Is Social Media Marketing World Right For You?
If you travel around the social media space long enough, odds are, you will have heard about Social Media Marketing World. You’ve probably read a few articles and learned a few new things from Social Media Examiner (the folks who put on this giant conference). And you may have evaluated in your mind if you will make the trek out to San Diego for this madness that seems to happen every year in late winter.
- Is it worth the effort?
- Is it worth the cost?
- Most importantly, is it worth my time?
I have had those same questions for years, and have had many friends travel out to the conference. I even listened to their virtual ticket one year to check out the content in the conference. However, it wasn’t until 2018 that I made the jump and committed to almost a week of my time to be out in California.
So, was it worth it?
You want the short answer? Yes, hands down.
You want the longer answer? Here ya go…
Quality Content: Michael Stelzner and the rest of the Social Media Examiner team vet their speakers really well and the sessions I heard were really well done. They touched on a lot of core social media foundational topics that are great for a beginner or someone who works in other aspects of marketing. However, they had a lot of other great sessions on specific topics like Facebook Ads, Bots, Podcasting, Live Video and other trending themes that are relevant for TODAY.
Quality People: The virtual ticket is great – don’t get me wrong! The virtual ticket gives you great access to all of the sessions so that you can really learn a lot. And if that’s your main goal, you’re in the right place. But the better reason to go to this conference was the people. My favorite parts of the week were the evening parties and unofficial gatherings where you got to hang out, have some fun, and get to know the thousands of people there. The Midway party was a must and great because you didn’t have to yell over the whole crowd to have a conversation. The party at Parq was great in a totally different way because it was designed around FUN. It was loud, a little crazy, but it was an opportunity to have fun with all of your new friends. The table talks during the day were great too, to get intentional with people in your similar field and niches.
Quality Vibe: Grinding day in and day out in your business is tiring, even if you have things in place in your local life to keep you going. What I loved about this conference was that it shook up my normal routine and got me in a mindset of positivity and FUN for almost a week straight. They have this mindset to include everyone and make everyone feel valued, all while having fun. It was the shakeup I needed to get out of my own rut and get excited about my business in a new way.
Quality All Around: What struck me most about Social Media Marketing World was the caliber of excellence that you saw at every corner. They literally have thought of every little detail, down to having toothbrushes in the bathrooms! I know you’re like me and have gone to some conferences and events where the event was run “okay” and you didn’t blink an eye too much at it because that’s just how events can be. This conference was not one of those experiences. This is one of those experiences like walking into Disney World for the first time, or staying at a Ritz Carlton. They put the 5-Star approach into every little aspect of the conference.
I’ll admit, it was hard to break away from the mountains of responsibilities waiting for me in my business and even at home. Will I be back? Yes, without a doubt. Social Media Marketing World was worth every moment I was away from my daily grind. If you’ve been on the fence about if this conference is right for you, I would highly encourage you to give it a try! See you in 2019!