The tools and techniques of social media open up powerful new possibilities to professional communicators. Whether you’re a social media novice, a pioneer, or somewhere in-between, join IABC St. Louis on April 19th for Be Social, a half-day seminar that will inspire and equip you to excel in leveraging interactive online communities.

This engaging, fast-paced event will feature an eclectic mix of expert presenters sharing a range of compelling topics – from big-picture strategies, to practical applications, to best-in-class case studies.

You’ll choose from two tracks of speakers that include:

• Branding and engagement experts from Hardee’s and Nestle Purina Petcare Company
• Expert consultants on SEO and lead generation
• Specialists in maximizing your presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Walk away with tangible ideas for advancing social media within your own organization or on behalf of your clients. Be Heard. Belong. Be More. Be Social.

Meeting fees:
$75 – members
$100 – nonmembers
$50 – students
Includes 1/2 day of social media sessions, continental breakfast and lunch provided by Hardees

When:
Thursday, April 19, 2012

Agenda:
7:30-8 a.m. – Registration and networking
8-8:45 a.m. – Opening Session: The New Social World | Chris Reimer and Aaron Manfull
9-9:30 a.m. – Goal Track: Customer Engagement | Heather Reed    
9-9:30 a.m. – Channel Track:  LinkedIn | Nick Gilham
9:45-10:15 a.m. – Goal Track: Lead Generation | Erin Eschen Moloney
9:45-10:15 a.m. – Channel Track: Twitter | Brad Hogenmiller
10:30-11 a.m. – Goal Track: SEO | Andy Barnett
10:30-11 a.m. – Channel Track:Facebook | Mike Spakowski
11:15 a.m.-Noon – Closing Session: Hardee’s Case Study | Jenna Petroff

Where:
Center of Clayton
50 Gay Avenue, Clayton, MO 63105
Map it!

Registration for this event is closed. If you have any questions, please contact us at info@iabcstl.org. Thank you to everyone who has registered. We are looking forward to a great event!

Sponsored By:

Be Social Presenters

Chris Reimer

@Rizzotees

Bio:

Chris Reimer is an award-winning social media strategist and brings a unique background to the world of social media. He is VP of Social Media at Falk Harrison, a design agency in St. Louis, MO that specializes in branding, design and social media. He graduated from Marquette University in 1993 with a B.S. in Accounting, became a CPA in 1995, and then served as Chief Financial Officer of several organizations around St. Louis. In 2007 he started a funny t-shirt company called Rizzo Tees, and began marketing his shirts (and himself) on Twitter. A Facebook fan page soon followed, and then two blogs. The lessons learned by marketing Rizzo Tees exclusively via social media allowed him to make the improbable leap from CPA to ad man.

He was named 2010′s Most Influential Twitter User in St. Louis by STLTweets.com. Other awards include the The Riverfront Times 2011 Web Award for Best Twitterer in St. Louis, the 2011 BMA-TAM “Best-in-Class” award for Falk Harrison’s “Save Pratzel’s” social media campaign, and the 2012 Riverfront Times Web Award for the Pratzel’s campaign. Entrepreneur Magazine named him one of the top Twitter users in the world to follow if you’re new to the service.

Session Preview: The New Social World
How to get more followers on Twitter? Should I use Hootsuite or Tweetdeck? How can I use social media to sell more product? These are three of the most popular questions asked about social media, but what are we forgetting? There are some key truths we must first learn to live by before really being prepared to succeed in social media. Chris Reimer, Vice President of Social Media, calls these truths “The 5 Unforgettables of Our New Social World.” Chris presents these five maxims and answers your questions on new media.

Watch a video preview

Aaron Manfull

@manfull

Bio:

Aaron Manfull was named the 2011 Dow Jones Teacher of the Year and has spent the last 14 years advising student media in Iowa and Missouri and for more than half of that time his students have been working online with digital media. Aaron currently advises media at Francis Howell North High School in St. Charles, MO, and was named the 2011 Dow Jones Teacher of the Year. In addition to his teaching and advising duties, Aaron serves as the Journalism Education Association’s Digital Media Chair, heading their site, JEADigitalMedia.org.

Aaron has taught numerous web design courses for students and advisers. The Dow Jones Newspaper Fund named him a Distinguished Adviser in 2009 and the National Scholastic Press Assoc. honored him with their Pioneer Award in 2010.

Session Preview: The New Social World
Get Schooled in Social Media. High Schoolers are using social media for more than party pics and bullying. Are you? Learn how high school journalists are being just as creative and innovative as pros when it comes to social media. Their free ticket to test and try things at will makes the environment a rich one. They’re doing much of what you want to be doing: Targeting their market. Sharing their work. Engaging in conversation. Expanding their reach.

Watch a video preview

Heather Reed

Bio:

Heather Reed began her venture into the world of digital marketing in 2010 with Nestle Purina Petcare Company.  She currently works with twenty-two Purina brands on engagement, customer service, and promotions in the social space, as well reaching consumers outside of Purina’s properties.  She has taken on a consulting project with design firm, Kuhlmann-Leavitt, Inc. and has studied Interactive Digital Media at Webster University. In addition to her social media expertise, she has vast experience in training and development with an emphasis on customer service.  To learn more about Heather, visit her website, www.heatherreedoriginals.com or connect with her at  www.linkedin.com/in/heatherreedoriginals.

Session Preview: Goal: Customer Engagement | “Socialize” Your Social Space
In this session, Heather will discuss customer service vs. engagement and highlight how this relates to consumers in the digital world.

Nick Gilham

@NickGilham

Bio:

Nick Gilham is a personal branding and social media consultant.  He is the founder of A Branded You and works with small business owners and job seekers to help them effectively market themselves online.  Nick holds an MBA from Washington University and has over 10 years of experience in the technology field.

Session Preview: Channel: LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a critical tool for business success.  While many have an account on the service, very few feel that they utilize the service effectively.  In this session, Nick Gilham, founder of A Branded You, will outline steps you can take today to leverage your LinkedIn profile to find a new job and develop new business relationships.  He will also cover the many tools LinkedIn offers to get key insights about a company and to “spy” on colleagues and competitors.  This will be a jam-packed session of information you can begin utilizing immediately.

Erin Moloney

@ErinE

Bio:

Erin Eschen Moloney is a new media marketing strategist specializing in Social Media Marketing, Online Advertising, E-mail Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Web design for conversion. She is the Online & Social Media Marketing Manager at Perficient, Inc., a publicly traded national IT consulting firm based in St. Louis, MO. She developed a social media strategy that leverages the firm’s industry thought leadership and technology expertise to drive brand visibility, traffic and leads. Erin oversees an extremely active social media content program that includes five blogs, many Twitter profiles and YouTube and SlideShare accounts.

Previously, Erin directed online marketing at Network Solutions, where she managed a marketing team that optimized hundreds of e-commerce and lead generation web sites resulting in thousands of top ten search engine rankings. She has also managed a multi-million dollar online advertising budget for Scottrade, one of the largest Internet advertisers in the country. Erin is on the boards for the Saint Louis chapters for the Business Marketing Association and  the Social Media Club.

Session Preview: Goal: Lead Generation | Real-World Success Driving Leads from Social Media
Many companies from small to large are starting to dip their toes into social media. “Twitter” and “Facebook” have become buzz-words with user-bases large enough to warrant the expectation that a brand figure out how to at least participate. But simply building a Facebook fan page and a Twitter profile are not enough. In this session, Erin Moloney will tell the story of how an enterprise technology consulting firm laid the foundation for a social media marketing strategy two years ago that now feeds the sales pipeline with targeted, qualified leads, and more than doubled traffic to the company’s web properties, among other successes. Erin will provide suggestions for content generation standards and effective social engagement tactics. Marketing managers will learn how to prove to leadership that social media can drive leads, and business owners and executives can use what they learn in this session to better.

Brad Hogenmiller

@javastl

Bio:

Brad Hogenmiller is a digital marketing strategist, speaker, and networker. He serves as both the director of Social Media for Infuz and the president of Social Media Club St. Louis (SMCSTL.com). He focuses on leveraging online and traditional communication channels to drive bottom line gains for companies.

Session Preview: Channel: Twitter | Building Relationships Through Twitter
If our lives are defined by our relationships, how are tools like Twitter changing how we relate? From brands to individuals, communication is evolving to meet the needs of our faced-paced lives and our short attention spans. Find out how to use Twitter as a conduit to build relationships. Learn how to build connections and trust 140 characters at a time. Understand what it takes to be a trusted voice on the STL Twitter index.

Andy Barnett

@andybarnett

Bio:

With more than a decade of digital marketing experience, he has developed and executed digital strategies for a broad array of healthcare, financial services, consumer marketing companies and professional service companies. His areas of expertise include all aspects of search engine marketing, digital marketing, web analytics, information architecture and project managing large-scale website development projects. Prior to joining Elasticity, he was a Vice President and Global Digital Practice Group Leader at Fleishman-Hillard. Before joining FH, he was the Director, Search Engine Optimization at Outrider (now GroupM Search), one of the nation’s largest search marketing firms. His portfolio of online media work includes Charter Communications, Visa, Western Union, Microsoft, Washington Redskins, AT&T, Sears, Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Novartis, The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis and more.

Session Preview: Channel: The Convergence of Social Media and SEO
From recent algorithm changes to fundamental shifts in consumer behavior, the impact of social media on search engine results has never been more profound. In this session, we’ll explore the convergence of social media and search engine optimization (SEO), separating myth from reality and uncovering actionable insights to help your business get more out of both channels.

Mike Spakowski

@mspako

Bio:

Mike Spakowski is a Principal/Creative Director at Atomicdust. More than 11 years after founding Atomicdust, Mike is actively involved in day-to-day design strategy, art direction and studio management. As Creative Director, he strives for design excellence and sets the tone for the work created by Atomicdust. The studio’s work has been recognized by the One Show, Step, Print, and Create Magazines as well as local and regional Addy awards.

Session Preview: Channel: Facebook | Putting your Best Face Forward: A story about exploring new ideas
Coming soon

Jenna Petroff

@jennapet

Bio:

Jenna Petroff  is the Public Relations and Social Media Manager for Hardee’s Food Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of CKE Restaurants (also parent company to Carl’s Jr.), and of the largest quick-serve restaurant chains in the U.S. Jenna co-founded the chain’s social media program in 2008 and currently spearheads all publicity efforts, is part of the company and agency team leading community optimization, co-directs regional Facebook communications, manages the Flickr site, is the voice of the brand on Twitter and Google+, and presides over the brand’s Pinterest page.

Specializing in influencer relations, project development and management, emerging media strategy/tactics, integrated marketing programs, and planned giving administration, Jenna is a frequent speaker and presenter at both on and offline events and conferences, including: Vocus, Social Fresh St. Louis, American Marketing Association (AMA), Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), RealTimeNY 11, ExactTarget Connections 2011, Show Me the Blog and Social:IRL. Her work has been honored and acknowledged by several organizations and outlets, including: QSR Magazine (Best in Social Media, 2009), AMA (Best in Bold Marketing, 2011), ExactTarget (Best Social Media Campaign – Hardee’s 50th Anniversary, 2011), Forrester Groundswell (Most Energizing Campaign Finalist – B to C, 2011), and OMMA (Best Integrated Online Campaign Finalist, 2011). On the side, Jenna is a fashion/lifestyle blogger, a self-professed word nerd, super mom, accessories addict, volunteer, sarcasm connoisseur, insomniac, control freak…oh, and her favorite word is magniloquent.

Session Preview: The Business of Social Media
Ever know a business to blanket an area with mailers just because they “liked” the neighborhood? How about bankrupting a company with a Super Bowl ad buy because the executives “like” football? Do companies make decisions on vendors, agencies of record or promotional partners because they have a “friend” there? Okay. That sometimes happens. But it’s usually in conjunction with a solid track record and desired services and/or products. The bottom line is this…social media is not about making friends and wanting people to like you. It’s about affecting the bottom line. And like all marketing programs, it needs to be under constant review. Not only to stay on top of trends and adjust to the ever-changing digital landscape, but especially to make sure that it is still a strategic part of a comprehensive marketing plan with objectives, metrics and most of all…return. And if you happen to get people to like you and be your friend along the way, well, as we say at Hardee’s, “That’s just gravy!”  

Watch a video preview