Social Media Trends & Insights from Social Media Marketing World with Michelle J Raymond

I'm back from my epic US adventure and still buzzing from my time at Social Media Marketing World in San Diego. To be honest I've found it difficult to get this newsletter done as there is just so much to tell and I'm not sure how I'm going to fit it all in.

To save you from reading a newsletter longer than "War and Peace" I've recorded a podcast episode to cover some of my experience. Check out Social Media for B2B Growth Podcast on your favourite podcast player or my YouTube channel @MichelleJRaymond

What is Social Media Marketing World? (SMMW)

To set the scene SMMW is a conference held by Michael (Mike) Stelzner and the team at Social Media Examiner with around 2000 attendees. Designed for professional marketers, social media teams and business owners, it's held over three phenomenal days in San Diego, USA. The topics selected for the conference are based on research into current marketing trends and the best industry experts are invited to present.

Speaking at this conference was a career bucket list item for me. Needless to say, when I received the invite I was pretty excited and my attempts to play it cool went out the window. Especially when I saw the list of other speakers that if you aren't following on their respective platforms already I highly encourage you to do so - https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/smmworld/speakers/

Team LinkedIn?? Speakers - AJ Wilcox Michaela Alexis Judi Fox ? Richard Bliss Meeting this crew was truly a highlight as I respect each of them and what they bring to make LinkedIn better for everyone. We were a force to be reckoned with but more on that later.

The Aussie Speakers that also joined - Ben Amos ?? Ben Jones ?? Melissa Laurie

The Keynote Speakers - Paul Roetzer Michael (Mike) Stelzner Ann Handley Andrew Davis

Getting to watch Ann Handley present her keynote was priceless. It made me laugh, it made me think and it made me almost tear up. To improve my speaking skills to become my version of this is now one of my goals. I even got some advice from Ann which I'll be implementing ASAP.

LinkedIn Company Pages Decoded: Your Blueprint for Business Growth - Michelle J Raymond

If you followed my Speaker Diary series you will know that in the lead-up to the event I had a crazy dream that no one would be at my presentation besides Liliane Abboud ?? Thankfully that was not the case and nearly 250 people packed the room for this lunchtime session.

I had a few nerves getting started, but then I found my happy place. I love helping others get more out of their LinkedIn Company Page and it was obvious that these people had turned up eager to learn. I've never seen so many people madly taking notes and taking photos of slides.

"A brilliant presentation on a dry subject area. I had some fantastic takeaways which we can easily apply immediately."

After I finished my presentation, an informal Q&A session started in the hallway. This was almost another whole session. I was inspired by the questions of marketers eager to ask questions on how to implement what they have learned.

"Thank you for having a company page session. Not everyone on LinkedIn wants to build just their personal brand. This was valuable. Remember that we all have a “company” even if it’s a single entrepreneur."

"This was the best session on LinkedIn I have seen in 4 years. She was spot on gave great examples and even talked with us the next day in the hallway. Great speaker."

Feedback on the session was priceless.

1.? Value Rank: 4.7273

2. Subject Matter Expertise: 4.8295

3. Would pay to hear more: 4.2386

To Network or To Learn?

When you attend an event like SMMW you very quickly realise that there are limited hours in the day and it won't be physically possible to see and do everything. I decided that I would focus my time on networking, knowing that I had the convenience of watching the recordings afterwards.

You see networking is one of my superpowers. As an extrovert who loves people and has spent two decades in B2B sales where I was essentially paid to network, it is my happy place. On the flip side - classroom-style learning is not really for me. So I took every opportunity possible to meet as many people as I could and have as many conversations as my voice would let me.

There were so many different kinds of networking events before and during the event. My voice almost didn't make it I spoke so much. Wouldn't have it any other way.

What Were the Social Media Trends?

I think there were two main themes running through the presentations across platforms that marketers were drawn to -

• AI and associated tools
• Video - short and long-form
• Newsletters

But I have to say I also got the distinct feeling that LinkedIn is going through a renaissance period. Yes, it has been around as a platform for twenty years but at the same time it is now just being seriously considered by brands. The presentations were packed and people were eager to learn how to leverage the platform. It was quite exciting.

I cover more about this in my podcast -

Cheers to everyone I met at SMMW and especially to the Social Media Examiner team who made it all possible and organised things meticulously - special thanks Lori Friedrich Serena Ryan and Ali McGee Kelly, MBA for taking care of me so I just had to focus on speaking.

LinkedIn Services

If you are looking for strategy or training to get your business leveraging LinkedIn?? for business growth - book a call with me to learn how I can help

https://calendly.com/michelle-j-raymond/book-an-intro-call-15mins

It has been so much fun to share my speaker journey with everyone. I can't wait now for June to come around for the Linked Summit June 2024 in Denmark.

Cheers

Michelle J Raymond