Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in Pubcon Las Vegas, one of the world’s largest, most popular digital marketing conferences. Before shipping out for the event, I read a few “surviving Pubcon” guides and the most commonly shared piece of advice was to plan ahead and map out exactly which sessions you plan to attend. When I arrived, it became very apparent that this was a wise move. There were multiple tracks so, at any point during the 4-day event, attendees had the option of listening to one of six presentations, roaming the exhibit hall or networking with fellow attendees.
Although I tried to stick with my meticulously planned schedule, it was tough. There were tons of interesting presentations so I frantically bounced from room to room trying to fit everything in. By the end of day 1, I was thoroughly exhausted and wishing I could clone myself to make it to all the sessions I wanted to see…and that’s when I decided it was time to give in and stick with my original schedule. Now, I’m finally getting the chance to catch up on the presentations I missed through Slideshare.
There’s a ton of good material online and, if you didn’t make it to Pubcon, I highly recommend taking some time to dive into the content. I know it can be overwhelming, so here are the top four most popular slideshows from the event. Run through these presentations online and you’ll feel like you were practically there (minus the hangover).
Pinterest: 14 Tips to Expand Your Reach – Cynthia Johnson, RankLab
I dove into this slideshow first because it was ridiculously popular. It generated quite a buzz on Twitter and subsequently, the Slideshare presentation has already garnered over 2,000 views in only one week! In this presentation, Cynthia offers useful, actionable tips for SEOs of varying levels of expertise. Oftentimes, digital marketing content tends to be heavy and overwhelming, but these action items are easy to understand. After reading this, you’ll feel empowered to log into Pinterest and start implementing all 14 recommendations.
Personas: Understanding the User Behind the Visit – Michael King, iPullRank
How can you resist reading a Smurf themed presentation? The concept of personas is nothing new, but Mike turns this typically dry topic on its head and uses hilarious examples that resonate with the audience. Most companies make the mistake of defining their personas somewhat haphazardly or neglect to define them at all. Mike takes viewers on a step-by-step journey to develop a persona using a variety of techniques and recommends numerous technologies to help along the way. He also demonstrates how we can use this persona to drive marketing endeavors. We all know that it is important to understand your audience, regardless of whether you are a digital or traditional marketer—this is the perfect presentation to help you get a handle on yours!
Hacking AdWords! The Top 10 Greatest Hacks of All Time – Larry Kim, WordStream
I may be somewhat biased, but this is one of my favorite slideshows from the event. In typical Larry Kim-style the deck is huge, data-rich and pretty funny. He provides recommendations that apply to a broad range of PPC accounts and are easily acted upon. Plus, each point is accompanied with supporting data, making it nearly impossible to dispute his theories. This is a must-view for anyone working in the paid search space.
The Philosophy of SEO Audits – Alan Bleiweiss
This presentation has been super popular within the SEO community, and for good reason! In this slideshow, Alan sets us straight on how to produce an “ideal” SEO audit. He breaks down the composition of a strong audit and gives us a sense of how to best convey issues. The deck also includes tips to help you understand when you should be performing strategic audits and what red flags you should keep an eye out for. At only 44 slides, it is a quick read packed with very valuable teachings.
Erin Sagin is a Customer Success Manager at WordStream. In addition to conducting software training and consulting calls for clients, she also helps to maintain our usability testing program. Originally from Western Maryland, Erin majored in International Studies with a concentration in Latin America at Kenyon College. When she’s able to take a break from PPC, you’ll find her practicing her hula-hooping skills or planning her next trip to the Caribbean. You can follow Erin on Twitter and Google+.