UnSummit3: My UnTop10

I already knew Minnesota interactive marketers were a smart group. After UnSummit3, though, I realized – hey?!?! That did exactly what it was supposed to do!

With a theme of what’s next, UnSummit3 was attempting to uncover just what we’re all getting ourselves into as we embark on our grand journey as interactive marketers. Several statements were made in the discussions I was a part of that stated some great possibilities. And, more importantly, they left my mind reeling with even more possibilities.

So, here are my top four takeaways from UnSummit3. An “alternative” conference can’t have a nice, neat top five or ten, after all.

1. Will the onslaught of social media activity turn all of our online selves into boring selves with no personalities?

   Making ourselves known online is easier than ever. Everybody’s a writer. Everybody’s a publisher. Everybody’s a marketer and a brand manager (for themselves).

   Unfortunately, everybody’s also a stalker. Whether it’s related to our career, our love life, or anything else, “Facebook stalking” just might be becoming America’s new favorite pastime.

   As interactive marketers, we can’t afford not to be online. This fact is arguably true for other industries, too. (Or maybe just to maintain some kind of social life.) So, simply removing profiles to avoid the issue completely might not be the best option.

   If we “sterilize” our profiles to the point that we look vanilla – not a sprinkle or cherry on top in site – are we doing ourselves an injustice? Assuming we use common sense, do we really want to work for a place or be part of a group that can’t handle our personalities?

   (I’m not sure who brought up the point of sterilizing profiles, but it obviously made me think. So thank you. And if you happen to read this post, please claim the idea as your own.)

2. Interactive marketing isn’t marketing (or even interactive marketing) as usual.

   This idea began to develop, for me at least, at the MIMA Summit (and no, I’m not going anywhere near the Summit vs. UnSummit argument…). Our goal as interactive marketers today is really to connect with our most vocal customers (the 1%), and then, let them do the marketing – talking about the product, telling everyone how great it is, etc.

   Of course, we need to communicate brand and the basic product features and benefits. But then, it’s our job to listen to customers. So we’re finders and we’re listeners, but then what’s next?

   Then, we need to take what we hear back to the company and use it to create a better product, service, or company. So, the possibilities of what an interactive marketer might become are nearly endless: organizational developers, customer service managers, product developers, and more.

   In the agency model conversation, @paulisakson brought up a great point about this situation we’re in as marketers, and how it really builds in the possibility for better companies. Essentially, we should be able to save money by letting our customers do the marketing, instead of buying expensive ad space or designing expensive campaigns. Instead, we can take this money back to the company for product or business development. If things really began to work out this way, everybody wins.

3. Social media might seem like a fun fantasy world, but, this just in, the “real world” can see it, too.

   From career concerns to legal issues to business policies, a lot of the fear surrounding social media could be taken away by just remembering some basic common sense. (Getting to be an oldie, and not directly related to interactive, but so incredibly true – read The Death of Common Sense by Philip K. Howard.) (Also, of course, I realize this doesn’t solve all legal issues.)

   If we wouldn’t say it in “real life”, then don’t say it online. The same real people we talk to offline also happen to be online. Imagine that. And unlike these people’s memories offline, the Internet doesn’t forget. Ever. We’re not paranoid about everything we say offline, and I don’t think we should have to be online either. But we also can’t be stupid.

   A few things to keep in mind? Employees can just as easily make a stupid comment to their entire network of friends and family in the real world as they can online, and there’s nothing we can do about that. And we’ve all heard the tagline: “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas”. Remember the opposite when it comes to social media. What happens on social media sites most certainly doesn’t stay on social media sites.

4. Be succinct, accessible, and useful above all else.

   In the Social Media Reality Check discussion led by @philson, we discussed how everything convenient is winning out among “real people”. Mobile is becoming more common; laptops are often preferred over desktops; people often like Twitter more than Facebook because it’s less cumbersome. If we add too many bells and whistles to things that really aren’t helpful to users, we could end up hurting ourselves more than helping.

   Then, there was the storytelling discussion (with @threevolts, @ sandentotten, and ?? can someone fill me in on the third?). Can the initiative to simplify be applied here, too? I think so. Have we gotten so sucked into the hype and, more or less, fairy tales of viral marketing success that we’re always looking for the biggest, best story to get our customers’ attention? I don’t think we necessarily need rocket ships, robots, or moving parts. Our customers are getting smarter and busier. They just want to know what they need to know. All we really need to do is give them something they can identify with – make them care. If it’s worth talking about – whether it’s covered in glitz and glamour or not – they’ll talk.

Thanks to all organizers, sponsors, and attendees for such great, thought-provoking conversation!