SEO, Marketing Tools, and More: Takeaways from PubCon 2014

I recently attended this year’s PubCon, an event billed as “the premier social media and optimization conference,” and it was an inspirational, educational experience. This was my first year at PubCon, and although there is often a stigma about conferences in Las Vegas, I came away with not only a number of new tools to try out for SEO and Social Media, but also a new view of the SEO space as a whole. Here are some of my main takeaways from PubCon:

SEO in today’s super connected world

Some people have been recently questioning whether SEO is dead because of all the other things that have become important when connecting with your potential customers online. The closing keynote was by Bing’s Duane Forrester, and he spoke about this common query and much more.

SEO still matters, but it has become just one piece of the more-complicated-than-ever puzzle. You can no longer focus just on SEO, paid social, or any other piece of marketing; you have to consider all the touch points and all the ways to connect with your potential customers. Duane went on to talk about the creepy and sometimes magical level of new technology.

With the hyper connection that we have with technology, I believe the chance of new technology seeming magical and sometimes creepy is higher than ever. Defining simple questions such as the one below, “What exactly IS local?” has become harder than ever. This makes SEO and all aspects of marketing harder to precisely define.

With that being said, it is vital to all marketing success to be sure to continue testing and tracking metrics. Taking chances and experimenting with new tools and how they can relate to your marketing strategies is necessary to be sure you are keeping up with the industry today. It requires a bold and agile marketing team to be able to maintain the day-to-day needs and also experiment with new tools and strategies, but don’t forget to incorporate these into your plans. You must continue to experiment with new tools and new features that impact the SEO space, social media, and all of marketing.

While Duane Forester’s presentation was the one that stuck with me the most, there were several others that inspired me to keep pushing limits and testing new tools here at Diagram:

Jay Baer

If you haven’t heard of Jay Baer, I suggest you go take a look at his website and his views on marketing today. I have been a fan of him for some time now, but hearing him speak in person was great! Here are some quotes from his presentation on Youtility and serving your consumers with content they actually want and can use:

IKEA found out Montreal customers needed boxes on moving day-so they gave them away. Sales up 24%+ @jaybaer#pubconpic.twitter.com/mesGNHpnzQ

— Michelle Tackabery (@mktackabery) October 9, 2014

Youtility is a process not a project. @jaybaer#youtility#pubcon

— Wcos (@willciii) October 9, 2014

The key to greatness @jaybaer#pubconpic.twitter.com/SOSYhRHCao

— Karie Barrett (@kariebarrett) October 9, 2014

1st thing in the morning, ask yourself, "how can I help?". Great presentation by @jaybaer#pubcon

— Nate Kelly (@News_by_Nate) October 9, 2014

Chris Brogan

Another great presentation came from Chris Brogan. His presentation focused on mission marketing vs. brand marketing. Here are some of the slides to inspire your next brand meeting:

Make content drive mission. @chrisbrogan#Pubconpic.twitter.com/Et097Jq7Bb

— MS (@MargaretStookey) October 8, 2014

A #contentmarketing manifesto from @chrisbrogan at #pubconpic.twitter.com/Sj9gvhiwjq

— Michelle Tackabery (@mktackabery) October 8, 2014

With all of these inspirational presentations and the new tools I’m excited to try out, Pubcon Las Vegas was a success for me. I hope this helps you to push the boundaries of your marketing plans and continue trying out new tools, methods, and strategies within your marketing plans. If you have any questions about which tools you can use to improve your marketing strategy, feel free to leave them in the comments below or schedule a marketing assessment with a Marketing Specialist today.