Marketing Logic

As I wrap up my sixth month as a bona fide internet marketing professional under the influence of Matt Bailey, I’m starting to hit my stride. I’ve figured out in which areas I’m naturally talented, what most interests me, what is effective and what isn’t, and what I’d still like to know more about. Besides, this industry is constantly evolving and there is always more to learn.

So I am beyond excited about attending the Small Business Marketing Unleashed conference in Houston on April 21-22. Facilitated by the team behind Search Engine Guide and Small Business Brief, Unleashed is a two-day intensive conference complete with workshops, networking events, and a host of talented and knowledgeable speakers. It’s geared towards small business owners and newbies to the internet marketing industry.

I’ve been fortunate to quickly build a solid search engine marketing foundation working under Matt here at SiteLogic. But I’m not about to pass up a chance to learn from some of the best in the business!

Helping Small Businesses Level The Playing Field
I’ve always loved working with small businesses to help them make their communications more professional and effective. And the great thing about online marketing is that the internet levels the playing field between big business with big advertising dollars and small business with, well, not so much. With some SEO and a great link building campaign (for starters) a small business website can rank right up there with the big guys. And it doesn’t cost tons of money (or even very much) to get there.

Unleashed is geared towards small businesses and internet marketers who want to get the biggest bang for their buck out of their websites. Whether your site is geared towards sales, leads, memberships, or page views, the sessions at this conference will give you practical, easy-to-implement tools and strategies to vastly improve the effectiveness of your site.

The conference is purposely being kept small in order to facilitate the best possible learning experience for those who attend. Instead of a major industry conference with thousands of people and basic sessions, Unleashed will dig deep into each topic.

Practical Sessions And Workshops
The sessions and workshops I’m planning to attend are a nice mix of topics I know something about and ones I know little about. Regardless, I’m expecting to learn a lot from all of them. The first day of the conference is informational sessions. The second day is filled with a variety of intensive workshops to supplement the sessions from day one. Topics I plan to attend include:

• Keywords and Content. This workshop is all about how to choose the right keywords and then integrate them into your content. It’s about a whole lot more than just title tags.
• Link Building. I know why it’s important to get links, and I know how to get them for my blog. But I’m going to this workshop to learn how to plan and run an actual link building campaign. It focuses on creating a long-lasting strategy that will improve traffic and sales as well as rankings.
• Viral Marketing. I know a bit about viral marketing, the buzz phrase of the day. But I need to know how to actually plan and implement a viral campaign; what works and what doesn’t; and how to identify key “influencers.” All of these are key topics for this workshop.
• Blogging for Business. I’m a big believer in blogging for gaining links and traffic, branding yourself as an expert, and for fun. I’ve seen firsthand how successful running a blog with a few key tactics can be. This session will cover blogging as a component of your greater marketing scheme. It includes tips and tricks for building your blog and audience.

Those are some of the sessions that interest me most, but they all look amazing. I wish I had Hermione’s time-turner so that I could check them all out! Other topics include:

• Site Architecture
• Social Media Marketing
• Web Analytics
• Site Clinics
• Building a Community
• Paid Search Advertising

Knowledgeable, Approachable Speakers
The speakers for the Unleashed conference really are some of the best in the business. I’ve had some contact with several of them, met several personally, and read blogs for most of them. They really do know their stuff. Their expertise is also recognized by other top industry professionals.

Most of them will be available after their sessions and during various network events. They love to meet you, answer your questions, and talk about the industry or life in general. (Personally, I can’t wait to meet Christine Churchill and talk to her about that gorgeous horse I’ve seen in her profile pictures.)

Register Now And Get A Discount
The total cost for Small Business Marketing Unleashed is $975 and includes all of the sessions and workshops, a networking dinner, and a flash drive with conference materials. Enter the discount code PUPPY when you register and get a $100 discount. Workshops are limited to 50 people, so register soon to make sure you can get into the ones you want.