• Michael Mendenhall: CMO, HP
• Joshua Karpf: Digital Communication Manager, PepsiCo
• David Patton: VP & EIC, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
• Brian Kenny: CMO & CCO, Harvard Business School
• Lynn Mann: Director of External Communications, Michelin
• Richard Pesce: Social Media & Digital Communications, Sprint
• Michael DiLorenzo: Director of Corporate Communications, National Hockey League

They all stressed the importance of not seeing social media as a separate entity, rather viewing it as an integrated part of your marketing, branding and customer service. The list below details the top 7 takeaways that were discussed during the seminar.

*Note #BDI stands for Business Development Institute and is the event’s hashtag on Twitter that you can search for real-time insight from attendees.

1. Technology is NOT Social. People Are!
Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and other social media sites are just tools. They are only *SOCIAL* if you engage and interact with people on them. Technology is great, but it is about the relationships. Note: these tools are intended for two-way communication and not as a megaphone for your next sales pitch.

2. Feeding the Beast: An Insatiable Appetite for Content
The beauty of the social mediasphere is that anyone can publish, edit or distribute content. We are going through a renaissance of how consumption of information and content is being managed and distributed. Social media has enabled a constant mobility meaning that people expect to receive information 24/7. There is a never-ending hunger for quality content, hence the expression “feeding the beast.”

3. The Era of the Advocate
Mass communication is dead, rather it’s about building personal connections with consumers. The more you serve and support your customers, the more likely they are to recommend your brand to their network (both offline and online). It’s more credible to have an outsider toot your own horn than to have the CMO do it. Remember to thank your “advocates” and make sure they know you appreciate them taking the time to support you and your brand.

4. Digital Newsrooms Are No Longer a Resource For Just the Media
We’re all content creators, and it’s unrealistic to assume that journalists are the only ones seeing your content. Company and industry news needs to be integrated, aggregated and curated for a broader audience. Press releases are just the tip of the iceberg. Begin incorporating multimedia like podcasts and videos and re-purpose content (in the form of white papers, E-books, articles) to tell your story.

5. Transparency and Authenticity is the Only Way to Go
Whether you’re a small business owner, entrepreneur or marketing professional you must communicate who you are, what you do and who you serve right off the bat. It’s also critical that you are upfront and transparent about the content and advice you are giving. If not, people will see right through you, run screaming in the other direction and land on your competitor’s virtual doorstep.

6. Social Media as a Listening Tool to Feed Innovation
Take a step back and listen. Whether that’s monitoring a dialogue on Twitter, following a blogger in your industry to see what conversation they’re sparking or hosting a focus group, you never know when you might get the next big break from just LISTENING to your fans/customers. The #NHLTweetUp is a perfect example. Guess how they got that idea??? By listening to their followers on Twitter! Bottom Line…. Stop, Look and Listen. Then Respond.

7. Crossover From Online to Face-to-Face
Twitter and Facebook are excellent relationship building tools, but there’s something to say about in-person communication that makes that connection even stronger. Take the time to go to industry events, conferences and networking groups to put a face to the avatar. On the business end of the stick, host tweet-ups in different cities, so your can connect with your followers.

I’m interested to hear your feedback and any trends/topics you think could be added to this list.

Lorrie Thomas, The Marketing Therapist and fellow Wild Web Women, has compiled a list of the Most Common Email Marketing Mistakes. Read on for your daily dose of marketing therapy and inspiration.

“Memail” Marketing
Sending your customers email newsletters and messages that are only about you or your company is not smart e-mail marketing. We have nicknamed this unhealthy marketing practice: “Memail” Marketing. Memail Marketing is selfish and will alienate your subscribers. They will become annoyed, see no value, unsubscribe and have a negative reaction to your brand.

And worse, if you subscribe people to your email lists without their specific permission and send them a “Memail”, this is a serious danger to your company and others! The bottom line: If your email is more about you then it is about your customers, then your marketing execution is not helpful to you or to your readers.

Lack of Strategy
Think critically about your use of email as a marketing tool. Define who you are targeting. What information can you include in your message that would be of value? Where is the call to action (why should your customer open this)? It is ok to talk about your company as long as it is helpful, relevant and educational. The goal here is to create an email marketing campaign that will:

• Serve your customers
• Support your sales message
• Sell from a place of education and value

Neglecting the Core Foundation of Your Email Marketing
Loren McDonald, Vice President of Industry Relations at SilverPop.com, says in his article Email Mistake No. 10: Lack of Personality, Positioning and Proposition:

“One of the biggest mistakes I see with company email programs is the lack of differentiation, personality and a clear value proposition. I call these the “Three Ps” that form a core foundation of your email program:

-Proposition (Value): What value does your email program provide for your customers/subscribers?

-Positioning: How does it differ from your competitors?

-Personality: What kind of image and tone do your emails convey?

Tips to Building a Successful Email Marketing Campaign
Try these practical healthy marketing tips to guide your email marketing execution so it is on purpose and offers relevant value and you will win big with Web marketing.

Be Authentic and Relate to Your Audience
Whether you’re a famous defense attorney, a respected marketing expert, or a shop owner, you HAVE something valuable to offer to your audience. Show that you can relate to your audience’s problems by understanding their perspective. Empathy + Personality = Good Email!

Use Your Name or Company Name In the “From Line”
People are more likely to open emails from people/organizations/companies that they recognize. (Example: From: Web Marketing Therapy). Make it very clear who this email is coming from and you will get a higher opening rate.

Be Concise in Your Subject Line
You only have a few short seconds to grab your audience’s attention. Make sure your subject line is concise, to-the-point. Avoid the use of excess punctuation (Example: Read This!!!!!!) Avoid placing overused marketing words like “FREE” as your first word (Example: FREE download). Instead, draw your audience to open your email with something they can relate to (Example: Learn How to Blog at Our Free Workshop).

To not BE spam, you have to NOT spam
Receiving a business card from someone you just met does NOT mean that you can add their name and email to your newsletter list unless they specifically agreed to it. This is about respect-if you simply assume people will want to receive your newsletters you will run the risk of being intrusive. People who did not agree to be part of any email list may feel less respected by you if they are automatically added onto your list-this in consequence, could mean they will respect YOU less.

Think BEYOND the “Box”
Don’t stick to any prescribed “box” of marketing. Have fun with your emails, make them interesting and engaging-the result could be more subscribers forwarding them to their contacts. If you make your content interesting and fresh, your audience will be more likely to look forward to your next email.

Make Sharing Easy
Insert social media widgets, forward widgets, and share widgets so that your recipient can very easily share your email s with friends. See if your email newsletter service can insert social media sharing widgets such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn directly into your templates. Have a call to action that is clear and easy to do!

Personally, I prefer to do business with companies that are active on the social web, because I notice and appreciate their effort to serve and support their customer base. For example, why fly on American Airlines when you can fly on Virgin America and receive immediate personal customer service any time of the day? Not only does Virgin America offer great in-flight service, but if I have questions pre/post flight, I can tweet to them and receive a timely response.

When I stumbled upon ENGAGEMENTdb, a tool that measures and monitors brands social media engagement, you can only imagine my excitement. Instead of just seeing which companies are using social media, ENGAGEMENTdb shows you how well those companies are doing. Any brand can have a Twitter page, but how well they are using it to engage and interact with their audience is another story.

ENGAGEMENTdb is a fantastic resource and proof that engaging in social media (whether you’re a Fortune 500 Company or a small business owner) is ABSOLUTELY necessary!

Follow me on Twitter @SarahCaminker for social media marketing tips, tool and advice.

Note: Adam took the time to serve and support his audience with educational, valuable FREE content. *This is something we should ALL be doing!*

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter: @SarahCaminker

1. Strategize and Think BIG About Business to Invest in Smart Marketing.
Aim High with Your Web Marketing but PLEASE Execute Sober

2. Craft e-Mail Newsletters/Messages that are Helpful, Relevant and Educational to Serve and Support Your Readers.
Is Your e-Mail Marketing Suffering Me-mail Ego Issues?

3. Engage and Communicate with Your Audience with Social Media. Don’t Spam with Automated Messages.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly: LinkedIn’s Integration with Twitter

4. Take the Focus Off You, Your Company, Your Product; Instead Focus on Your Customer!
Forget B2B and B2C Marketing – It’s All About P2P Now

5. Take Advantage of the Tools Used by Experts to Help With Your Web Marketing and Social Media Needs.
Top Web Marketing Support Tools We Are Thankful For

Remember to pay attention to what’s happening in your industry. Look to see what is NOT being done. Stop thinking problems and START THINKING NEW WEB MARKETING SOLUTIONS!