If you follow our Twitter handle, @BlueArcherPGH, you may already know that we have been attending the Social Media Success Summit 2014 by Social Media Examiner. It is an online conference that spans the course of 4 weeks with over 45 industry speakers. 

What's Covered?

This is a social media success submit, enough said. Well actually, it is more than that. Social media is not just about increasing a Twitter following or understanding how the heck Google + works, but it is becoming a core feature of modern marketing as well as white hat SEO. 

Topics Include:

• Social media platforms
• SEO
• Blogging
• Content
• Visual Marketing
• Analytics 
• Strategy Development 
• Podcasts
• Video Marketing 

This is definitely worth brushing up on or hearing a new perspective on. If you want to see a fully detailed list you can visit Social Media Examiner. 

Who Covers it?

The speakers attending the conference are some of the most noted in their industry. You can see this with Twitter blowing up and a LinkedIn Group that answers live questions. This makes it not only a learning experience, but a networking event as well. We met a ton of well-informed, social media advocates on the Twitter chat alone. Not to mention we had the priviledge of talking to some of the speakers too! 

You can expect: 

@Mike_Stelzner
@Kim Garst
@crestodina
@markwschaefer
@MariSmith
@syedbalkhi
@bryankramer
@IanCleary
@NealSchaffer
@MartinSherv
@LynetteRadio
@AmyPorterfield
@JonLoomer
@AndreaVahl
@VivekavonRosen
@StephSammons
@MelonieDodaro
@ErikJFisher
@Schmittastic
@JessicaNorthey
@pushingsocial
@LeslieSamuel
@manamica
@OSPInteresting
@Bepkoboy
@SociallySorted
@GSPN
@PatFlynn
@LewisHowes
@CalebWojcik
@RonnieBincer
@GideonShalwick
@joepulizzi
@leeodden
@ToddWheatland
@jenns_trends
@SueBZimmerman
@MelanieCanva
@Nichole_Kelly
@arshammm
@cspenn
@susanbeebe
@jaybaer
@Lewis502
@SavvyBostonian

I just included the Twitter handles, but if you want to read some of the accomplishments of the list check out Social Media Examiner. 

What We Learned So Far

We were fortunate enough to attend some of the live sessions and listen to the recorded sessions on our downtime from last week. Was it worth it? We think so. 

How to Succeed by Continuously Showing Up: Drip Feed Marketing  
Mike Stelzner

• We learned that marketing can be most effective when concentrated towards those who care. If we spray our marketing efforts around like a sprinkler, so to speak, we waste a significant amount of time and resources. 

How to Use Visual Content to Drive Massive Social Media Engagement
Kim Garst

• We loved her free stock image resources
  • http://nos.twnsnd.co
  • http://unsplash.com
  • http://photopin.com
  • http://freeimages.com
• And her photo editing and infographic resources
  • http://www.design-seeds.com/
  • https://color.adobe.com/
  • http://www.pictaculous.com/
  • https://pixlr.com/
  • http://www.picmonkey.com/
  • http://awesomescreenshot.com/
  • http://piktochart.com/
  • https://venngage.com/

How Examining Two Numbers in Your Analytics Will Make You a Better Blogger
Andy Crestodina

• Crestodina taught us how to use Google Analytics to make the most of your blog 

Unlocking Your Perfect Social Media Strategy
Mark Schaefer

• Schaefer advised us to ask 6 questions during our social media strategy development process:
  • Can you answer the question "Only we..?"
  • Can our culture nuture & sustain a social media transformation?
  • Are we a conversational brand? Or Could we be?
  • Where are our customers and competitors?
  • What is our source of rich content?
  • What does success look like? 

How to Build Powerful Relationships on Facebook and Beyond
Mari Smith

• Smith inspired us to with her lecture on developing relationships and always remembering the human element of social media. 

How to Grow Your Blog’s Traffic and Revenue
Syed Balkhi

• Balkhi shared tools that will allow you to develop great content and get maximum exposure
  • Keywordtool.io
  • Search.twitter.com

How to Take Control of Your Social Body Language to Maximize Your Social Brand
Bryan Kramer

• Kramer discusses human to human marketing and the shift in the industry that focuses less on advertisements and more on relationships. 

How to Streamline Your Social Media Activities with Proven Tools
Ian Cleary

• Cleary shared links to manage, optimize, and schedule your content. Some of our favorites are below. 
  • app.GetSwayy.com
  • www.CoSchedule.com
  • www.ContentGems.com
  • www.BulkBuffer.com
  • smo.Knowem.com

How to Find Out Where Your Ideal Audience is Using Social Media
Neal Schaffer

• ​Schaffer shared powerful insight on not just creating great content, but figuring out where your target audience is. This is helpful for Facebook ads which can narrow in on nearly any demographic as well as other paid social options. 

Can I still get in on it? 

It is only week 2 so you can still register for the event. If you prefer to leave your social media up to the experts, reach out to us instead. In the meantime, check out #SMSS14 on Twitter for live updates.