iStrategy – same old?

Phoebe Adams at February 23rd, 2012

This week I attended the first day of the iStrategy Global Digital Media conference in Sydney.

Unfortunately, other than a brief appearance by Claire Díaz Ortis, head of social innovation, philanthropy and cause marketing at Twitter Inc., the conference was notably missing international keynote speakers.

Is this a problem? Yes, I believe so.

We heard from some great Australian speakers from brands including News Corporation, Fairfax Media, Google and IBM. We heard about their experiences integrating social media into their businesses, their plans for mobile, and how they are adapting to the ever-changing technological landscape.

They spoke about very similar concepts and applications, and I left feeling underwhelmed.

One of the challenges that arises when we operate in a relatively small market is that we know the players; we’ve seen examples of their work in action and we are reasonably close to the results. So when we attend a conference of this nature, the presentations reinforce what we already know rather than inspiring and challenging us with new news and fresh ideas.

I thought back to the Chief Marketing Officer conference I attended in September last year. Again, most of the presentations were off the shelf with the exception of a Skype presentation from Seth Godin – king of marketing. He CAPTIVATED the audience with anecdotes, analogies and examples, none of which I had heard before. He gave us ammunition to use in our businesses and inspired us to think about marketing differently. He was with us remotely, but was closer to our needs than any presenter I’ve experienced.

His greatest lesson was just to give things a go and not fear failure, reminding us, “The person who invented the ship also invented the shipwreck”.

No slides – just great ideas.

So, instead of offering great insights into digital strategy gleaned from the iStrategy conference, I thought I’d provide some pointers on preparing a great conference presentation: take them or leave them!

1. Think about your audience.
If you are presenting to senior marketers or agencies, pitch at an appropriate level.

2. Tell us something we don’t know!
Think about your point of difference and draw out key facts that the audience may not have considered. Play to your strengths and your niche.

3. Give examples.
Provide case studies with real results that help marketers and agencies understand how to implement your recommendations. It’s OK to reference international examples – if they worked and you can share the results. Or bring international spokespeople with you to share their learnings firsthand.

4. Have an opinion.
There’s nothing worse than a ‘vanilla’ presentation. Have an opinion and voice it. If people disagree, that’s great! Let’s have a discussion…

5. Tell a story.
Part of your job is to entertain as well as inform, so harness the art of storytelling with an imaginative beginning, an informative middle and a great ending.

6. You know the next one
… cut down on the slides! It’s not fun for anyone.

Good luck and happy presenting.