is $325, which includes a copy of Jay Baer’s new book, YouTility, for each attendee. However, the first 100 to register will receive a special rate of $225 as well as copies of Gini Dietrich and Lee Odden’s books. A student rate of $95 is also available by emailing [email protected].
What’s Next?
- Ready to go? Registration is open at socialbrandforum.com.
- Are you a potential sponsor? We have several amazing opportunities available to get your brand in front of an excited group of marketers and social media influencers. Complete the form on the conference website to get started.
- Join the Social Brand conversation by liking Brand Driven Digital on Facebook, following us on Twitter, and look for conversations using the hashtag #socialbrand13.
We’ll have many updates to share here and on the conference website in the months leading up to this event with new speakers and additions to the agenda. Thanks for reading and for your support!
I hope to see you in Iowa again this fall for the Social Brand Forum!
