If you haven’t been to a TEDx event or don’t know what it encompasses, let me be the first to inform you. TEDx is a global, local, and community conversation about our shared future. TEDx events are independently organized talks by local communities based off of an organization devoted to “ideas worth spreading” and best of all, its entirely non-profit. From the event coordinators to the speakers and exhibits, everyone involved is donating their time and knowledge to the TEDx community. TEDx is a chance for all of us to venture away from the routine tasks that consume our daily lives and sit in awe, as we marvel at the most inspiring, courageous and fascinating people from around the world.

Today, there are over 45,000 TEDx talks available online. From Jill Bolte Taylor’s inspirational A Stroke of Insight and Elizabeth Gilbert’s Your Elusive Creative Genius, to the impactful “Hackschooling” talk by 13-year-old Logan LaPlante; each speech is as impressive, inspirational and thought provoking as the next. And I wanted to be apart of it, again. In 2013, I got the opportunity to go to TEDx Detroit for the first time. The city had just declared bankruptcy and to the rest of the world, appeared to be falling apart at the seams- not exactly a place any outsiders would willingly visit. Detroit, a city that once represented the spine of the US, a beacon for wealth and success, had fallen a victim to corrupt leaders, economic, and cultural forces. But something happened at TEDx Detroit that year that made me hungry for more. What was it? The kind of hope, innovation, courage and brilliance that only the city of Detroit could possess. I was floored at how the people of Detroit seemed to thrive in a city that had just hit rock bottom, fighting back with tenacity, creativity and ingenuity. It was inspiring, to say the least.

After what was an utterly remarkable experience in 2013, it’s no surprise I went for a second consecutive year. Excited, eager and with a stack of business cards in tow, I arrived at the Detroit Opera House for a day of uplifting speeches, innovative ideas and entrepreneurial thought. Here are the highlights of my experience and the most notable speakers.

Jim Murphy- Pixar Animation Studios

Director Jim Murphy from Pixar Animation Studios brought his humor, ukulele and short animated film “Lava” to TEDx.  Born and raised in Detroit, Murphy laughing introduced himself to the Detroit crowd by making a connection between his birth date and the day the first Ford Mustang rolled off the assembly line.  It was an appropriate introduction, to say the least.  He then spoke about the 25-year history that led to the short film, starting with a honeymoon to Hawaii where he originally dreamt up the story of the lonely volcano.  He used the story and characteristics behind “Lava” to inspire the audience to dive head first into their passions without hesitation.  Not before playing and singing the ukelele-quite good, admittedly- he left the crowd with a single message, “So, Detroit, spread the word. We have to take chances and reinvent ourselves. We have to learn from failures and inspire others with our ideas. But most importantly, we have to pour our heart and souls into everything we do.”

Devita Davison- @foodlabdetroit

Devita Davison walked on stage with a presence and a conviction in her voice that was hard to ignore.  Davison’s passion for Detroit Kitchen Connect ,the city of Detroit and it’s community radiated from her.  She spoke about the food entrepreneurs of Detroit and how they are crafting a new economy.  She credits that same community of food entrepreneurs for helping her to fall in love with the city all over again.  A Detroit native, Davision had found herself back at home after living in New York for nearly 20 years, following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. Upon making the move from New York to Detroit she noticed many similarities between the two cities, with one very large difference. Comparing two shockingly similar photos, she pointed out how parts of Detroit looked identical to the deserted streets of Long Island after Hurricane Sandy saying, “it too looked like it had been hit by a hurricane.”   However, the strength in the community of Detroit was profound.  She went on to note that,”the people in the city of Detroit are not raising their hands saying ‘I give up’, despite population loss, despite poor city services and despite the fact that their neighborhoods have been destined and devastated, they are winners.” Soon, Davison was helping to create Detroit Kitchen Connect, a network of co-working spaces for the city’s food entrepreneurs. And what they’ve managed to create is hugely impressive. Even Oprah thinks so.

It’s true, Detroit hit rock bottom and maybe thats a good thing because it opened up a space for bright, creative and passionate entrepreneurs to reinvent the city.  Outsiders may be fooled, but we are not. Detroit businesses are thriving.

Until next time Tedx.

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There is a strategy and science behind creating and maintaining your social media presence. For a social media campaign to be effective you need to be engaged on a daily basis, which requires a time investment.  And creating good content is not enough – you need consistency in publishing.  You need to listen to what your Fans and Followers are saying about your business and you need to nurture that conversation.  Referencing the transparency note, social media management should not be entrusted to anyone with a spare five minutes to post a vanilla comment to Facebook.  This approach devalues your message and can put your company, product or service in perilous territory.

So heed the warning – short cuts and shortsightedness can have long-term repercussions for your business.

Multiple Brand Social Media Management- @amcguire13

Insight courtesy of Allison McGuire

Good building block advice that should not be overlooked.  Remember, it always comes back to the basics.

Identify main goal of social media (sample goals):

• Branding & customer engagement
• Revenue
• Customer service
• Information & SEO (sample tactics)
  • Utilize existing content
  • New content, focus on key words
  • Share relevant news articles & info
  • Testimonials
  • Youtube videos
  • Growing fan base
  • Add 1-2 hashtags per post
  • Post on Google+ – shows in news alerts

Branding & Customer engagement

• Consistent posts
• Consistent messaging
• Consistent voice
• Engaging posts that create likes, comments share
• Photos that are inclusive and inspirational – brand specific, not generic re-posts
• Questions/surveys
• Sweepstakes/contests
• Video

Content Marketing Strategy-@daverothsays

Insight courtesy of David Roth

You’ll hear a lot about not only the importance of content but also its authenticity.  This reinforces why sufficient resources need to be dedicated to your content and social media.

• Good marketing is really about storytelling
• Hit people at passion points
• “Content marketing is really an exercise in new media”
• Authenticity is key

Insight courtesy of Chris Bennett

Amen to this!  We ingest information much differently today and hence visual appeal is critical.  Make good design part of your content efforts.

• We live in a visual web – make sure it’s pretty. Spend time on the UI and UX
• Make content for content’s sake – it’s a long term strategy
• MOBILE! Need to develop mobile friendly content
• Interactive content makes boring things awesome

Targeting the Right Social Media Demographic- @VirtualMarketer

Insight courtesy of Rebecca Murtagh

Don’t venture into social anticipating a traditional sales cycle.  And don’t think your audience is limited to just your direct Likes and/or Followers.

• 72% of all shares via copy & past vs. 25% of sharing via Facebook & Twitter combined
• 96% of visitors are not yet ready to buy
• Use key words to find influencers in target demographic
• Your audience is listening even w/out 100% engagement; the audience is always way bigger than you think

Brand Journalism and Creating Brand Awareness – @MelCarson

Insight courtesy of Mel Carson

The real take away here is the AURA approach.  There is a strategy and science behind creating and maintaining your social media presence.

• Brand is experience
• 27% of time on social media – via Experian marketing services
• Encourage channel hopping
• The science of great content = AURA
  • Authentic
  • Useful
  • Relevant
  • Actionable

Insight courtesy of Rob Fuggetta

There are no more silos – good content is mission critical to SEO.

• “Content is no longer an addition to, but the main focus of SEO” – SearchMetrics 2014 Study
• User Generated Content is digital gold
  • Highly trusted
  • Relevant
  • Influential
  • Searchable
  • Google encourages UGC
• Turn advocates (e.g. customers) into content creators

Insight courtesy of Melissa Fach

Melissa’s presentation really drove home the point of authenticity when trying to build community.  The ‘TAGFEE’ approach encapsulates a great strategy to achieve that.

• You can’t be good at social or community w/out plans and strategies in place
• TAGFEE
  • Transparent
  • Generous
  • Fun
  • Empathetic
  • Exceptional
• Empower community team
  • Honest
  • Real
  • Generous
  • Happy
  • Emphatic
  • Freaking awesome
• BRANDS NEED CORE VALUES
  • Time consuming but worth it

Social Commerce: It’s Not About Likes It’s About Sales

The connection between social media and sales isn’t that elusive when you consider John’s Scotty Pippen analogy.

Insight courtesy of John Lawson

• Definition of social commerce – influencing how consumers spend
  • Not necessarily the same as social shopping
• We under value social & mobile
• Social is the “Scotty Pippen”
  • Social is a great hand off to get people to buy from you

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Five tips to create shareable content for your business:

1. Be timely

Time is of the essence for topical stories and fads. Find ways to incorporate your brand into current events and issues, but remember – the Internet has a short attention span. If you wait too long, your content can be deemed stale or out of date and end up ignored.

2. Appeal to the nostalgic factor

On the other hand, everyone enjoys taking a trip down memory lane. One of the benefits of inspiring nostalgic feelings in your audience is that people like to reminisce together. If you get people talking about things they remember from childhood, there’s a good chance they will want to share that information with people who can relate – this includes same-age buddies and coworkers.

3. Use your emotional intelligence

Add personality to your content. Part of the reason we create content is to build strong business-client relationships. In order to do that, you have to seem human. Yes, we know you are a professional, but you can be both!

4. Include a mixture of media

When it comes to content, viewers are a little bit like students who don’t want to read books without pictures. And can you blame them? Your audience is presented with such a vast influx of content daily, it’s imperative that you catch their attention and keep it long enough to get your point across. You can do this by including pictures, video and infographics along with any written content.

5. Inspire your readers!

When people feel inspiration and awe, they enjoy sharing those feelings with others. That’s why posting inspiring content is a great way to get people linking back to your brand. Things like community service, donations and standing up for a cause really gets people talking (the #icebucketchallenge is a perfect example of this). If your brand spreads positivity, your viewers will be sure to pay it forward.

Once you have these elements integrated into your audience-specific content, there are still steps you can take to ensure shareability. Create attention-grabbing headlines, but make sure they are not too sensational or else they might seem less creditable. Keep a consistent brand voice that your viewers can become familiar with. And finally, in order to catch the interest of more readers, post your content steadily and regularly.

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