Three days to help you…
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Is social media flatlining? Is X (formerly Twitter) dead? What about the metaverse? Is Threads overhyped? Either way, there’s no doubt that social media is on pace for its most transformative — even tumultuous — year since Facebook and then-Twitter launched over 15 years go.
The good news: You can convert the chaos of continued economic pressures (inflation and recessionary fears), changing follower behaviors (TikTokification) and seismic shifts in strategy (Meta) or management (X) into opportunities if you know what’s coming.
Consider this conference your social media sherpa. It’s the guide you need to stay on the right track in 2024. The trends, tactics and new strategies we unpack together will help you adapt in a multichannel environment — and adjust to any coming obstacles and surprises.
AGENDA
Attend three days of information-packed sessions and inspirational keynotes on the magical grounds of the Walt Disney World Resort.
Separate registration required.
Register for our in-person certificate series to elevate your social media plans, posts and performance. This writing course will address the ongoing challenges you face as a communicator by equipping you with advanced techniques and storytelling skills for use across platforms— plus, how you can leverage AI in your content creation. You'll learn how to craft impactful, persuasive content that resonates with audiences and helps you achieve your communication goals.
You’ll leave this 4-hour course with a Writing for Social Media Certificate from Ragan.
8-9 a.m. Writing Impactful Social Media Content
Social media copy must be clear, colorful and concise, but it also needs to inspire action. If you want to drive real results and move followers to action, you need to learn the secrets behind punchy posts and CTAs that work across all platforms—including X, Facebook, Instagram, and yes, LinkedIn. In this session, you’ll learn:
- Fundamentals Refresh: Overlooked techniques to write simpler, more direct sentences that propel readers. Plus: Smart, quick and impactful ways to gather and structure information.
- Writing with Impact: How to attract and keep eyeballs on your content marketing and social media posts.
- Crafting Compelling Content: Learn how to engage your audience with storytelling techniques that make your content unforgettable.
- Developing a Channel-by-Channel Copy Guide: How to change your verbiage to include and engage audiences across different social platforms.
- Bridging the Gap: Discover how to seamlessly integrate your newfound skills into your social media strategy, ensuring your message achieves the desired results.
9-9:15 a.m. Peer-to-Peer Workshop
There’s no better way to internalize what you’re learning than to share the experience with fellow workshop attendees. After a writing self-assessment, you’ll break into an interactive review and discussion on how to discover your writer’s voice — and how best to align it with the voice of your organization.
9:15-9:30 a.m. Short Break
9:30-10:30 a.m. AI Content Creation and Writing Fundamentals
In this session, you’ll acquire a solid foundation in using AI tools to optimize your writing and creative process as well as build strategies for the dynamic digital communication landscape. Here you will also learn how to use AI to build impactful social media content to reach and grow your audience. Designed to equip you with actionable knowledge and skills in harnessing the power of AI, you’ll leave with a better understanding of the present and future of AI in media and other fields. Some of what we will cover include:
- Fundamental AI Writing Concepts and Principles: Best practices for using AI to enhance productivity, efficiency and creativity in your writing workflow.
- AI-Powered Prompt Optimization Genius: Create the best, most targeted prompts to generate creative, efficient, and engaging content.
- Aligning AI Across Audiences: How to use AI in personalized and targeted communication, enabling you to tailor your message to specific audiences.
- Ethical Considerations: Awareness of guardrails and restrictions when using AI in content creation, Writing, and ensuring responsible and unbiased content generation.
- Editing Hacks: Explore AI-powered editing and proofreading tools to improve the quality and accuracy of your written content.
10:30-10:45 a.m. Interactive Workshop
In this interactive workshop, you’ll practice using the AI techniques and prompts from the prior session. Then, we’ll practice self-editing. You’ll be given prompts and worksheets to help you think like an editor and start implementing new habits. Learn about how to use outlining, panic writing, and even changing font sizes and outputs to review your copy — and why complete is better than perfect.
10:45-11:00 a.m. Bio Break
11:00-11:45 a.m. Measuring, Monitoring and Mastering Content Creation
To create compelling stories that resonate across platforms, it’s critical that your brand’s narrative is authentic, engaging, memorable – and most importantly, measurable. Monitoring your efforts across platforms can help you better understand and reach current and potential audiences. In this overview of social media analytics, dashboards and social listening, you’ll learn:
- How to set SMART goals and tie digital communications campaigns to website traffic and more.
- The analytics and engagement numbers which matter — along with those that don’t.
- Ways to better understand and reach your community members — along with ways to inspire meaningful action.
- Best practices for keeping tabs on crises and current conversations (and pivoting your strategies as necessary) on X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn).
11:45 a.m.-12:00 p.m. What’s Next: Building an Impactful Social Media Strategy
Now, we’ll put it all together with a clear set of steps to take to develop a consistent brand voice, craft captivating headlines and optimize them across social media. You’ll walk away with a clear direction on how to master the “Four C’s” of great content (Creative, Compelling, Conversational and Concise), and how to move your writing away from organization-centric content to audience-centric content.
In an era where personalizing content at scale is imperative for connecting with diverse audiences across platforms, mastering AI-powered storytelling is a game-changer. Join Carlos Gil, author of "The End of Marketing: Humanizing Your Brand in the Age of Social Media and AI," in this interactive workshop. Discover the latest AI tools and techniques to elevate your writing and visual content for any platform, audience or social channel, Throughout the session, we’ll cover:
- Refined writing workflows with ChatGPT: How to streamline your writing process, efficiently craft copy and produce narratives without compromising your voice.
- Create AI-powered visuals with Canva and other tools: How to integrate these tools to automate and enhance the creation of captivating brand images.
- Program your AI assistant for customer-centric copy: How to draft copy in the voice and tone of your target audience so it resonates and aligns with your brand identity.
- Storytelling in action: Writing prompts for crafting winning narratives across various formats, from internal comms and marketing copy to blogs, press releases and social media updates.
- Metrics that matter: How to leverage AI analytics to create more tailored, impactful stories—while also harnessing AI to enhance your SEO strategy.
- AI and copyright demystified: How to navigate AI and copyright issues, including smart strategies to protect both yourself and your brand.
With 90% of marketers maintaining or growing their short-form video investment in 2023, the ripple effect has social platforms scrambling to replicate TikTok’s micro-video magic. This workshop shows you how to do the same — while also bringing a spark of light to your brand videos to create like a creator so they appeal to the TikTok generation and beyond. Together, we'll cover:
- Creativity and fun: Innovative approaches to spice up your video strategies, even if you’re in more traditional sectors like B2B, healthcare, government or nonprofits.
- Everyone as a creator: Simple yet effective TikTok techniques and features that tap into the full potential of short-form content from your phone.
- Trends with benefits: How to capitalize on trending conversations, formats, and sounds in an authentic, meaningful way (and more importantly, when to sit out).
- Down in the data: The best metrics to dive into and how to use them to build trust, speed up approvals and get leadership buy-in (and budget) for short-form content (plus, how AI can help).
- UGC and collaboration: How to authentically work with creators on TikTok, Instagram (Reels) and even YouTube (Shorts) to infuse your channels (and theirs) with user-generated content promised to increase brand awareness.
- Experimentation: Hands-on experience testing different micro-video platforms and formats so you can return with binge-worthy (not cringe-worthy) clips.
You can’t afford to leave SEO to others — as it impacts everything from email marketing to press releases and even social videos. What’s more, it’s a rapidly moving target — with AI radically changing the SEO ecosystem, and influencers increasingly using social media to build new “branded” search. During this deep-dive SEO workshop, you’ll learn the strategic and creative factors you need to become a full-stack digital marketer and level up your content in the integrated era. We’ll discuss: We’ll discuss:
- SEO fundamentals: How search engines now assess content quality, essential keyword research steps and tools — and how to map keywords to your social media plan.
- AI-enabled SEO tools and use cases for B2C, B2B and even nonprofits (and why it’s time to rethink your content strategy).
- How influencers are building “branded” search — including lessons from TikTok fashion influencer Audrey Peters’ “Polly Pocket Shoe” viral campaign and others.
- How to use social listening to find your own "polly pocket shoe" moments.
- How to leverage organic TikTok search to build increased brand awareness and SEO opportunity — plus how to incorporate influencers in a social-as-search strategy.
- How nonprofits can leverage influencers, celebrities and spokespeople to build a more "Searchable" brand
- SEO meets social KPIs: How social media impacts SEO and vice versa — plus how to measure both in Google Analytics.
Join us at Phin's Bar at Disney's Dolphin Resort as we get to know each other at this casual cash bar meet-up and kick off the conference in style!
Internal communications are increasingly a CEO priority and while it’s not typically on the agenda of many social media managers, it should be. Investing time and expertise to support a social-forward internal communications strategy will pay dividends. The most recent Edelman Trust Barometer report found that employees now see themselves as the most crucial stakeholder of their organization — more important than even their customers. With this in mind, it’s vital for every member of the comms team to keep employees at the top of their minds.
The social media manager is every comms team’s most underutilized resource, not just for amplifying external comms efforts. For strategic comms initiatives — both internal and external — social media experts have a unique lens on their audience and can ensure a level of innovation and engagement in any project. Leveraging social media skills in internal comms can help foster internal champions who become external advocates.
You will leave this session with:
- Actionable insights on why social media managers should feed into internal comms strategies and vice versa.
- How to foster internal champions that make the best social advocates.
- Ways to boost engagement and ROI for every comms initiative.
Draft a simple prompt in ChatGPT and Alakazam! Fresh TikTok scripts, Instagram captions and LinkedIn posts are ready to go! Need a thoughtful response to a comment or DM? Presto-Change-O! Like magic, Google Bard has got you covered. The only problem: Most AI-generated content lacks your brand’s voice and human touch. That’s why it’s time to leverage the latest AI tech to create IA — “Intelligence Augmentation.” IA enhances your talents and skills rather than replacing them to ensure your content resonates deeply with your audience, encouraging more meaningful interactions and stronger bonds on any platform. Join us for an inspiring, practical process to integrate AI to save hours — without sacrificing authenticity. You'll learn:
- What's new: Where we are in the AI hype cycle — and how to "get real" and up to speed on how it's being used.
- AI-driven social media content creation: How to leverage ChatGPT, Claude, Bard and other AI platforms to craft compelling, personalized content for different social media channels, reducing content creation time by up to 60%.
- 4 steps to creating IA: How to train and refine your AI-powered platforms, ensuring they mirror your brand voice and messaging effectively on social media.
- Maintaining trust: Strategies to ensure that AI-enhanced posts preserve authenticity and build trust with your audience, avoiding common pitfalls that can harm your brand's reputation.
- Next steps: What you must know about AI tools for measurement and how to craft your organization's AI usage guidelines.
We live in a small world, and a diverse one, too. In this panel discussion, we’ll dive into the next stage of DE&I across social media with a focus on accessibility practices, what it means to engage with Pride in 2024, and how to marry purpose with action when messaging marginalized communities. Together, we'll discuss and learn:
- Inspiring examples of dismantling stereotypes and addressing issues that matter to diverse communities.
- How to embed DE&I in your content strategy and brand voice so the story you’re sharing is authentic and not performative — plus how this impacts areas from thought leadership to employer branding.
- Ideas for leveraging employee-generated content and UGC to connect with diverse audiences — and how to do it while remaining compliant in a heavily regulated industry.
- How others create space for employees to openly express their diverse opinions and feelings on highly charged, timely topics — internally, on their personal social channels and on corporate social channels.
- What to keep in mind when it comes to accessibility and inclusion so everyone can engage seamlessly.
Change is afoot with shifting priorities and new social platforms, from transitions at existing fixtures such as Twitter/X, Instagram and TikTok to new and emerging options such as Threads, Spill and Mastodon. How should social teams decide where to invest their time when users are dispersed across so many platforms? This session will untangle these threads and address:
- How new and emerging platforms work and differ from their predecessors, and what communities on these platforms want from organizations’ accounts.
- A look at the new features and changes existing platforms have implemented that may reshape their future.
- Tips for identifying which platforms align with your organization and its workflows.
- Streamlining processes for managing multiple accounts at once, and metrics for measuring success.
Social video is one of the most powerful means of connecting with audiences today, generating up to 1200% more shares than text and image content combined. In this interactive session, you’ll learn how to get past the barriers of limited resources and legal concerns to feel comfortable using this daunting medium and wield the power of vertical video. We’ll explore:
- What makes for engaging social video across different platforms including TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts, both for internally produced content and UGC.
- Best practices for ensuring that content is discoverable, accessible and hits the right notes.
- The basics of organic vs. paid content and where it’s appropriate to monetize.
- Interactive: We’ll workshop audience-submitted problems live. Bring a challenge you’re facing on TikTok.
Many nonprofits, healthcare organizations, educational institutions and B2B companies face a similar challenge: It can be hard to translate their work and services to exciting, entertaining and engaging social media content. In this panel discussion, professionals in these industries will wave their magic wands and reveal:
- How to make apparently unremarkable content shine through creative storytelling and partnerships.
- Strategies for finding the human stories within educational or nonprofit narratives.
- Practical tips for leveraging copy, visuals and technology to captivate audiences.
- Ways to translate interest and attention to action.
In this mini learning session, you’ll learn best practices that will elevate and enhance your social media accessibility practices so they are always an integral part of your social media strategy, and not just when disability or inclusivity dates loom. Together, we’ll break down accessibility best practices for social channels and explore how to amplify your engagement in the process. You’ll learn:
- How to incorporate accessibility guidelines into your social content and sharing.
- An example of what inclusive, accessible social content should look and sound like.
- Checklist: Social media accessibility features on top platforms and how to leverage them.
- How to optimize images for screen readers, utilize alt text, caption videos and employ inclusive language to enhance engagement for a diverse audience.
Social intelligence insights have the power to inform, unlock and uplift business strategy across your entire organization—if you can share and activate them beyond your marcom silo. So how can you go beyond visualizing and presenting your data to make more meaningful, business-wide change? Join to discover how the United States Postal Service (USPS) leverages its in-house data analytics tool to identify opportunities to improve customer and employee experience, while also positively impacting its key business objectives nationwide. You’ll learn:
- Data analytics tools: Monitoring and measurement tools USPS uses to gather social intelligence—plus how to determine what tools are best for your team.
- Sample KPIs: The social intelligence data points used by USPS and how to determine yours.
- Dashboards: How the USPS team presents internally and to leadership—examples and ideas.
- Analysis and insights: What it takes to extract actionable business insights from your KPIs (hint: it starts with understanding your organization’s business goals).
- Elevating your strategic value: How to demonstrate the value of non-traditional sources of data in social intelligence to key executives and other departmental leaders.
- Inspiring examples: Business impacts the USPS is driving with its social intelligence—from identifying PR issues before the press does and increasing online review scores to demonstrating the relationship between employee engagement and customer service.
Social and comms pros often find their voice silenced by red tape and bureaucracy. In this case study, the mastermind behind Transportation Security Administration (TSA)'s often-viral Instagram account with over one million followers shares metrics and insights on engaging audiences in a regulated space. You’ll learn about:
- Developing, nurturing, and delivering on a distinctive brand voice – and how to spot a trend before it begins.
- The strategies that led to the TSA’s Instagram success, including how it humanizes and strategizes within its workforce to deliver algorithm-optimized content.
- Visual storytelling: Creating compelling graphics, infographics, and the best tools to do so – plus the engagement metrics to track.
- Navigating bureaucracy from the legal department to management, including tips on how to build trust with leadership that streamline the social posting processes.
Many organizations don’t have the luxury of supporting an entire team dedicated to social media, leaving the Herculean effort of managing multiple platforms to a single individual. Learn how a media lead become a content creator and champion of their brand. You’ll learn:
- Time-saving techniques, best practices and innovative approaches that make the most of your resources and drive results.
- The social media newsroom: How to implement a one-stop shop for social content that empowers employees to engage and connect with audiences on their platforms of choice.
- Shoestring budgets: Strategies and tools for efficient content planning, scheduling, measuring and analyzing social media performance.
- Tips for determining which social platforms your organization should prioritize to maximize your impact.
Hershey understands the power of authentic voices and personal stories in today’s digital market, and views influencers as a crucial element of its marketing and communications mix. Join SheSpeaks CEO, Aliza Freud, and Jessica DuQuesne, International Commercial Growth Office Brand Manager, Global Markets, as they share details of a few award-winning social media influencer programs that leveraged micro, mid-tier, and macro influencers and shared their brand values to create content for specific audiences on social media.
Examples of successful campaigns include Valentine's Day Pot of Gold, Halloween and the Celebrate SHE campaign focused on limited-edition Hershey’s bars sold at Walmart and emphasized women's contributions with special packaging. Using influencers, including US Olympic Gold Medalist Jordyn Wieber, the campaign generated more than 54 million impressions across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, Pinterest and TikTok. In this fireside chat, you’ll learn details of the behind-the-scenes strategy that propel campaigns like this one to exceed its goals as well as the creative tactics and execution that make Hershey’s influencer programs a success.
The complex nature of modern-day communications and an increasingly competitive and transactional media environment requires an innovative approach to news and social media strategies that sits at the intersection of art and science. The next era of communicators will have to modernize their approach to media relations by embracing technology in order to be more performative, predictive and productive — enter the communications engineer.
Join this session to hear about the emerging need for a culture shift across the PR and social media industry that intersects both art and science to stay ahead of the curve, and how to adopt the mindset, tech stack and workflow of a communications engineer to future-proof the careers of content creators, communication professionals, agencies and brand teams alike. You'll learn:
- How vertical AI can provide a competitive advantage when interacting with the media.
- How social media content programs can benefit from AI-enabled strategies.
- How your teams can be confident using AI to improve social media and PR activities.
- How to be an AI-leader in your media organization.
In recent years, social media has fundamentally altered the way we discover and consume news and information — with nearly 30% of U.S. adults saying they get some of their news from TikTok alone — and discussions around its future, scope and impact are topics not just individuals, but institutions, organizations and world governments must grapple with. At the nexus of these discussions are creators, the voices who reach millions — or even billions — with their creativity and communication. This keynote features Vitus “V” Spehar, known on TikTok and across social media as Under the Desk News, whose approach to news reporting have earned them 3 million TikTok followers, the respect of storied journalistic organizations and a voice on Capitol Hill and the global stage.
V will dive into the evolution of platforms such as TikTok, and how the future of these outlets is intertwined with the practice of journalism and the consumption of information in the coming years. They’ll explore the dynamics between social media and world governments, and discuss what it’s like to collaborate with U.S. presidents, social media executives and world leaders as an advocate for creating safe spaces online. Join V for a thought-provoking examination of the intersection of journalism, legislation, technology and humanity.
Gen Z, born between the mid-1990s and early 2010s, is a demographic that has redefined the digital landscape and challenged social teams and brands to adapt. In this session, we will discuss how Citadel & Citadel Securities partnered with Green Buzz Agency using research to guide resonant, authentic creative with this audience. Attendees will learn:
- Strategies for crafting bold and impactful social media campaigns that resonate with Gen Z's values and behaviors.
- Data-Driven Insights: How to effectively navigate the unique characteristics, communication style and preferences of this generation.
- Why authentic content is king: How to craft relatable content on LinkedIn and Instagram/YouTube that shifts brand perception
- Real-world case study of content development: How the two speakers collaborated across the production lifecycle to develop award-winning campaigns that led to a sharp increase in brand appeal.
Harnessing the right AI tools can propel your social media strategy light-years ahead. Join us for an illuminating session dedicated to the latest AI-powered tools and technologies designed to elevate your social media strategies. You’ll learn:
- Critical tools, from social listening to AI, for tracking and analyzing social media data to gauge campaign success and achieve growth—as well as tips for interpreting data to make informed decisions that optimize your outreach.
- How to capture attention, increase brand awareness, drive website traffic or boost sales through AI-driven engagement and targeting tactics.
- The keys to overcoming analysis paralysis by identifying essential metrics (KPIs) that will unlock actionable insights.
- Real-world case studies and success stories showcasing the power of data-driven measurement.
The creator and influencer space has matured, and with it the strategies needed to create successful content that yields results in collaboration with these talented individuals. In this session, a creator/social media pair who has navigated the dynamics of influencer/relationships will examine how these partnerships have evolved, what creators want and how to best work with them to connect with their communities. You’ll discover:
- First-hand advice from brand leaders and the creators they work with about creating collaborative, authentic content that achieves brand objectives.
- Effective ways to build and nurture strong relationships with creators, and tips for understanding what they seek from brand partnerships.
- Tips for tracking and identifying opportunities to reach highly targeted, relevant communities ready to engage with your brand.
- How to navigate the evolving landscape of platform policies and creator expectations to stay relevant and adapt to changes.
What happens when a lifelong dream is combined with generous amounts of pixie dust? The answer is a 25-year career of telling stories at the Most Magical Place on Earth – Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Steven Miller, a Senior Manager with Corporate Social Responsibility and the Walt Disney World Ambassador Program, will share insights about his experiences within the Public Affairs and Communications division, from creating compelling content as a founding author for DisneyParksBlog.com to making authentic connections with cast members and guests from around the world.
As immersive games and experiences such as Roblox and Fortnite continue to attract participants seeking community and social interactions, the virtual realm is an exciting new frontier for audience engagement—especially when coupled with AI and its impact on storytelling. In this session, discover how generative AI, machine learning and other emerging technologies are transforming the way we connect, create and collaborate, and learn how marketers and communicators can step into these exciting new worlds to meet consumers. Join us to hear:
- An examination of Generative AI and its impact on brand storytelling, social media, metaverse spaces and immersive virtual environments.
- How generative AI and Web3 technologies are driving innovation and fostering a sense of community across social media platforms—and in these digital realms.
- Strategies for building and nurturing communities in the Metaverse and Web3-powered environments.
- How to develop an AI policy for your company, and examples of how to roll it out across companies small and large.
- Examples of how companies are incorporating AI and virtual elements into their brand campaigns.
Marketing and comms pros are constantly pressured to prove they’re moving the needle—especially during election years and times of economic uncertainty. This session will explore how both functions can proactively implement a data-driven measurement program that showcases to execs the symbiotic relationship between PR’s reputation management capabilities, social media’s top-of-funnel prowess and marketing’s bottom-line impact. You’ll learn:
- Foundations: The KPIs every marcom pro must deliver for social media success.
- Data-driven strategy: How to set clear, measurable objectives so every campaign maps directly to business goals.
- Tools and AI: The best low-cost and AI tools to collect and correlate your results.
- Dashboards and analysis: How to gather, display and present your metrics to leaders with a compelling narrative that speaks their language.
- The bottom line: How to show that you’re growing the business through your marketing and communications functions (so you get the budget you need).
There’s a misconception that to do high-end, compelling brand story work, you must be one of the world’s biggest brands with correspondingly large budgets. In truth, it’s possible for everyone. We explore what values-led brand storytelling really looks like online—and how it can build community and, yes, even true connection with your customers. Join us to learn how PG&E built an award-winning brand storytelling team in less than two years and discover how you can develop or expand your own story strategy to get results. You’ll hear:
- Purpose: How PG&E developed a brand storytelling approach grounded in purpose and driving social impact—plus how the video team elevates their “triple bottom line” of people, planet and prosperity.
- Personality: How PG&E found its brand voice and stories—and a framework to help you do the same.
- Production: How PG&E produces highly shareable, purpose-driven videos—from concept to can.
- Pinching Pennies: How to shoot emotional narratives that will move audiences and communicate your purpose—without breaking your budget.
- Proof: How PG&E distributes and promotes stories across digital and social channels to drive engagement and deliver ROI.
The brand landscape experienced a seismic shift in the wake of the last presidential election. As we gear up for the heated 2024 races, this panel will provide communicators with a roadmap to successfully navigate the looming minefield of partisanship and politics-centric controversy that awaits. Together we’ll cover:
- What to expect: The political themes and controversies we’re already seeing for the coming election—and how to navigate them without stepping on third rails.
- Values-driven strategy: How to address or respond to sensitive issues relevant to your brand vision, voice and values— while uplifting both internal and external audiences.
- Dealing with blowback: Ways to foster trust and rebuild reputational damage when partisanship strikes or political players target your organization.
- Tools and tech: How to monitor and mitigate brand risks in real time with the help of social listening tools, AI and predictive technologies.
Have you fallen out of love with content creation—or just need some new inspiration to freshen things up a bit? If you’re feeling uninspired when it comes to creating your marketing content, it's time to experience a marketing breakthrough. In this mini session, you’ll (re)discover your unique voice and tap into your creation superpower. You’ll learn:
- The 5 Content Personality® types, and discover what type of creator you are.
- How leaning into personal and brand storytelling will attract your aligned audience and help you create world-class, thought leader content.
- The building blocks you need to generate a list of curated story topics for your marketing--so that you never have to think about “what to say” again.
Did you know that businesses leveraging authentic video narratives witness a 66% boost in audience engagement? In the dynamic realm of social media, mastering the power of authentic video marketing for driving meaningful connections and brand loyalty is critical.
Join this fireside chat featuring industry experts who will guide you through:
- Aligning your brand purpose with compelling storytelling in social media videos.
- Understanding how to use video content to communicate your brand's values and mission.
- Building emotional connections with your audience through authentic video narratives.
- Leveraging video content strategies to foster brand loyalty and long-term customer relationships.
- Learn how to leverage the power of social media videos to position your brand purpose effectively and cultivate loyal customers.
- Unlock the potential of video storytelling and elevate your brand's presence on social media.
Stand up, stretch and recharge with a coffee, tea, or snack. Available in the Imagination Lab (Northern Hemisphere E).
The ability to create and distribute compelling content in real-time is paramount for any successful marketing and public relations strategy. In this session, you’ll learn about how to establish a brand newsroom – your dynamic, dedicated hub where in-house journalists collaborate to craft captivating narratives. Learn about:
- Best practices for team collaboration between marketing and PR teams to ensure consistent messaging and maximum impact.
- Mastering the art of content planning, creation, and curation to maintain a steady flow of compelling stories.
- Techniques to stay agile and respond swiftly – in real time – to emerging trends, news, and opportunities.
- How to measure the effectiveness of your brand newsroom, pivot, and adapt your strategies.
- Case Studies and Success Stories: Hear real-world examples of organizations that developed a cohesive brand narrative that aligned with their mission.
Good news: You can finally move your social media strategy from reactive to proactive by applying some neuromarketing principles to a profound-yet-practical process that enables you to create the content your audience craves—and delivers it where and when they need it the most. Join to see how Clemson has recently ranked in the top 15 universities nationally for social media engagement by embracing a framework you can use to quickly plan, produce and post content that hits your audience hot buttons. Together we’ll cover:
- Neuromarketing insights into how the brain processes information, responds to stimuli and makes decisions—plus how to apply these ideas to your social media.
- A practical method for identifying your brand’s hub content that you can use again and again.
- How to develop compelling visual and written branding for your content, regardless of platform.
- Smart ways to scale up your creative processes so your posts pop and generate big-time results.
- How to drive greater engagement with followers—including how Clemson applies some neuromarketing principles to visual direction and post copy so it’s more shareable.
Today’s podcast industry market is worth $24 billion—and still growing—but it’s not enough anymore to just plan and produce a branded podcast in this lucrative yet crowded space. This session explores how to integrate your marketing and even social media content teams to help craft compelling audio content on the regular—then promote the heck out of it and earn coverage. Join to hear:
- Planning: How to conceptualize your podcast —from branding/naming it to episode planning, content calendars and audience targeting.
- Production: Must-have tools, software and resources for efficient podcast production.
- Creativity: Techniques to consistently craft engaging audio content that keeps your listeners coming back for more.
- Social media: What others are doing to build buzz for their podcasts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), Pinterest and LinkedIn—and promotion on internal intranets
- PR plays: What’s working to secure brand coverage on podcasts—including how to pitch, partner and promote for maximum awareness on mainstream media.
No time is more critical for PR and marcomm teams to collaborate and protect brand reputation than when a crisis strikes. This panel unearths examples of bad news breaking or escalating on social media—and excavates their lessons to help your teams navigate, manage and even quell controversial content, misinformation or public backlash in real time when every second counts. You’ll learn:
- “Tempests in teacups” to “barnstormers”—the top online crises facing B2C, B2B and other organizations now, from mis/disinformation to brand trolls and election year turmoil.
- How social media teams can implement crisis drills and tabletops for these threats.
- Your very own magic mirror: Social listening tools to help identity and resolve online crises before they become full-blown catastrophes.
- How AI impacts digital crisis—from AI-generated deepfakes and copyright missteps to legal third rails to avoid and even AI tools to add to your social listening stack.
- Post triage on Twitter (X) and beyond: How to quickly craft social posts that convey confidence, eliminate uncertainty and stick the landing for a storybook ending.
Thought leadership does it all. It generates leads, builds reputation, provides content for social media, newsletters and intranets, attracts new employees and can even drive media coverage for your execs or subject matter experts. Few content plays touch every aspect of today’s marcom org chart with as much return. Join us to learn how to execute amazing thought leadership campaigns that strike a chord instead of striking out. You’ll discover:
- Branding magic: How to craft and elevate a powerful personal and organizational brand on LinkedIn—from profile photo and graphics to post and cadence guidance.
- Captivating content: How to plan, pen and publish compelling posts, live videos and more on LinkedIn—and the nuances and latest features.
- Building thought leadership: Smart strategies to position yourself or your subject matter experts (SMEs) as leading voices in your field to drive includes and credibility.
- Beyond LinkedIn: How to repurpose content on other platforms, including TikTok, Reddit and more.
Join other communicators in your field in this birds-of-a-feather networking opportunity.
Join us for an exciting influencer/brand speed dating session where you’ll discover potential partnerships, collaboration opportunities, and mutually beneficial relationships in a fast-paced, engaging environment.
Join other communicators in your field in this birds-of-a-feather networking opportunity.
Beyond the size of their following, not all influencer partners are created equal. From nano-micro to mega, influencers are an extension of your brand and a familiar, trusted, touch point with your audience. In this session you'll learn:
- How to ID the influencer personality factor that gives your campaigns extra oomph.
- How to avoid brand/partner mismatches through data analysis.
- Choosing organic vs ad partners.
Join our keynoter Davis in an intimate Q&A fireside session.
Join other communicators in your field in this birds-of-a-feather networking opportunity.
SPEAKERS
INTERESTED IN SPEAKING?
Please reach out to Director of Conferences
Alyssa Smith.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- The continued rise of meme marketing and re-emergence of immersive worlds
- How Stories and AR/VR tools are evolving — and how to stay ahead of the curve
- Social listening👂and measurement strategies to gain (and understand) followers
- How to reimagine and optimize your e-commerce and social selling programs
- Working with nano and micro influencers to launch winning brand collabs
- 🎥 How short-form video, live video and TikTok are transforming YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook/Instagram and X (Twitter)
- The best channels to attract and retain talent in the 🔥hot-yet-cooling labor market
- And, so much more…
| Advanced Rate | Early Bird Rate | VIP Rate | Regular Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference All-Access Pass (includes the pre-conference workshops) | ||||
| Standard | $2,699 | $2,799 | $2,899 | $2,999 |
| Nonprofit/Gov/Edu | $2,599 | $2,699 | $2,799 | $2,899 |
| Ragan Insider | $2,549 | $2,649 | $2,749 | $2,849 |
| Conference Registration - Individual | ||||
| Standard | $2,299 | $2,399 | $2,499 | $2,599 |
| Nonprofit/Gov/Edu | $2,199 | $2,299 | $2,399 | $2,499 |
| Ragan Insider | $2,149 | $2,249 | $2,349 | $2,449 |
| Conference Recording | ||||
| $999 | $999 | $999 | $999 | |
Add to your Social Media Conference registration!
Writing for Social Media Certificate Course
March 27, from 8-12 p.m.
We’ve taken our popular virtual Writing Certificate Course and made it an in-person event where you’ll get real-time instructor feedback and the ability to share ideas with your peers. This writing course will address the ongoing challenges you face by equipping you with advanced techniques, inclusive storytelling skills, and the knowledge to leverage AI. Add the Writing Certificate Course to your registration for just $899.
For those who can’t attend the conference live, an on-demand option is available during the registration process.
Download this letter to convince your boss you should attend the Social Media Conference.
Group Discounts
Would you and your team like to attend? Group pricing is available when registering! Contact Shallon Blackburn for more information.
RAGAN COUNCIL MEMBER DISCOUNTS
Membership includes free registration passes. Contact Shallon Blackburn for more information on becoming a member.
RAGAN INSIDER DISCOUNTS
Insiders save on all Ragan events. Not a Ragan Insider? You can become one during registration for this event!
Walt Disney World's Swan & Dolphin Resort
1700 Epcot Resorts Blvd
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
1888-828-8850
Swandolphin.com
Experience the Magic
Beyond the conference, enjoy exciting networking events, experiences, and all the magic Walt Disney World Resort and surrounding areas have to offer!
NETWORKING COCKTAIL PARTY
Mingle with colleagues, social media leaders and special Disney guests at this can’t-miss networking cocktail party.
Join your peers and conference speakers for a networking party sprinkled with Disney magic. Enjoy great conversations and superb food and drink.
Food For Thought
Connect with colleagues on issues of shared interest and get to know your fellow attendees over a great meal. You'll make new connections during breakfast, lunch, and snack breaks, all included with your registration.
DISNEY MAGICAL EXPERIENCES
Extend your stay and receive:
- Room block rates at Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort
- Discounted Walt Disney World Resort theme park rates
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
Want to become a sponsor? Get in touch with our team to discuss sponsorship opportunities.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
You can’t afford to miss this if you work in:
- Marketing
- Digital communications
- Media relations
- Corporate communications
- Social media
- PR
- Public affairs
- HR
- Branding
- Global communications
- Public information
- Internal communications
- Corporate affairs
Get Recognized!
Each registration comes with a personalized Social Media Conference Certificate of Completion for attending.
THE COMPANY YOU'LL KEEP
WONDERING IF YOU SHOULD ATTEND?
Here’s what past attendees are saying about Ragan and PR Daily Events!
I learned so much from this conference and have so many takeaways that I can put to immediate use. I loved that this conference could be useful to someone with a large or small social media team! It was very inclusive!
Love Ragan's Social Media Conference! It shares insights into how other companies are managing their social media strategy. You feel like you're not alone.
The Social Media Conference was informative, fun, and well-organized. I met many great people in my industry and left with actionable takeaways to improve my company's presence on social media platforms!
The future of social media and content is changing and growing. Ragan's Social Media Conference brings innovators to address these changes and keeps us up to date with how to roll with the changes. I will definitely be back next year to learn more.
The speakers at the conference were all experts in the field, and their insights and knowledge about social media were incredibly valuable. I learned so much about what is up and coming to latest trends. Can’t wait to get back and elevate our company’s social media game.
The conference fun doesn’t start and stop at the event! Follow us on socials and sign-up for update emails.
Contact us for group rates and share with friends!
Ragan.com Daily Headlines
PRESENTED BY
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CONTACT
REGISTRATION
SPONSORSHIP
312-960-4628
PROGRAM
MARCH 27-29, 2024
WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT
ORLANDO, FL