After a lot of thought, we decided to do a marketing conference. It was a big decision because putting on meshU and mesh is a lot of work, and doing a conference in October meant working on it over the summer. Still, it was something we wanted to do so meshmarketing was born.

Over the past five months, there’s been a lot happening behind the scenes (particularly by our event planner extraordinaire, Sheri Moore), so it’s really exciting that meshmarketing is now only three days away (Oct. 22.)

We’re particularly satisfying is the high quality speakers that we’ve been able to attract – everyone from keynote speakers Hugh MacLeod, Ferg Devins, Katherine Fletcher and Mitch Joel to Dan Martell and Amielle Lake. And we believe the concept – a morning of a keynote and panels, followed by eight workshops – is the right content mix.

As well, it’s also been rewarding to see that the decision to hold meshmarketing was the right one – people are still looking for insight into what to do when it comes to digital marketing and, as important, how to do it.

For those of you attending the conference, things kick off at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at The Drake Hotel (Underground) with a pre-party featuring the artwork of Hugh MacLeod.

See you there!

Note: If you haven’t registered yet, you can do so here.

A blog post on Silicon Valley Insider talks about how Facebook was the only social network being enthusiastically discussed at the recent Ad Week and Social Ad Summit – even though other social networks have large numbers of users.

The post’s author, Rory Maher, contends that Facebook’s edge is the high levels of engagement among users who are spending more of their social networking time on Facebook.

The chart below shows how time on social networking social has social over the past year:

Mark you calendars with these dates!

October 21
The meshmarketing pre-party
Brought to you by Molson Coors
Join the meshmarketing gang in an event showcasing the artwork of Hugh MacLeod.
Time: 6 pm to 10 pm
Location:
The Drake, Underground
1150 Queen Street West, Toronto
Thank you to our hospitality sponsor and host: Drake Hotel Toronto

October 22
The meshmarketing after party
Brought to you by the Social Media Group
It’s a wrap! Join us to celebrate a fantastic day of meshing! The festivities continue with the gang at SMG.
Time: 5 pm to 8 pm
Location:
CIRCA
126 John St., Toronto

We look forward to meshing with you on Oct 21 and 22. See you next week!

You can purchase tickets here.

The emergence of social media as a new, different and effective marketing medium, however, has changed the competitive landscape. Today, public relations, advertising and digital agencies are all providing or moving to provide clients with social media services – everything from strategic plans and tactical implementation to creative and applications.

It means that the days of working in isolation are over. Instead, the different agencies are competing for business and increasingly working together to meet the needs of clients.

The challenge for clients is determining who provides what services, and who should be the lead agency when doing social media marketing campaigns. Do companies lead with their advertising agency, and get them to coordinate with the public relations and digital agencies on record? Or do all three agencies need to be at the table at the same time so they’re reading off the same script?

At meshmarketing, one of our two panels is focused on marketing within the social media landscape, how marketing fits into the scheme of things, and how public relations, digital and advertising agencies are competing and co-existing. Our panelists – Fleischman-Hillard Canada president Mia Wedgbury, iStudio co-founder Katherine Fletcher and Juniper Park president Jill Nykoliation – will be offer their perspectives on what’s happening and what it means to their businesses and their clients.

You can register for meshmarketing here.

One the major reasons why we’re so enthusiastic about meshmarketing and how it meets the needs of people within the digital marketing space are the eight workshops that are happening in the afternoon after Hugh MacLeod’s keynote and two panels in the morning.

The workshops are happening because people who attended the marketing stream during the last mesh conference said the keynotes and panels were interesting but they wanted more insight and information into the tools and tactics to help them get things done.

As a result, we’ve put together workshops featuring people who are working in the digital trenches, which means they can provide hands-on insight into best practices, the most compelling tools, and real-world examples of what works and what doesn’t. Here’s a snapshot of the eight workshops.

Insight Into SEM/SEO
Search engine marketing and optimization continues to attract more attention and advertising dollars because advertisers like the fact it is an activity that can be tracked and dynamically adjusted to get the best results. Jeff Quipp will provide insight and perspective on best practices and how to be more successful with your SEM and SEO spending and programs.

Social Media Analytics – What, Why and How
As social media becomes a bigger part of the marketing/advertising landscape, more companies want to know who’s talking about their brands and products, and how they can engage with key influencers and opinion leaders. Katie Delahaye Paine will talk about why social media analytics is being embraced so enthusiastically, the benefits its provides to companies who want to get a better handle on the social media ecosystem, and tips into using social media analytics services.

Tapping Into Facebook
Facebook has more than 300 million registered users – a number that makes it an interesting advertising medium. But many companies are still trying to figure out what works within Facebook. Is advertising effective? Or should marketing activity be focused on Facebook Pages that engage consumers while offering them information about products and services. Facebook Canada’s Elmer Sotto will offer his thoughts on how companies should approach Facebook to reach consumers.

How to Approach Mobile Marketing
With the continued growth of wireless device usage and the emergence of high-speed networks, the mobile advertising market has huge potential for advertisers and marketers. eMarketer suggests the U.S. market will grow to $1.3-billion from $320-million in 2008. One of the big challenges facing advertisers and marketers is determining the most effective mobile campaigns. Tagga Media CEO Amielle Lake will talk about how media planners can create, deploy, manage, and analyze mobile marketing campaigns for their clients.

The Keys to User-Generated Creative
One of the more interesting parts of social media marketing is how a growing number of companies are “outsourcing” the creative process by encouraging consumers to come up with videos and new product designs. Among the most successful campaigns was Dorito’s, which attracting a huge amount of attention with a program in which consumers created Super Bowls ads. Frito Lay’s Andrew Sutherland and BBDO’s Dino Demopoulos will provide behind the scenes insight into how user-generated creative campaigns work, and how they can be effective in driving brand awareness and consumer engagement.

Build Web Properties that Convert
After you have managed to attract people to your Web site, how do you get visitors to convert into customers? What are the tricks in getting them to make a purchase, fill out a contact form, or make a phone call. Dan Martell promise to offer nine tactics focused on Web conversions and user retention to drive real results.

Creating Inbound Marketing Campaigns
Finding it hard to get leads and customers? Are things such as tradeshows, advertising and telemarkteting not working that well? Dharmesh Shah will show you how to attract people using through Google, blogs and social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, and provide insider tips from the trenches about what works and what doesn’t when trying to “get found” online.

Targeting Audiences: Practical Uses of Behavioural Targeting and Retargeting
This workshop is an introduction into the world of online audience targeting through the use of behavioural and retargeting technology. In this session, you will get a better understanding of audience targeting and how data is collected and used, receive insight about current privacy issues, and practice advice when it comes to best practices for marketers. Olive Media’s Mladen Raickovic will provide insight how advertising networks work and what they offer.

Here are the details for next week’s meet-up:

Where: The Pilot Tavern, 22 Cumberland Avenue, Toronto (Map)
When: Sept. 30, 6 p.m to 10 p.m.

Here’s why we think you should come to meshmarketing:

1. Hugh MacLeod’s keynote. A marketing consultant, blogger and a well-known cartoonist, Hugh’s going to offer a unique perspective that will draw upon his experience in launching creative and successful marketing campaigns for clients such as Saville Row tailor English Cut, South African winery Stormhoek.

2. The panels. While there are only two panels, we think they’re going to be provocative and engaging.

The panel looking at how digital, public relations and advertising agencies are co-existing and competing will be fascinating at a time when social media is causing the lines between them to blur, making it a bigger challenge for clients to determine who does exactly what these days.

The second panel exploring the role that marketing plays in social media will offer lots of food for thought given the rules of engagement are very different from traditional marketing.

3. Mitch Joel. This is the first time that we have had Mitch at a mesh conference so we’re excited about the insight he’ll offer. The timing for Mitch’s appearance couldn’t be better as his new book, “Six Pixels of Separation” looks at how businesses can use digital marketing and social media to reach a global audience.

4. The workshops. The entire afternoon of meshmarketing will be devoted to eight hands-on, interactive workshops that will put the spotlight on the tools, technique and best practices for digital marketing.

The workshops cover a broad range of topics: everything from how to effectively use SEO/SEM and insight on how to market on Facebook to social media analytics and creating Web sites that convert. The workshops are designed to be interactive and engaging so be prepared to participate and contribute, as well as learn.

5. The socials. The opportunity socialize, network and meet new people is a key part of the mesh experience so we’ve got two socials happening.

The pre-conference party will be an art exhibit featuring Hugh MacLeod’s work, and an opportunity to meet all of our speakers. The after-party, sponsored by the Social Media Group, is open to the high-tech community, and a great opportunity to meeting and mingle.

We’re really exciting about putting on the first meshmarketing. More information about the speakers and the schedule can be found on the Web site. Tickets can be bought through Eventbrite.

To purchase a student ticket, head on over to the meshmarketing registration page.

So, what is meshmarketing and why should you come?

It’s a one-day event happening on Oct. 22 in Toronto that is focused on insights, tools and tactics to help you get more insight about the growing online marketing and advertising markets. It’s an event designed to provide you with ideas and perspective on the key trends but, as important, practical and valuable knowledge that you put in action. You can register for meshmarketing here.

Our keynote speaker is Hugh MacLeod, a popular cartoonist, author and marketing thought-leader. meshmarketing also features two panels, which will provide some more food for thought to start the event.

One panel looks at how public relations, advertising and digital agencies are co-existing and competing at a time when the silos between them are blurring as the agencies start to offer similar services focused on the Web. The panel features Mia Wedgbury, president of Fleischman-Hillard Canada; Katherine Fletcher, a senior partner with iStudio; and Jill Nykoliation, president with Juniper Park

The second panel looks at how what role marketing plays within social media, and how it can be effectively and successfully done. The panel includes Mitch Joel, president with Twist Image and the author of a new book, Six Pixels of Separation; and Ferg Devins, chief public affairs officer for Molson Coors, who leads Molson’s social media activities.

We’re also really excited about the eight workshops taking place in the afternoon. Truth be told, a big part of the inspiration for meshmarketing came from feedback that we received during mesh from people looking for more hands-on insight and tools-they-could-use information and knowledge.

The workshops, designed to be interactive and engaging, include:

- Building Web Properties that Convert (Dan Martell)
- Advertising Networks 101 (Mladen Raickovic)
- Search Engine Marketing/Search Engine Optimization (Jeff Quip)
- Generating Customer-Driven Creative (Andrew Sutherland, Dino Demopoulos)
- The Keys to Mobile Marketing (Amielle Lake)
- Facebook 101 for Marketing (Elmer Sotto)
- Social Media Analytics (Katie Delahaye Paine)
- Inbound Marketing Campaigns (Dharmesh Shah)

We’ll kick off meshmarketing with a pre-event party and, of course, an after-party. More details to come soon. We’re looking forward to seeing you at meshmarketing!

meshmarketing is a one-day event focused on insights, tools and tactics to help you win customers’ hearts and minds online — through a combination of great keynotes, “show and tell” presentations and in-depth workshops.

General admission is C$489 + GST. Get your ticket here.

At meshmarketing, you will interact with digital marketing thought leaders, connect with peers and prospects, and get a better understanding of the impact that new developments online will have on your strategy and your job. Together, we’ll discuss best practices and the successful use of social media, online marketing, mobile marketing, search, video and word-of-mouth.

meshmarketing brings together people who are passionate about the potential of the Web to change how we live, work and play. This day is not just about presentations from the stage. Like our other events, meshmarketing will be a highly interactive experience where we will continue the dialogue and explore the next generation of ideas, leaders and companies.

Who should attend? Marketers, digital agencies, PR practitioners, communication professionals and anyone passionate about marketing and the web.

You’re spending more and more of your budget building your business using the Web. But are you making the right calls? Is display the way to go? What about search? Social media? Community? Video?

You know that word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful tools you and your company can use to spread the word about your product(s) or service(s), and the Web is like word-of-mouth on steroids. What’s working and why?

Within minutes, fans can spread the news of a new service or feature across thousands of blogs, Facebook groups, Twitter updates and Web forums. What people think about your brand or company is influenced in a split-second. Unfortunately for some companies, that same power can spread bad news just as widely and just as quickly.

Come to meshmarketing to sort through the noise so that you can benefit from the former and handle the latter.

meshmarketing is where you get ahead.

If you’re interested in participating in this event as a sponsor, please contact sponsors@meshconference.com.