Social media for business is no longer optional. Utilizing social media platforms helps businesses identify potential clients, cultivate relationships with a highly-targeted audience, drive website traffic and sales, build brand loyalty, and so much more. In today’s fast-paced, digital society, you have to keep up – and your audience is on social.That’s why Ad 2 Austin is proud to be a sponsor of Austin’s very first Social Media Week— a global conference and content platform sharing insights, ideas, and trends with the world. Social Media Week Independent Austin will be held February 27 – March 1, 2017, alongside those in New York City, Atlanta, Hamburg, Copenhagen, and Lagos. The week will include keynote speakers, panels, workshops, master classes, mentorship sessions, and networking happy hours focused on social media and digital marketing.

The best part? You can get 30% off your ticket with the promo code AD2AUSTIN! Get Tickets Here!

Day 1 features lecture-style presentations and conversations at Google Fiber with:

• Sam Decker – Founder, Mass Relevance; Founding CMO – Bazaarvoice
• Gay Gaddis – CEO and Founder, T3
• Hugh Forrest – Chief Programming Officer, South by Southwest
• Ruben Cantu – CEO, SocialGood
• Shannon Moorman – VP, Talent Acquisition, GSD&M

Days 2 and 3 feature panels, solo speaker sessions, workshops, and roundtable mentorship sessions with:

• Ashley Brown – VP of Global Communications, Spredfast
• David Fossas – Director of Brand, WP Engine
• Greg Roth – Director of Product Marketing, Synthesio
• Bennie Reed – Director of Digital Strategy, The Richards Group
• Sean Carey – Lead Educator and Evangelist for SMaC U (Dell’s Social Media and Community University), Dell Technologies
• Jane Ko – Influencer / Food Blogger – A Taste of Koko
• Jonathan Silverstein – SVP Head of Digital Businesses, Media General Scott Monty – CEO & Co-Managing Partner, Brain+Trust Partners
• Emily Grossman – Creative Director, INK PR
• Jenna Oltersdorf – Principal, Snackbox
• Tim Hayden – President & Co-Managing Partner, Brain+Trust Partners David Wyatt – Business Director and Co-Founder, Wyatt Brand
• Dara Quackenbush – Account Director, PR Newswire
• Corrin Foster – Director of Marketing & Branding, Greenleaf Book Group Jenny Newman – Sr. Global Social Media Training & Design Strategist, Dell Technologies
• Christopher Barger – Founding Partner, Brain+Trust Partners
• Michelle Pimm – Content Strategist, INK PR
• Hope Lafferty – Writer, Hope Lafferty Communications
• Andy Sanderson – Founder, Pawn Ventures
• Doug Clark – CEO and Founder, designVR, llc

Sessions include:

• Put Down the Pitchforks: Managing Discourse Amidst a Crisis

Admit it. When a brand unwittingly fumbles the management of a moment of crisis or awkwardly turns a joke or political statement into a larger crisis, you kind of love it. Whether you are up in arms in the comment section or just eating popcorn and following along for fun, the nature of social media is that things can my missed or misinterpreted then spin way out of control before the person in charge notices. Often it is spectacular to witness. But how do you practically plan for and navigate a crisis when it is you at the controls? This session looks at some epic fails on social media and dives in for a critical and honest look at next practices for dealing with dicey situations on the fly.

-David Wyatt, Co-Founder, Wyatt Brand & Jenna Oltersdorf; Principal, Snackbox

• Social Data: My Customer Said What?

Today, valuable customer data is only one hashtag, post or tweet away. Smart brands and agencies are using this social data to understand who is talking about them, their products and their competitors. Join your peers as we discuss how to mine social data to your brand’s advantage and avoid getting lost or buried by the mountain of insight. We’ll work through lessons learned from the front lines and dig into what types of social data offer the most actionable insights—and where can you find them. Use today’s social data to better plan tomorrow’s campaigns.

-Greg Roth, Director of Product Marketing, Synthesio

• Matchmaker Matchmaker: Find Me An Influencer

Influencer marketing is a buzzword for good reason. According to marketing platform The Shelf, 92 percent of consumers trust recommendations from influencers over brands. And these brands are catching on. 65 percent of them participate in this type of marketing, and 52 percent of companies have separate budgets for sponsored social content. But it’s not as easy as finding popular Instagram accounts and having them post about your product. Effectively connecting with influencers can be huge for your brand, but only if done well. Learn what influencers expect from brands, how much control to give them, reaching the right audiences, and measuring success in this panel of four top influencers.

-Jane Ko, Influencer – A Taste of Koko

-Amy Kritzer, Influencer – What Jew Wanna Eat

-Corrin Foster, Director of Marketing & Branding, Greenleaf Book Group

• If You Want Success, Its Not Culture Its Leadership

The community is tired of hearing about culture this, culture that. You can buy all the ping-pong tables and have casual Fridays. I can still bet you that your culture will suck. It will not make your first line of defense raving fanatics about your company. Want to know why? It is because your leadership doesn’t get it. With so many young companies coming up, learning how to lead is the biggest challenge in building a company/team aside from building the product or service. We guarantee that you can’t have a phenomenal product in the market long enough without a phenomenal leader (leadership team) at the helm. We will explore the steps on how to build a phenomenal culture though leadership.

-Ruben Cantu, CEO, SocialGood

• Making Sure Your Content is Seen and Shared

For the last two years, Search Engines have been the most trusted news source, topping even traditional media. Traditional advertising is seen as one of the most intrusive and least effective forms of communication. Digital advertising? Not when 1 of 4 Internet users employ ad blockers. Increasingly, CMOs are turning to earned media to drive their message and increase revenue. According to a recent study, B2B and B2C marketers agree that pull marketing methods such as social engagement and analyst evaluations are more effective than push marketing methods such as native advertising. This session discusses how organizations can make sure their content is seen and acted upon.

-Dara Quackenbush, Account Director, PR Newswire

• Your Prayers & Tweets are Not Enough

Following yet another tragic mass shooting in the U.S., President Obama once said, “Our thoughts and prayers are not enough.” The phrases “My thoughts are with” and “Praying for” have increased by 220% year-over-year on social, but what changes have actually come to fruition as a result of our thoughts and prayers? Are our concerns actually driving behavior and activism? Or are our words falling on deaf ears? In this timely session, we’ll debate what millennials, Gen Z, Aspirationals, and other online users care about, and what we define as “action” in today’s digital landscape.

-Ashley Brown, VP of Global Communications, Spredfast

• The New Digital Strategy: Social Meets Design

The evolution of communication has brought designers and social strategist into one room. In a time where digital content reigns supreme, leveraging these two roles has become the standard where digital strategy and thoughtful design go hand-in-hand. Fostering the relationship between these disciplines within your team is not only of value to your company but also vital to producing great work for your client that you can all be proud of. In this session we’ll show you how.

-Michelle Pimm, Content Strategist – INK Public Relations;

-Emily Grossman, Creative Director – INK Public Relations

• The Reciprocity Theory

We’re coming to the end of our current technological revolution and on the cusp of our next big bang technological breakthrough. In this presentation, David covers trends, insights and business principles to guide organizations in succeeding through the change.

-David Fossas, Director of Brand – WP Engine

(Don’t Forget Code AD2AUSTIN for 30% Off)