Tonight’s panel featured three keynote speakers:  Chris Cunningham (Founder and CEO of appssavvy), Steve Rubel (SVP, Director of Insights for Edelman Digital) and Pete Cashmore (CEO and Founder of Mashable), who all presented their niche as it relates to “Social Media Marketing.”

Panelist #1–Chris Cunningham on “Introduction to the future of Social Media Applications”:

In Chris’ words, Facebook is genius.  But the thing about Facebook is that users are not on Facebook just for it’s primary purpose, they’re also looking for new and other ways to engage.  Users are also looking for applications that matter in their day to day lives.  Among the most successful apps are: Circle of Moms, Dogbook (facebook for dogs), and Texas Hold’em.  There are all kinds of large verticals built around gaming, pets, family, and travel.

Appssavvy is the company that is helping developers of these apps to make money and there is a major opportunity for marketers in this space.  Appssavvy helps brands to discover, navigate, and execute their marketing plans.  They are focused on the sale: finding great partners and executing the right fit.   Appssavvy ironically doesn’t actually build any apps, they just find the best inventory and they sell it.

Circle of Moms works on Facebook because it’s relevant, because they are talking about the ‘Mom’ lifestyle.  Huggies created a rewards campaign that was advertised within Circle of Moms, and it works because it was directly relevant.  Today, brands HAVE to give you something and must enhance your daily routine, or there is no point in being there.

Oakley is another great example.  They came to appsavvy and asked them to build them a custom app.  Appssavvy’s respsonse was simple: they didn’t need one, “snowreport already existed.”  As such, Oakley could take advantage of a pre-existing target audience, and provide desirable content.  Oakley pulled up and provided value to the users of this app, and this in return, directly enhanced their brand.

According to Chris, here are the keys for online advertising as it relates to social media:

• Provide value
• Contextual relevance
• Engagement metrics
• Building a relationship
• Creating KeyPI’s (Key Performance Indicators)
• Treating online advertising like real life
• Conversation
• Partnering not building
• Pull verses push

Chris finished off with a really great quote that brands should read loud and clear, “Don’t believe social media is experimental, it is very real, and its happening right now.”

Panelist #2–Steve Rubel  on “5 Trends to Watch in Social Media”:

Steve started out with a couple of interesting stats:

• 111: is the number of domains the average American visits per month
• 2554: is the number of web pages the average American visits per month
• Thus indicating, that the choices people have to make are infinite

Steve’s Trend 1: Satisfaction Guarenteed
PR and Customer Service are becoming one.  Consumers now use social media to demand they get their problems solved.  Customer Service as a result, is now a PR issue.   There is an entire generation coming up that will never dial a 1-800 number in their lifetime, they will just tweet their displeasure and anticipate a reply.

What are the brand implications of this?  Brands must:

• Audit the entire online experience.
• Build relationships with digital embassies
• Be prepared to engage and act quickly (a lot happens over the weekend)
• Be ubiquitous (the more engaged you are, the better)

Example: Starbucks came up with the ‘mystarbucksidea’ campaign  -  it is completely social, you can suggest ideas and others can vote your idea up or down.  This is a great example of crowd sourcing. Starbucks has since created a Twitter platform for this: @mystarbucksidea  and a Facebook group: mystarbucksidea.  They are directly putting the needs and wants of their customer base into action.

Trend 2: Media Reforestation
The media is contracting: print is cutting back, the New York Times is being forced to put ads on the front page, and it is all going digital.  Rubel dares to predict that in 5 years, all things you can touch and feel will be exinct or in far reach.  He believes (and I agree) that digital is the way of the upcoming generation.

What are the brand implications of this?  Brands must:

• Take a broad view of the media ecosystem
• Become a curator of content in niches (to avoid creating your own content everyday)
• Re-think how media is measured and valued
• Change the economics of PR

Example: Talk370z.com.  Here they have blog posts, youtube videos,  and twitter feeds, all in one place about this particular car.  If you don’t become a digital curator in your space, somebody else will.

Trend 3: Less is the New More
Overload takes it’s toll.  Due to the plethora of information available to us, consumers have begun to use selective ignorance and friends as quality filters, to make decisions.

Brand implications:

• Provide utility (The Tylenol PM app:  you put in how much you sleep and it tracks your mood)
• Sow seeds with peers, grow plants with pros
• Shape the search shelf (make sure you’re visible online)

Trend 4: Corporate All-Stars
As employees flock to social media to build their brands, some companies recognize that these individuals can become corporate all-stars.  Employees know now that if they ever apply for a new job, they will be googled.  So, if you get fired, all you really have today is your online brand.

Brand Implications:

• Connect customers and all-stars
• Give all-stars independence yet focus them
• Equip and support active listening (Real people behind real brands are making an impact online)

Trend 5: The power of pull
So much of marketing is about push, and pushing ideas down the consumers throat.  But now, its equally important that marketers create digital content that people will pull based on their interests.

Brand Implications:

• Create resources that enhance the conversation
• Adopt rather than invent
• Write for searches, not for readers  (Consumers are googling problems, not unknown solutions, keep this in mind for your headlines)
• When people are searching online, if they can find you, then that’s the power of pull

Key Takeaways:

• Publicly engage consistently and regularly
• Create or aggregate meaningful content
• Be simple and utilitarian
• Be fast, fun, and flexible
• Think relationships

When asked how twitter and social media have changed PR companies, Rubel’s answers were very poignant.  The online sphere has made the media cycle faster, which means there are more avenues to tell stories, and to tell them directly.  It also means that we really shouldn’t be distinguishing between media and social media, and that PR in many ways has more credence over marketing in today’s marketplace.

Panelist #3–Pete Cashmore “Closing Presentation & Panel”:

As the creator of Mashable, Pete Cashmore opted to run a panel verses a “talk,” where he surveyed a couple of key tastemakers in the social media sphere on what he deems to be ‘hot topics’ of the moment.

On the panel were: Scott Harrison (Founder, Charity:Water), Steve Rubel (also known as Panelist #2!), Stephanie Agresta (Organizer of TechSet / AKA Internet Geek Girl) and Toby Daniels (Organizer of Twestival NYC + Organizer of Social Media Week).

According to Pete, Charity:Water is a prime example of a Charitable function that has done amazingly well using online tools.  And they suspect this is because their equation is so simple: There are X amount of people without access to clean water, there is a solution to this, all we need is X amount of $, and we can show/prove results.  YouTube, Facebook and Twitter all allow Charity:Water to show their results and progress in motion.  They were able to raise 1.6 million in only 7-8 weeks via social media.  According to Toby, “Social media collapses time, messages travel more quickly, things can go viral and reach millions with a click.”

The panel discussed two recent public disasters for two major brands.  When Amazon experienced a snafu, their immediate reaction was to issue a press release —- no one read it. (Read: Old way of thinking.)   Dominos Pizza had a snafu where an incriminating video surfaced on YouTube which resulted in over 1 million views.   They responded to the fiasco with a video response on YouTube, and it got 600,000 views itself.  It helped to solve the mess.   The idea here is to react within the same channel, but more importantly, to be active and engaged in all channels, before you ever encounter a crisis in the first place.   It’s important for brands to be set up for a crisis so that you have a fighting chance in the event of a fire. Think of it as your modern day fire drill, folks.

When Cashmore asked the panel if they could wrap up the argument of who is king, New York or San Francisco in the Social Media sphere?  Scott replied, “New York more than doubled San Fran in money raised for Twestival, so I think its obvious.”

The New York-based audience liked that answer

*Pete Cashmore discusses the Pay-Per-Post dilemma and disclosure etiquette with the panel

*Pete Cashmore discusses charity campaigns as they relate to brands and social media, with the panel

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

I arrived to the home of the NextUP series, 92Y, with fellow AMP3 co-hort @Termeh, where we proceeded to eat (delicious, mind you) hummus, chat with the ever-present Matt Caldecutt, and interview the Editor-In-Chief of Mashable, Adam Ostrow, you know–the usual pre event fare.

Moderated by mashable rep, Adam Hirsch, the talks got underway. And here is the run-down of what we learned:

Panelist(s) #1–Philip James (CEO) and Mark Angelillo (CTO) of Snooth.com:

Snooth.com is a comparison shopping engine for wine. Philip taught us that when dealing with a web startup, most negotiating is actually going to end up being compromise and that is just what you have to deal with in the beginning. His advice was to accept it, swallow your pride, and get your deals done. If you believe in the quality of your product and you know where it’s going, you will be able to revisit your business deals once you have bargaining power. CTO, Mark, gets a giggle out of the crowd after introducing himself as a techie, “I’m a tech guy, so I don’t really talk in front of people… but hey, they did stand me in front of a computer here, so maybe this will be ok.…!?” Turns out it was, as he offered feedback on open source rules and solutions. Mark’s moral of the story? Invent the racecar, not the wheel. The faster you move, the better your business is going to be. The two continued on with the perfect balance of a Tech VS. Business dynamic which is obviously what makes them so successful at what they do.

Panelist #2–Melanie Notkin, Founder & CEO of SavvyAuntie.com:

Melanie is a beam of positive, contagious energy who really keyed into WHY her business has been so successful, so quickly. I also enjoy her because she coined the phrase “PANK’s” (Professional Aunts, No Kids). Turns out, I am a “pank” myself; a very proud auntie at that, but not so savvy when it comes to what’s trendy for kids. That’s where Melanie’s service comes in.

Here is what Melanie identifies as her 3 secrets to success:

• Powerful Niche: Melanie identified a niche (herself included) of women who were unsavvy about Sponge Bob, The Jonas Brothers, and Hannah Montana, but who were passionate about kids and the kids in their life (even though they are not their own). Turns out, PANKs, are one of the most affluent demographic segments on the market!
• Strong Product: She introduced her website not just as a good idea, but with superior quality, and that is reflected by the fact that she is currently nominated for a WEBBY award.
• Social Influence: She is the face of the brand and she has a strong social presence. She represents the “SavvyAuntie” in everything that she does. Twitter has been a huge social referal for her from Advertisers (such as Playskool and Sephora) to Press Interviews/Coverage, noting that she “launched at the best time, [I] was on Twitter before it got Oprah’d“

Panelist #3–Michael Galpert, Co-Founder of Aviary.com:

Aviary is an accessible Photoshop-like platform that allows you to manipulate visual media with ease, in a manageable, sharable file-type/size. It allows users to be creators and offers a simpler version to the non-graphic-designers out there, similar to what Google Documents has done for those who do not have the Microsoft Suite.

What Michael says is the key to his web start-up is the community focused platform that allows users to share and see what others are doing in real time. He recommends open source, and reminds us that Aviary released an API so that 3rd Party users can use this platform on their own.

Ultimate message: be open, don’t try to control everything, and don’t try to do what has worked for others in the past; think ahead about what’s going to be happening next.

Panelist #4–Scott Belsky, Founder & CEO of Behance.com:

Letting us know that, no, he doesn’t work for Beyonce, Scott reminded us that most good ideas never happen. As such, Behance was born out of frustration as a platform to help creative professionals realize their goals by creating an organizational structure that keeps all project members looped in and accountable. His platform seeks to solve the problem of organizing creative work on a macro and a micro level and also *buzzword* encourages community where creatives can curate and “appreciate” art in one space.

Scott’s Tips for Best Practices:

• Hire based on Initiative, Not Experience [*IMHO--Someone that really wants something, will make it happen, regardless of experience]
• Solve a Frustration [What is your business seeking to achieve? Does it solve a current problem that exists?]
• Value the Experiential Education as Compensation [The old adage rings true: What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger, right!? You live, you learn.]

The evening closed with a multi-panelist group Q&A moderated by Mashable’s Editor In Chief, Adam Ostrow, where I captured the above panelists answering the following question: “What do you love about being a web/tech startup in New York City?”

This event was very relevantly sponsored by DubMeNow and SunStartUp Essentials, and rumor has it that the next event will be held on June 3rd regarding “Social Media Marketing,” followed-up by what I can only imagine as hilarious, “Tech Karaoke” in the space after-hours.

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]

The topic at hand was the “State of the New York Blogosphere” and was moderated by Mashable’s Adam Hirsch. In true techie form, the venue offered a separate “Bloggers Lounge” where the talks were being live-streamed so that those covering the event had ample plug-in resources and could blog from the comfort of a poofy leather couch instead of the crowded, glass-clinking room where the actual event took place.

The Run Down:

First up was, Matt Buchanan, the Associate Editor of Gizmodo. A very charming speaker, Matt spoke literally on what defines the NY Blogosphere.

Next up, Alana Taylor, an NYU Journalism Student & Contributing Writer for Mashable. A blogger herself, Alana’s message was about putting yourself out there. Even if you don’t actively engage in all social networks, she recommended signing up and putting your name on there, so that people can find you and connect with you, if they’re looking. She also had an interesting perspective as a student, talking about how the professors at NYU are being forced to keep up with social media and the digital age so that they can teach their students about the changing landscape of journalism, instead of the other way around.

3rd up, Caroline McCarthy, a Staff Writer for CNET News / CBS Interactive. I loved Caroline’s speech. She has a story telling way about her that made what she had to say fun, interesting and relevant. She plugged that everything is moving towards video content right now. She finished with a tid bit on Obama; Obama recently took an interview with The Huffington Post (an online-only publication) and this was the first official “new media” interview a President has ever done. Her thought on this? “I’m surprised it took new media this long.”

4th up, Nicholas Carlson, Editor, The Business Insider (formerly known as The Silicon Alley Insider). Nick had lots of funny metaphors to illustrate his points. He urged us to “Use Explicit Headlines.” We are not limited by characters or title length as are journalists in traditional print, so get right to your point in your headline, you can be more risky. He also reminds us that sarcasm rarely works when it’s written. His advice to PR folks? Don’t call to follow-up 5 minutes after you send an email (are people really doing this!?).

Final up, Bryan Keefer, Director of Product for The Daily Beast. He opened with, “Bloggers are thirsty and broke,” and attempted to discuss online advertising and revenue models for the remainder of his time. Ultimately, he feels advertisers are greatly undervaluing the online space. Because it is so easy to measure online ads, via click through, conversions, etc, he feels that advertisers are neglecting to also count the brand exposure / brand recognition of those who don’t click through, an intangible result often considered the core value of advertising in traditional print.

My Twitter Feed:

I nod my hat to all of the speakers of the evening, it takes courage to get up and speak in front of a rowdy crowd, especially one as informed and as intelligent as the mashable crowd!

[Alyson Campbell for It's All Very PR]