New direction for social marketing?

"The State of Social Marketing" will look at current and future trends in social, and how companies can best utilize these trends for growth.  Brad McCarty, the North American editor of  The Next Web will give a ten minute presentation on the three most essential changes in social marketing over the next year, and then a panel of marketing leaders will dissect his presentation, challenging him on any points of dissension.  Both companies and individuals who are looking to improve their social marketing strategies will benefit from this panel of award-winning marketers, while gaining insight into the following issues:  The three most important changes to social marketing, how strategies should evolve in 2012, companies that serve as examples, and any social marketing topics that experts disagree on.

Brad McCarty

As an author on The Next Web, Brad McCarty writes blog posts that focus on startups and the future of social marketing.  His blog posts provide a range of information from the latest tech news to how businesses can best utilize social media, and everything in between. Follow Brad on Twitter for up-to-date technology and social marketing news.

Jascha Kaykas-Wolff works for Involver and oversees all of the marketing efforts, including strategy, branding, product marketing, advertising, and social relations.  With his work with Involver, Kaykas-Wolff recognizes the impact of social for businesses today.  "Brands are held accountable for the content they create and the conversations that spawn from it. Social is driving changes to the entire marketing profession."  Additionally, Kaykas-Wolff believes that social marketing has evolved over the past four years.  "Social marketing has grown into a 'channel' for investments.  The focus on investment, return and optimization have supported the growth of an ecosystem of software companies like hoot suite, buddy media, radian6 and Involver making investments in social marketing accountable to businesses."

Joe Chernov is the VP of content marketing for Eloqua.   Eloqua automates the science of marketing by focusing on campaign execution, testing, measurement, prospect profiling, which allow marketers to acquire customers and devlop strong brands and creative campaigns.  In addition to being VP of content marketing, Chernov writes articles for Eloqua and blog entries on his own website.  Read this article about how Chernov and Eloqua create catchy content to drive sales. 

Jesse Thomas

Jesse Thomas is the founder of JESS3, a creative interactive agency that specializes in the art of data visualization.  He believes that "social marketing is critical for companies, because in front of our eyes people are spending more and more time online."  Additionally, he emphasizes the importance of innovation in marketing.  "Creativity and innovation are critical to marketing and advertising.  As one brand tries something, their competitors start thinking about copying them and so on.  Technology in marketing is an arms race!"  Thomas attributes social marketing to "walking down a crowded public street that seems to go on for an eternity...A marketer must figure out how to make a sale in the middle of this great thriving main street."  He speaks about some key changes in social marketing, including "group deals like groupon, group chat like beluga, geosocial marketing via Foursquare," as well as "co-branded content via media partnerships like Vice and Intel Creators Project, and the gamification of experiences like mint.com."

JESS3 created this neat video about how the Internet has grown and how much it is ingrained in all of our lives...

Ekaterina Walter is the social media strategist for Intel.  She spoke to thousands about how small-to-medium businesses can utilize social media to increase and engage customers.  Walter works closely with Intel's corporate marketing group to provide a set of best practices and strategies.  She also has her own blog, including a story about her journey here as an immigrant from Russia. 

Ekaterina explains how Intel utilizes social media...

Follow Ekaterina on Twitter to get updated information.

Join us in March at SXSW Interactive for an in-depth look at the future of social marketing from these knowlegable panelists.