Digital Marketing Boot Camp 2017

8:30 to 9 a.m.: Registration Session

9 to 9:45 a.m.: Google Keynote presentation: Matt Targett, Strategic Partner Manager, Google

9:45 to 10:30 a.m.: Breakout sessions

• Search Engine Marketing 101: What is SEM and Why Do I Need it? Dan Rensel, Director of Training & Revenue Strategy Communications – Advance Digital. Paid Search lets a business of any size compete for a very active consumer. This session covers the basics of a paid search campaign including choosing keywords, writing compelling ad copy, A/B testing, and tracking the results.

• Video Strategy In This Crowded World of 2016, Adam Katz, Senior Director of Sales – Sightly. Wondering if you should jump into video marketing? According to Forbes Magazine, using the word “video” in an email subject line boosts open rates by 19%, click-through rates by 65% and reduces unsubscribe rates by 26%.  Let’s talk.

• Advanced SEO Practices John Carcutt, Director of SEO & Social Media – Advance Digital. This session will cover online and offline tips and techniques; the art of SEO in your DMA in the USA and beyond.

10:45 to 11:30 a.m.: Breakout sessions

• Google Analytics 101 – What you can Learn About your Website for Free  Lily Kirov, Director of Digital Strategy – NJ Advance Media. A session for people looking to become more familiar with Google Analytics. You have so much information about your website at your fingertips. At no cost, you can research all this and more:
  • Which of your marketing initiatives are most effective
  • Learn about your website traffic patterns/trends,
  • Know where your website visitors  come from and what do they do on your site,
  • Find where people leave your site
  • Discover what search terms people use to find your site
• SEM 201: Jeff Morton, Vice President, Search, Social, Content Marketing – Advance Local. This session picks up where SEM 101 leaves off.  We’ll dive in to the search engine marketing “weeds,” discussing next-level tactics, the critical importance of negative keywords, establishing a robust remarketing strategy, and take a close look at what makes a profitable search strategy.
• Using Data to Tell a Story: George Kuhn, Business Development & Market Research Manager – Syracuse Media Group. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in this world of big data that’s only getting bigger by the minute. Being a successful data-driven company is challenging, as many businesses fall into a trap of being data heavy and insight light. Learn why storytelling has become popular in business settings and how to translate complex sets of data into meaningful and unforgettable stories that impact your audiences. You’ll walk away with tips and tricks you can utilize for your next data presentation.

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.: Lunch

1 to 1:45 p.m.: Breakout sessions

• Harnessing the Power of Email Marketing, Jeff Illes, Senior Training Manager – Advance Digital. This session will provide an overview of advances in technology that have made it possible to use Email to target recipients across devices and social media. Smartphone users access their emails nearly 24 hours a day wherever they happen to be making it easier than ever for savvy Email Marketers to reach them at any given moment. Email design best practices for and other tips about lists will be also be shared.
• Making Social Media Work for You.  Dan Rensel, Director of Training & Revenue Strategy Communications – Advance Digital. Does social media marketing really pay off? The session focuses on the media you can’t ignore, and touch on choosing the right platform(s) for your business, measuring what’s really important, the art of writing for a social media audience and more.
• Audience Targeting – Finding Your Best Audience: Kelley Hazel, Sr. Manager Mobile, Video and Display – Advance Local. Once you’ve created your perfect marketing message or ad creative, how can you be sure it will reach the right audience?  Join us to learn how to use cutting-edge audience targeting to reach your best audience across desktop, mobile and tablet devices using a combination of first and third party data.  We’ll reveal how audience targeting data is created, how it’s gathered, how it’s stored, and most importantly, how it’s made actionable for marketers.   We’ll also discuss applied audience targeting tactics including behavioral, contextual, and interest and intent-based targeting to ensure that your content is being presented to those with an interest in your topic and a bias for action.

2 to 2:45 p.m.: Breakout sessions

• SEO for Beginners, John Carcutt, Director of SEO & Social Media – Advance Digital. New to Search Engine Marketing? Here’s an overview that will take you through the basics of how search engines work, why SEM is necessary, best practices, and how to measure your success.
• Google 201 – Use Data to Determine What Marketing Initiatives at Working Best for You, Lily Kirov, Director of Digital Strategy – NJ Advance Media. A session for people familiar with Google Analytics and want to take it to the next level.  You will learn:
  • The four goals available in Google Analytics: Destination, Duration, Pages/Screens and Event
  • What those goals are and how – and why – you should use them:
  • How to set up and access those goals
  • Multi-channel and assisted channel conversions
  • Conversion goal reporting
  • All this analysis leads to one thing: Determining which of your marketing initiatives are the most effective to build your business.
• Content Marketing: Why It’s One of the Hottest Marketing Trends Today: Jeff Morton, Vice President, Search, Social, Content Marketing – Advance Local. More than just a marketing buzzword, Content Marketing has become a critical element of a winning marketing strategy.  In fact, it should be at the center of a winning strategy, and can help differentiate almost any business, large or small.  We’ll cover the basics of Content Marketing strategy and tactics and how you can begin with your business immediately.