actionable marketing guide

Dear ,

After an inspiring week at MarketingProfs B2B Forum with Ann Handley and her squad, our bus slowly lumbered back from Boston across the Bruckner Expressway and down Fifth Avenue. But the traffic didn’t dampen the enthusiasm and joy I brought home with me.

I love MarketingProfs B2B Forum. They're my “peeps”. It’s like coming home and seeing your favorite friends all in one place. As a conference, it’s a magnet for amazing people. The people I don’t know are new friends I haven’t met yet.

My favorite moment of the conference by far was when I ran into Hannah Howard Bink who attended my Teach Me How Session last year. 

Based on our post-panel lunch discussion she got promoted and was able to change jobs. Talk about making a difference in someone's life! (BTW this is a good way to make the case to attend a conference.)

Beyond the usual mix of high quality marketing knowledge, Handley explicitly focuses on “FUN.”  This year, attendees collected buttons at each major session. While like the flair Jennifer Aniston’s waitress character wore in Office Space, it was more of a nod to the anti-war and peace buttons of the late 1960s.

To emphasize the conference theme of “Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable,” Handley donned a pair of tap shoes to kick off the conference after only a mere 2 lessons!

Even if you didn’t attend MarketingProfs B2B Forum, ask if you've been holding your marketing (as well as other parts of your life) back because you stayed in your “comfort zone”?  Maybe it’s time to give yourself permission to aim higher because it’s okay to fail as long as you don’t give up!

If you’re considering creating a conference, attend this one to learn how to do it right! No detail is too small for the MarketingProfs team. As a speaker, I’m always amazed that Handley takes the time to handwrite thank-you notes. (Maybe that’s why she considers me a “B2B Babe”!)

While most high-quality conferences have top rated keynote speakers to help attract attendees, MarketingProfs B2B keynote talks are different. Handley and her team select non-marketers from unusual backgrounds whose stories motivate listeners to act.

On the second day we were mesmerized by Alison Levine who led the first American women’s expedition to the top of Mount Everest. Just 300 feet short of the top a storm forced Levine and her team to turn around and descend.

As she taught us, if you want to survive, you must take action based on the situation. Sticking to your plan at all costs may be fatal. One person’s poor judgment can bring down an entire team.

In her words, your plan is out-of-date once you start because conditions shift.

When you set high goals, you need the freedom to fail. 

BTW – Alison Levine did get another chance at Everest and made it to the summit. If you’re interested in her full story, please check out her book, On The Edge.

For those of you on the left coast that haven’t attended MPB2B Forum due to location, fear not. This gem of a business conference is pulling up stakes and moving to San Francisco next year.

As for me, I’m happy to be staying in New York for a while.

That said, I’m attending Incite’s Brand Marketing Summit on October 24^th and 25^th. It’s focused on personalization and experience, content and storytelling, omni-channel integration and attribution. I’m excited to hear from some brands I admire and to see some of my colleagues.

Please join me in San Diego for Social Media Marketing World 2018 this coming March. It’s one of the 3 conferences I always attend. Now it's even better for content creators, there’s a special track just for you. Act now and save! Prices go up after Friday. 

Happy Marketing
Heidi.

Heidi Cohen
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​​​​​​​Social Media Marketing World 2018 is just around the corner (February 28 - March 2, 2018, at the San Diego Convention Center.)

Brought to you by Social Media Examiner, this is the conference for anyone wanting to learn how to make the most of social media and meet the companies and experts in the field.

Join me at this exciting event. Don't delay – the current promotion ends Friday!

• Big hat tip to my colleague Lee Odden of Top Rank Marketing. He truly walks the talk when it comes to Influencer Marketing. Heidi Cohen was one of 50 B2B Influencers for 2017.

  

  Looking to take your marketing to the next level? Then fill your social media streams with these folks and read what they write and think is important.

  
  

• Heidi Cohen participated in Aaron Orendorff’s massive update to his post: How To Network At A Conference. This article is a lesson not only in how to gain recognition at a conference but also how to transform existing content into massive content.