Pre-Conference Workshops

Wednesday, Sept. 21

11 A.M.–12:30 P.M.

Social Audio Workshop (on podcasts, live audio, and how they work together)

With increased engagement to podcasts and social audio platforms like Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces, the ability for audiences to listen in has created new touchpoints for connection and opportunities for unfiltered conversation. In this interactive workshop, we’ll look at what goes into producing and promoting a successful podcast, as well as an engaging live audio broadcast. We'll even  even host one live with you — our audience — to demonstrate how the conversation can be repurposed into a podcast that doubles as meaningful thought leadership content for your brand. You'll discover:

  • Considerations before launching a podcast, including the best platforms to consider
  • Essential equipment on a budget — from XLR or USB mics  to recording and editing software (and more)
  • Anatomy of podcast show development including content strategy, structure and production- and building for listener affinity
  • How to launch a live social audio conversation on the fly (yes, we'll do this demo live together!)
  • The top social audio channels and how to integrate them into your podcasting plans
  • Tips for opening the conversation to your audiences on ANY platform you choose
  • And much more . . .
Timmy Bauer
Founder
Dinosour House
Read bio
Justin Joffe
Justin Joffe
Editorial Director and Editor-in-Chief
Ragan Communications
Read bio
Brian Fanzo
Founder and CEO
iSocialFanz
Read bio
James Carbary
Founder
Sweet Fish Media
Read bio
12:30–1 P.M.

Snack Break

(provided onsite)

1–2:30 p.m.

SEO Workshop

It’s no secret that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) plays a pivotal role in your digital marketing and social media strategies, and SEO competencies are increasingly required for marketers and communicators alike. In this interactive session, you’ll walk away with tailored advice needed to start building a robust SEO strategy for your brand. You'll also learn how to use social media to help underscore your SEO approach, as well as how to build a flexible strategy that evolves with business priorities and audience acquisition.

Rachel Vandernick
Founder
The Vander Group
Read bio
2:30-3 p.m.

Networking Break

3–4:30 p.m.

Visual Storytelling

Designing impactful brand videos, images and other visual assets doesn’t always require the needs of a graphic designer or an investment in expensive software. In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn practical, platform-specific visual storytelling practices that follow sound aesthetic design principles to help your campaigns reach their full potential.

Tod Plotkin
CEO/Founder
Green Buzz Agency
Read bio
Michael J. Lamp
Chief Digital & Social Officer
HUNTER
Read bio
8:00 pm

Drinks with New Friends

Join us at Phin’s Bar in the Dolphin hotel for a casual cash-bar meet up with other attendees and sponsors.

For PR, Branding & Marketing

Thursday, Sept. 22

7:15-8:00 A.M.

Morning Walk with Industry Friends

Morning walk will meet at 7:15 in the Dolphin lobby, resort side where the doors lead to the boardwalk.

8-9:00 A.M.

Networking Breakfast

9-9:15 A.M.

Opening Remarks + Trendspotting (on Main Stage)

In this opening session, we'll set the virtual stage by sharing some fresh findings extracted from new research by Ragan, along with other social media insights and trends you need to know.

9:15-9:45 A.M.
Keynote

Emerging from Emergency: Navigating Social Brand Crises (on Main Stage)

Crises are bad enough. Social media makes them so much more difficult to handle because of the speed with which they both cause and amplify them – to a global audience. And too often brands engage online without seeking any input from the enterprise center. In this session, Jano Cabrera, chief communications officer at General Mills, counsels brand managers on the first steps to take when crisis hits, where to get the answers you need and how to best provide them to all key stakeholders.

Jano Cabrera
Chief Communications Officer
General Mills
Read bio
10-10:30 A.M.
CASE STUDY

Social Media Video Tactics That Engage Stakeholders

If a picture’s worth a thousand words, then a video must be priceless. While ‘pivot to video’ was a running joke before March 2020, the always online audience of today possesses a diminishing attention span that can best be captured with a holistic, intentional video strategy. This session spells out real-world videographer tactics and proven secrets of success that you can plug into your social media strategy now to boost reach and results on any channel:

You’ll learn:

  • Software tips for going live quickly with broadcasts that are low lift and high quality
  • On-camera design and branding considerations to make your spokespeople stand out
  • Quick tech recs and shooting tips for getting the most out of your equipment
  • The director's seat: Advice for on-air talent, including speech and style tips
  • Approaches to repurposing video content to get the most mileage from your efforts
Anthony Quintano
Anthony Quintano
Senior Manager of Visual Storytelling
TD Bank
Read bio
10:30-11 A.M.

Networking Break & Lightning Talk

Bringing stories to life with video makes messages more compelling and easier to retain. No form of content is more effective for storytelling than video, and digital savvy brands are quick to understand this. In this 10-minute lightning talk, you'll discover how you can leverage the power of video + storytelling to better connect with your audiences.

Peter Blackburn
Peter Blackburn
Account Executive
PlayPlay
Read bio
11-11:30 A.M.

How to Engage Your Audience Using Paid Social

Sometimes the best way to tell your brand story is to promote your campaigns alongside larger newsy topics, trends and conversations as they unfold. In this session, we’ll look at why organic reach may be harder to come by these days to understand how strategically targeted paid social campaigns position your brand at the center of appropriate conversations to help you reach the prospects and customers who matter most.

You’ll learn:

  • Where paid social fits into your larger sales funnel and conversation strategy
  • Tips for defining your budget, target audience and campaign length — including suggestions for coupling
    targeted databases with your paid strategies for greater engagement
  • New trends and opportunities to be aware of on TikTok (average user is now 37+), Facebook and Instagram
  • Best practices for composing platform-tested ad copy and visuals that drive conversions
  • How to move beyond starter tactics on paid social like boosting posts and refine your strategy
  • What's next: Pending algorithm changes and what to expect from the future of paid social
Michael J. Lamp
Chief Digital & Social Officer
HUNTER
Read bio
11:45 A.M.-12:15 P.M.

Writing With Social Pizzazz

There’s no “one-size-fits -all” approach to crafting a social messaging strategy, so how do you write social copy that sparkles and sings? In this session, we’ll review some time-tested tactics for writing on social media that drives conversation and illuminates your brand voice.

You’ll learn:

  • The ideal length and structure of social posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn for optimal performance and engagement
  • Tips for tastefully inserting questions and CTAs into your social copy
  • Best practices for quoting and summarizing larger pieces of content in your social copy
  • Strategies for crafting multiple, distinct posts around the same campaign or piece of content
Lissa Chidester
Director of Communications
Sand Springs Public Schools
Read bio
12:25-12:40 p.m.
Keynote

Future-Ready Mindset: Where Digital Meets Personal (on Main stage)

Everyone gets excited about new trends and technologies, but successful adoption requires a culture that enables and supports change. It also requires an understanding that even in a digital world, your key stakeholders -­ internal and external - crave that personal, human connection. In this session, Brian Fanzo, founder and CEO of iSocialFanz, shows you the path by spotlighting the tools and tactics you need to bring your organization into the cutting-edge future. You'll leave this inspiring, informative keynote armed with:

  • Examples and scenarios where technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), deep learning and digital tokens are being leveraged to provide personalized virtual experiences
  • The 3 Ts required to create synergy between our need to humanize and personalize our business while also innovating and leveraging technology and social media
  • A game plan to study and track the emotional storytelling methods being used today while creating a strategy that leverages "virtual emotions" using the innovations of tomorrow
Brian Fanzo
Founder and CEO
iSocialFanz
Read bio
12:40–1:40 P.M.

Networking lunch

1:45-2:15 P.M.

How to Expertly Market to Gen Z

A new wave of consumers is emerging, known as Generation Z.  In 2020, Gen Z accounted for more than 40% of consumers in the US.  But, marketing to the new generation remains somewhat of a challenge for many brands.
It’s more than possible to connect with Gen Zers, you just need to know how to get their attention. In this session, we'll uncover the secrets to reaching Gen Z with video and explore five proven video marketing strategies that work.

In this session, we'll:

  • Explore the new wave of consumers
  • Discover how to use video to reach Gen Z
  • Create authentic content using trending platforms
  • See how videos drive traffic and engagement
  • Make websites more engaging with video
Bernadette Butler
CEO & Co-Founder
Storytap
Read bio
2:20-2:50 P.M.

Making Short-Form Magic on TikTok (on Main Stage)

By the end of this year, TikTok is expected to reach 1.5 billion users, anchored by marketers who embraced the short-form video platform’s unique ability to simultaneously entertain and engage Gen Z with branded challenges, educational content and more. In this session, we’ll explore how to craft social videos on TikTok that keep emerging audiences watching.

You’ll learn:
• Tips for creating branded content that also offers value to your audience through inspiration, education and humor
• How brands crowdsource audience content on TikTok to recruit talent
• Platform-specific tips for working with influencers on your brand channel.

 

Catherine Halaby
Head of Entertainment, North America
TikTok
Read bio
Jason Recher
VP of segment content creation and digital integration
Disney Parks
Read bio
3-3:30 P.M.

Illuminating Instagram to Grow Your Audience

Following the rebrand of its parent company to Meta, Instagram has remained a vital engagement channel to brands as the platform added tools to meet changing user behaviors and provide value to its business customers. In this session, we’ll look at some of these new features to explore how they can help you learn more about your customers by creating more immersive, accessible touchpoints for conversation and engagement.

You’ll learn:

  • The latest shifts to the IG algorithm and what it means for your campaigns
  • An overview of new and recent features including live rooms, story caption stickers, remix reels and more
  • Tips for using Instagram’s professional dashboard feature to track your performance and grow your audience
  • How recent tweaks to the Insights feature allow you to measure various platform features together
Jennifer Brown
Director of Integrated Marketing
Masonite
Read bio
Marisa Corona
Digital Product Manager
UPMC Health Plan
Read bio
3:30-3:45 P.M.

Networking Break

3:45-4:15 P.M.

Social Measurement Strategies to Gain Followers and Understand Behavior

Marketers and communicators recognize the need to measure the impact of their social media efforts. Most realize it's good to understand the value of quantitative metrics (likes, shares and comments). However, it can be tricky to identify qualitative metrics and align them to organizational goals. David Murray, the social media manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, shares an approach that will help you collect and report on the right social media KPIs and ROI indicators that build unique value for your channels.

You’ll learn:

  • Where to start in building a data-driven social media strategy
  • How to move beyond vanity metrics to learn about follower engagement
  • The connection between data + content + trends that influence analytics
  • How to identify the unique value of each of your social channels
David Murray
Manager of Social Media Strategy
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Read bio
4:30-5:00 P.M.

The Unsession: Crowdsourcing The Hottest Topics (on Main Stage)

7:00 P.M.

Out-Of-This-Galaxy Networking Cocktail Party - Hosted by Disney Parks

After a day of inspirational keynotes, it’s time to save the galaxy!  Join colleagues, social media leaders and special Disney guests at EPCOT for this one-of-a-kind networking cocktail party that includes the opportunity to experience Disney’s all-new family thrill coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, viewing of the nighttime spectacular “Harmonious” and other can’t miss fun!

Friday, Sep. 23

8:45-9:15 A.M.

Networking Breakfast

9:15-9:45 A.M.
KEYNOTE

A Platform for Purpose: How Pinterest Leads With Its Values (on Main Stage)

In an age when audiences and customers alike demand that the social platforms they use align with their beliefs, Pinterest has demonstrated time and again what leading with your values looks like. In this opening fireside, Pinterest CCO Dr. LeMia Jenkins Thompson will chat with Ragan Editor-in-chief Justin Joffe about how some of the platform's boldest initatives and partnerships were borne from its culture and commitment to do right by employees and users alike.

Dr. LeMia Jenkins Thompson
CCO
Pinterest
Read bio
9:55-10:20 A.M.

Bring the Sauce: How to Stop the Scroll on TikTok, Reels and Beyond

A big mistake companies make on social media is not bringing much personality or flair to their social media content and presence, regardless of platform. Dry content doesn’t fly anymore–it can’t compete with the personality-driven content posted by creators on TikTok, Reels and even YouTube shorts. Join to hear how to tap into the power of creativity as your biggest lever for standing out. 

You’ll learn:

  • How to get more creative and innovative with your social media strategies
  • Winning content and top performing posts—what’s working and what’s not
  • The power of creative as your biggest way to optimize ads on social
  • Why short form video are on the rise—and how to lean into creating more entertaining video content (instead of informational plays)
  • Insights for finding your brand voice, personality and flair for a more engaging online presence 
  • What all of this means to your other digital marketing—including email
Tevah El Emmet
Marketing Strategist and Founder
Nspired Media
Read bio
10:20-10:45 A.M.

Networking Snack Break + Lightning Talk (on Main Stage)

Podcast listenership has exploded in recent years, so it’s no surprise that more PR pros are focused on building relationships with key podcasters. To do this, PR pros need to connect with relevant podcasters, understand their pitching preferences and how to measure success. This 'snackable' session will focus on best practices for pitching podcasts and the podcast metrics that every PR pro needs to know. We’ll cover:

  • How podcasters prefer to be pitched
  • The best way to reach relevant podcasters
  • Why listenership is a key metric for PR pros
Andrew Flynn
Senior Director of Enterprise Sales
Muck Rack
Read bio
10:45-11:15 A.M.
CASE STUDY

How We Launched and Grew our Brand Podcast

According to Insider Intelligence, 22% of internet users around the world will be podcast listeners in 2023. In this case study, you’ll hear a brand storyteller share how they created and launched a podcast that drove brand awareness and engaged and educated its listeners.

You’ll learn:

  • What to figure out before launching a podcast including content strategy, length, cadence and production process
  • How to select, vet and prep guests who complement your host and contribute to your key goals
  • Hosting, interviewing and moderating techniques that keep people listening
  • Podcast metrics that illustrate success
Arantxa Gulias Valverde
Head of Digital Communications
Ferrovial
Read bio
11:15-11:45 A.M.

How We Did It: 3 Social Media Success Stories

In this session, three PR pros and marketing leaders will share case studies about how they implemented a winning campaign or initiative across their social media channels.

Savannah Young
Communications & Social Media Specialist
American Humane
Read bio
Kirk Wilson
Consultant, Content Marketing, Social Media & Sponsorship
Lincoln Financial Group
Read bio
April Leonard
Social Media Manager
City of Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO)
Read bio
General Sessions

Thursday, Sept. 22

7:15–8:00 a.m.

Morning Walk with Industry Friends

Morning walk will meet at 7:15 in the Dolphin lobby, resort side where the doors lead to the boardwalk.

8–9:00 a.m.

Networking Breakfast

9–9:15 a.m.

Opening Remarks + Trendspotting

In this opening session, we'll set the virtual stage by sharing some fresh findings extracted from new research by Ragan, along with other social media insights and trends you need to know.

Brian Fanzo
Founder and CEO
iSocialFanz
Read bio
Mark Ragan
Mark Ragan
Owner
Ragan Communications
Read bio
9:15–9:45 a.m.
Keynote

Emerging from Emergency: Navigating Social Brand Crises

Crises are bad enough. Social media makes them so much more difficult to handle because of the speed with which they both cause and amplify them – to a global audience. And too often brands engage online without seeking any input from the enterprise center. In this session, Jano Cabrera, chief communications officer at General Mills, counsels brand managers on the first steps to take when crisis hits, where to get the answers you need and how to best provide them to all key stakeholders.

Jano Cabrera
Chief Communications Officer
General Mills
Read bio
10-10:30 a.m.
Panel

New Collaborative Skills for Social Media Champions

No longer tasked with simply plugging pull quotes into scheduled posts, social media professionals must work in collaboration with marketing, communications and content teams while demonstrating the initiative and judgment to engage with audiences in the moment of greatest impact. In this session, our experts will share the new strategies and skills that social media champions must own to ensure that their social content is intentional, actionable and relevant.

You’ll learn:

  • Strategies for determining your role’s impact on company-wide goals and KPIs
  • How to incorporate new skill sets from other teams that empower you to execute a social strategy with increased autonomy in your organization
  • Tips for getting your team to embrace accessibility best practices as a core part of your social strategy
Nicole Losi
Director of Digital Content
Kent State University
Read bio
Patrick Pho
Lead, Volkswagen Content Studio
Volkswagen of America
Read bio
Alexa Heinrich
Social Media Manager
St. Petersburg College
Read bio
10:30-11 a.m.

Networking Break & Lightning Talk

As lines between marketing and content continue to disintegrate, effective marketing today requires top-notch content. How you craft a story can be just as important as the platform you choose to distribute it on. In this 10-minute lightning talk, you’ll learn journalistic techniques that can be applied to brands, and how going back to the basics can help you further connect with your audience.

Jamie Farnsworth Finn
Adjunct Instructor, M.A. in Strategic Communication
University of Delaware
Read bio
11-11:30 a.m.
Panel

Protecting Brand Voice and Reputation in a Changed World

When it comes to responses to national emergencies, scandals and more, your brand reputation can live or die on its social media channels. In this session, we’ll look at some of the major ways that a strongly defined brand voice can double as a shield to protect your brand reputation.

You’ll learn:

  • Ways to craft brand voice guidelines that illuminate your values and serve as a north star for what you will and won’t respond to
  • How to pick and choose what attacks are worth responding to based on each issue’s relevance to your brand
  • Tips for responding to misinformation and disinformation with research and facts
  • Strategies for tapping partner organizations and influencers to speak out on behalf of your brand
  • Best practices for linking your social media responses to larger landing pages and resources
Andrew Bates
Andrew Bates
Enterprise Data Strategy Director
AARP
Read bio
Laurie Barnett
Vice President, Communications & Outreach
Southwest Airlines
Read bio
Jaci Russo
Author and CEO
brandRUSSO
Read bio
11:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Panel

The Modern Social Crisis Manager

After figuring out how to work with your brand voice, your social team must understand its place in your organization’s larger crises management strategy with a monitoring plan that starts with listening and moves responses up the org chart as needed. In this session, we’ll explore how social media practitioners can craft crisis responses that work within the company’s larger framework to turn down the temperature and deepen customer trust.

You’ll learn:

  • Scenario training tips for using social media dashboards to identify emerging issues
  • How to design and deploy a social listening strategy on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and beyond
  • Strategies for crafting social holding statements from pre-approved language
  • Tactics for measuring your social monitoring efforts as part of a larger crisis plan
Elizabeth Solomon
VP, Digital/CX
FleishmanHillard
Read bio
Mary Beth Levin
Manager of Social Media Strategy and Analytics
United States Postal Service
Read bio
Leslie Douglas
Global Head of Social Media
Intel
Read bio
12:25-12:40 p.m.
Keynote

Future-Ready Mindset: Where Digital Meets Personal

Everyone gets excited about new trends and technologies, but successful adoption requires a culture that enables and supports change. It also requires an understanding that even in a digital world, your key stakeholders — internal and external — crave that personal, human connection. In this session, Brian Fanzo, founder and CEO of iSocialFanz, shows you the path by spotlighting the tools and tactics you need to bring your organization into the cutting-edge future. You'll leave this inspiring, informative keynote armed with:

  • Examples and scenarios where technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), deep learning and digital tokens are being leveraged to provide personalized virtual experiences
  • The 3 Ts required to create synergy between our need to humanize and personalize our business while also innovating and leveraging technology and social media
  • A game plan to study and track the emotional storytelling methods being used today while creating a strategy that leverages "virtual emotions" using the innovations of tomorrow
Brian Fanzo
Founder and CEO
iSocialFanz
Read bio
12:40–1:40 p.m.

Networking Lunch

1:45–2:15 p.m.

5 Major Insights You Need to Know About Influencer Marketing Today

The influencer marketing world has changed a lot over the last decade. Consumers have changed how they consume information, social platforms have come and gone, and much more. In this session, we’ll talk about the five macro-trends in influencer marketing that you need to understand to adapt and succeed today.

You'll learn:

  • The platform and content styles performing best today
  • How to budget and measure influencer marketing the right way
  • How UGC, paid social, and influencers are converging
  • What works and what doesn’t when launching a new program
  • How to best approach influencers for optimal results
Brad Hoos
CEO
The Outloud Group
Read bio
2:20–2:50 p.m.

Making Short-Form Magic on TikTok

By the end of this year, TikTok is expected to reach 1.5 billion users, anchored by marketers who embraced the short-form video platform’s unique ability to simultaneously entertain and engage Gen Z with branded challenges, educational content and more. In this session, we’ll explore how to craft social videos on TikTok that keep emerging audiences watching.

You’ll learn:
• Tips for creating branded content that also offers value to your audience through inspiration, education and humor
• How brands crowdsource audience content on TikTok to recruit talent
• Platform-specific tips for working with influencers on your brand channel.

 

Catherine Halaby
Head of Entertainment, North America
TikTok
Read bio
Jason Recher
VP of segment content creation and digital integration
Disney Parks
Read bio
3–3:30 p.m.
PANEL

Rethinking Hybrid Work: Taking a people-first approach to engaging with employees

Your organization no doubt made the shift to more of a remote workforce these past few years. But now that we’re moving out of pandemic necessities and into a new hybrid reality, expectations have shifted yet again. Just as different departments have different needs, meeting each employee where they are requires a people-first approach that makes time for conversations about mental health, workload and how leaders can best support their teams on an individual basis.  In this panel discussion, two communications leaders will discuss how the pandemic changed the way they engaged their employees, offering tips for implementing communication software and strategies with the flexibility that today’s employees expect.

Misty de Lamare
Director of Communications
L.A. Care Health Plan
Read bio
Chelsey Louzeiro
Digital Community Manager
Heifer International
Read bio
3:30-3:45 P.M.

Networking Break

3:45–4:15 p.m.

Achieving Social Inclusivity and Brand Purpose with Social Impact Communications

The pressure on brands to take a stand creates an opportunity for marketers and communicators alike to craft impact campaigns that drive meaningful conversations around your purpose work. In this session, we’ll look at platform-specific best practices for authentic, effective cause social impact communications and marketing on social media platforms.

You’ll learn: 

  • Strategies for determining what causes are appropriate to craft campaigns around with respect to your brand identity
  • How to integrate the diverse experiences of your team into your cause marketing strategy
  • Tips for being an ally on social to partner companies and organizations that share your values
  • Examples of brands living up to their words
Ana Karina Palacio
Account Director, Digital
Fenton
Read bio
4:30–5:00 p.m.

The Unsession: Crowdsourcing The Hottest Topics

7:00 p.m.

Out-Of-This-Galaxy Networking Cocktail Party - Hosted by Disney Parks

After a day of inspirational keynotes, it’s time to save the galaxy!  Join colleagues, social media leaders and special Disney guests at EPCOT for this one-of-a-kind networking cocktail party that includes the opportunity to experience Disney’s all-new family thrill coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, viewing of the nighttime spectacular “Harmonious” and other can’t miss fun!

Friday, Sep. 23

8:45-9:15 a.m.

Networking Breakfast

9:15-9:45 a.m.
KEYNOTE

A Platform for Purpose: How Pinterest Leads With Its Values

In an age when audiences and customers alike demand that the social platforms they use align with their beliefs, Pinterest has demonstrated time and again what leading with your values looks like. In this opening fireside, Pinterest CCO Dr. LeMia Jenkins Thompson will chat with Ragan Editor-in-chief Justin Joffe about how some of the platform's boldest initatives and partnerships were borne from its culture and commitment to do right by employees and users alike.

Dr. LeMia Jenkins Thompson
CCO
Pinterest
Read bio
9:55-10:20 a.m.
Panel

Influencer Marketing: Do's, Don'ts and What's Next

From serving as heralds of brand purpose and culture to being the face of your new product or feature, it’s more important than ever to incorporate influencers into your marketing strategy. But how do you find the best fit among your brand enthusiasts—and how do you onboard them in a way that preserves an authentic voice and hits ROI goals? Case studies shared in this session have the answers.

You’ll learn:

  • How to balance your paid strategies with authenticity — from setting expectations with influencers to working with outside agencies
  • Ways to research and identify the right influencers and create a mutually beneficial partnership
  • How to bolster your influencer agreements with expectations for posting cadence that align with larger marketing goals
  • Examples of influencer campaigns that tapped into a culture of coaster enthusiasts, TikTok stars and even a gathering of mommy bloggers
  • Successful ways to incentivize and reward your influencers (sometimes with experiences and access beyond financial considerations)
Nate Sandell
Senior manager, social media
Mall of America
Read bio
Shaun W. Kimbrow
PR manager - Head of Midwest Division
Lobeline Communications
Read bio
Drea Gonzalez
Digital and Media Strategist
Lobeline Communications
Read bio
10:20-10:45 a.m.

Networking Snack Break + Lightning Talk

Podcast listenership has exploded in recent years, so it’s no surprise that more PR pros are focused on building relationships with key podcasters. To do this, PR pros need to connect with relevant podcasters, understand their pitching preferences and how to measure success. This 'snackable' session will focus on best practices for pitching podcasts and the podcast metrics that every PR pro needs to know. We’ll cover:

  • How podcasters prefer to be pitched
  • The best way to reach relevant podcasters
  • Why listenership is a key metric for PR pros
Andrew Flynn
Senior Director of Enterprise Sales
Muck Rack
Read bio
10:45-11:05 a.m.

E-commerce and Social Selling

The widespread brick-and-mortar store closures of the past two years were just confirmation of what many marketers already knew: E-commerce and social selling are fast becoming the way that most consumers shop. In this session, we’ll look at what’s next for e-commerce and social selling from the rise of livestream shopping to the decline of ad targeting, including new data privacy considerations that will affect how you reach customers.

You’ll learn:

  • What new and expanded livestream shopping programs on Twitter and TikTok mean for your business
  • The role that influencers and celebrity partnerships can play in your e-commerce strategy
  • How incoming data privacy regulations can impact your e-commerce strategy
Tim Cohagen
Marketing, Social Media and Digital Communications Consultant
Ragan Consulting Group, Shaking Cup Media
Read bio
11:15-11:45 a.m.

Beyond Social Incentives: The Impact of Web3 and NFT Upheaval on Content Creators

Despite the crypto crash, NFT enthusiasts and many big brands are keeping the party going. The optimism goes beyond a “buy the dip” mindset and centers around a “build market” mindset that underscores the continued rise of the creator economy. Join this timely session to hear how others are still embracing NFTs as viable, popular social incentives—and what all the Web3 churn means to digital markets, content creators and social media pros now.

You’ll learn:

  • What’s working now: How brands and influencers are offering cryptocurrencies and NFTs as gifts, prizes and incentives for engagement—even amid the crypto crash
  • Why metaverses still matter: The power of augmented reality (AR) in closing the gap between a real and a virtual customer experience
  • Why the bar of entry for your brand to embrace Web3 features is lower than you think
  • What you must know about creators gaining power in the media ecosystem
  • First no- to low-cost steps your organization can take if you're buying the dip
Brian Fanzo
Founder and CEO
iSocialFanz
Read bio
11:50-12:15 p.m.
Closing Fireside

10 for 10: Ten Lessons Learned from a Decade in Social Media

In our closing fireside, we'll chat with Heather Brinckerhoff, head of social media marketing at QVC, about 10 lessons she learned during her first decade working in social media - with a focus on what the next decade will bring.

 

Heather Brinckerhoff
Head of Social Media Marketing
QVC
Read bio
12:15-12:30 p.m.

Baker’s Dozen Top Takeaways, Raffles and Closing Remarks

For Employee/Internal Comms

Thursday, Sept. 22

7:15-8:00 A.M.

Morning Walk with Industry Friends

Morning walk will meet at 7:15 in the Dolphin lobby, resort side where the doors lead to the boardwalk.

8-9:00 A.M.

Networking Breakfast

9-9:15 A.M.

Opening Remarks + Trendspotting (on Main Stage)

In this opening session, we'll set the virtual stage by sharing some fresh findings extracted from new research by Ragan, along with other social media insights and trends you need to know.

9:15-9:45 A.M.
Keynote

Emerging from Emergency: Navigating Social Brand Crises (on Main Stage)

Crises are bad enough. Social media makes them so much more difficult to handle because of the speed with which they both cause and amplify them – to a global audience. And too often brands engage online without seeking any input from the enterprise center. In this session, Jano Cabrera, chief communications officer at General Mills, counsels brand managers on the first steps to take when crisis hits, where to get the answers you need and how to best provide them to all key stakeholders.

Jano Cabrera
Chief Communications Officer
General Mills
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10–10:30 A.M.

Spotlighting Employees with Social Storytelling

Prominently including employees in your brand storytelling strategy is a proven way to spotlight your internal culture and values while attracting new talent. In this session, we’ll explore how to authentically center employees within your brand narrative in a way that both internal and external stakeholders will get onboard with.

You’ll learn:

  • Platform-specific best practices for telling stories about your workforce
  • How to encourage employee participation as an incentive for exceptional performance
  • Image and design considerations to ensure the employees you spotlight accurately represent the diversity of your workforce
  • How analytics can help shape content that resonates with internal and external audiences
Kate Seegraves
Communications Manager
Silfex
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10:30-11:00 A.M.

Networking Break & Lightning Talk

65% of employees state their work is negatively affected by the amount of information they receive. The workplace is changing at a fast pace and as an IC practitioner, you need to craft the right employee communications strategy to stay on top of your game. This session will highlight the value of sophisticated, targeted and relevant internal comms, the value of building strong two-way relationships to create a more engaged workforce, and how to build true brand advocates.

Tara Herschend
Account Director
Haiilo
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Catherine Slaten
Senior Account Executive
Haiilo
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11–11:30 A.M.

Addressing Leaks and Rogue Employees on Social Media

An alarming number of disgruntled employees rely on social media to voice their frustrations and share private, proprietary company information. In this session, we’ll examine this trend to look at why it’s happening, what you can do next if it happens to your organization and how to prevent it from happening in the first place.

You’ll learn:

  • The most common causes that drive employees to air their grievances
  • Best practices when responding to internal leaks
  • Listening strategies to catch widespread internal dissent before it spills out
  • Preventative tactics for reinforcing internal policies in a nonthreatening way
Elizabeth Solomon
VP, Digital/CX
FleishmanHillard
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11:45 A.M.–12:15 P.M.

Intranets and Internal Social Networks: They Were Made For Each Other

Intranets and internal social networks continue to grow in popularity as a centralized gathering place for your multi-channel internal content. Far more than virtual bulletin boards, we’ll explore how these tools have become a lifeline for internal communicators hoping to share critical company updates, cultural milestones, career development content, wellness tips and much more.

You’ll learn:

  • How Intranets and internal social networks provide outlets of recognition for dispersed employees
  • Tactics for communicating critical company news and shifting procedures through your Intranet or internal social network
  • Considerations to ensure these channels are easily accessible and viewable to employees wherever they are
Tai Collins
Senior Manager, Web Communications – Social & Sentiment
The Home Depot
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12:25-12:40
Keynote

Future-Ready Mindset: Where Digital Meets Personal (on Main Stage)

Everyone gets excited about new trends and technologies, but successful adoption requires a culture that enables and supports change. It also requires an understanding that even in a digital world, your key stakeholders -­ internal and external - crave that personal, human connection. In this session, Brian Fanzo, founder and CEO of iSocialFanz, shows you the path by spotlighting the tools and tactics you need to bring your organization into the cutting-edge future. You'll leave this inspiring, informative keynote armed with:

  • Examples and scenarios where technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), deep learning and digital tokens are being leveraged to provide personalized virtual experiences
  • The 3 Ts required to create synergy between our need to humanize and personalize our business while also innovating and leveraging technology and social media
  • A game plan to study and track the emotional storytelling methods being used today while creating a strategy that leverages "virtual emotions" using the innovations of tomorrow
Brian Fanzo
Founder and CEO
iSocialFanz
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12:40-1:40 P.M.

Networking Lunch

1:45-2:15 P.M.

Taking Employee Advocacy to the Next Level with CDW

Social media and influencer marketing don’t operate in a silo — they’re essential components to your overall PESO communications and media mix. Join to hear how one organization's PR and social media teams learned to play in the same social media sandbox to build trust and engagement with their various audiences. In this session Katrina Najm, social media lead at CDW will share the 101’s of launching and maintaining an employee advocacy platform, with examples of what’s working with their people-focused teams, including:

• The importance of getting leadership involved and helping them move from a click-per-view mentality to a more people-focused KPI
• How to move toward a targeted approach, with curated content focused on core groups that can then boost and share your message more effectively
• Showing the value of opting-in
• Building a hybrid between media relations and advocacy (Blur the lines between internal and external)
• And why it all comes back to data to help focus content and boost engagement

Margaret Trietsch
Strategy Director
FirstUp
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Katrina Najm
Social Media Lead
CDW
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2:20–2:50 p.m.

Making Short-Form Magic on TikTok (on Main Stage)

By the end of this year, TikTok is expected to reach 1.5 billion users, anchored by marketers who embraced the short-form video platform’s unique ability to simultaneously entertain and engage Gen Z with branded challenges, educational content and more. In this session, we’ll explore how to craft social videos on TikTok that keep emerging audiences watching.

You’ll learn:
• Tips for creating branded content that also offers value to your audience through inspiration, education and humor
• How brands crowdsource audience content on TikTok to recruit talent
• Platform-specific tips for working with influencers on your brand channel.

 

Catherine Halaby
Head of Entertainment, North America
TikTok
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Jason Recher
VP of segment content creation and digital integration
Disney Parks
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3–3:30 p.m.

The Rise of Employee Influencers

Giving an external platform to your organization’s biggest internal champions can put a human face on your culture, educate audiences to dispel misinformation about your business, create a touchpoint for customer engagement and so much more. In this session, we’ll look at why the best brand advocates can be found within.

You’ll learn:

  • Visual, style and language considerations to guide your employee influencer
  • How to collaborate with employee influencers when crafting messaging to ensure their talking points are on brand while in their authentic voice
  • Strategies for deploying employee influencers to combat misinformation and disinformation
  • Tips for creating a feedback loop with your employee influencers that activates their social listening skills to catch a potential crisis in wait
Amanda Ponzar
Chief Communications & Strategy Officer
CHC: Creating Healthier Communities
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3:30-3:45 P.M.

Networking Break

3:45–4:15 P.M.
CASE STUDY

Sharing and Repurposing Internal Stories Across Channels

Not every brand story shared internally is worth showcasing to your external audiences, but those that are can easily be repurposed across various social media platforms and content channels. In this session, we’ll explore proven strategies for getting the most mileage out of your internal content and repurposing the gold into powerful thought leadership content.

You’ll learn:

  • Tips for repurposing the most impactful moments from town halls and company events into social content
  • How to pull multiple stories out of a leader’s single podcast or broadcast media guest spot
  • Examples of how the same content can be tweaked and optimized to meet the best practices of various social media channels
Veronica Cintron
VP, Communications
Tampa International Airport
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4:30-5 P.M.

The Unsession: Crowdsourcing The Hottest Topics (on Main Stage)

7:00 P.M.

Out-Of-This-Galaxy Networking Cocktail Party - Hosted by Disney Parks

After a day of inspirational keynotes, it’s time to save the galaxy!  Join colleagues, social media leaders and special Disney guests at EPCOT for this one-of-a-kind networking cocktail party that includes the opportunity to experience Disney’s all-new family thrill coaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, viewing of the nighttime spectacular “Harmonious” and other can’t miss fun!

Friday, Sep. 23

8:45-9:15 A.M.

Networking Breakfast

9:15-9:45 A.M.
KEYNOTE

A Platform for Purpose: How Pinterest Leads With Its Values (on Main Stage)

In an age when audiences and customers alike demand that the social platforms they use align with their beliefs, Pinterest has demonstrated time and again what leading with your values looks like. In this opening fireside, Pinterest CCO Dr. LeMia Jenkins Thompson will chat with Ragan Editor-in-chief Justin Joffe about how some of the platform's boldest initatives and partnerships were borne from its culture and commitment to do right by employees and users alike.

Dr. LeMia Jenkins Thompson
CCO
Pinterest
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9:55-10:20 A.M.

Social Style: Design and Refine Your Brand Style Guide Across Social Platforms

A brand voice is only as powerful as it is consistent, and that’s where composing a brand style guide comes in. In this session, we’ll explore how to compose and polish a brand style guide that maintains consistent language and messaging approaches across platforms while remaining flexible enough to meet the needs of each audience on social.

You’ll learn:

  • What your brand style guide should include
  • How your brand’s approach to grammar, syntax and sentence construction can mirror the way your various audiences communicate while remaining authentic and consistent to brand voice
  • Examples of how certain stylistic approaches can vary depending on audience
Chelsey Louzeiro
Digital Community Manager
Heifer International
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10:20-10:45 A.M.

Networking Snack Break + Lightning Talk (on Main Stage)

Podcast listenership has exploded in recent years, so it’s no surprise that more PR pros are focused on building relationships with key podcasters. To do this, PR pros need to connect with relevant podcasters, understand their pitching preferences and how to measure success. This 'snackable' session will focus on best practices for pitching podcasts and the podcast metrics that every PR pro needs to know. We’ll cover:

  • How podcasters prefer to be pitched
  • The best way to reach relevant podcasters
  • Why listenership is a key metric for PR pros
Andrew Flynn
Senior Director of Enterprise Sales
Muck Rack
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10:45-11:05 a.m.

Light Up LinkedIn with Thought Leadership

LinkedIn remains the platform of choice for brands looking to publish thought leadership content. In this session, we’ll look at how thought leadership content on LinkedIn has changed and how it has stayed the same over the last couple of years, while sharing best practices for spotlighting your internal and external work.

You’ll learn:

  • About the new features on LinkedIn that can help you up the ante on your thought leadership game
  • How to identify the target audience for your messages on LinkedIn
  • Tips for optimizing your profile (and your executives’ profiles) so thought leadership content is seen by the widest audience possible
  • Strategies for folding LinkedIn into your larger content plan
Regina Dowdell
Senior Content Solutions Consultant
LinkedIn
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11:15-11:45 a.m.

Social Strategies for Attracting and Retaining Talent

The Great Retention remains a very real trend for employers as employees leave their roles to pursue fresh opportunities, join vibrant communities and seek stronger workplace culture. In this session, we’ll explore how your brand can use its social media channels as a dynamic recruitment tool to show future talent why they should consider joining your organization — and remind current employees why they should stay.

You’ll learn:

  • How to craft an inbound recruitment strategy that includes social media tactics at each stage of the journey to attract & retain diverse talent
  • How thought leadership and designated brand ambassadors can create content that can increase retention & your talent pool
  • New and emerging ways that marketers and communicators are utilizing video and partnering with influencers on social media channels in order to attract talent
Blair Broussard
Chief Operations & People Officer
Alloy
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