As we return to in-person events, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed, and maybe even a bit rusty when it comes to your event marketing strategy. Like most companies, you’ve probably seen a decrease in your inbound lead volume due to the pandemic and are wondering how to get the most out of upcoming tradeshows and other events. Adding digital marketing to your traditional tradeshow marketing channels can help you expand your reach at your next event and find new prospects within your target markets. The below guide is […]

What We’ve Learned from Four Months of Virtual Events
Virtual events are not a new concept. Prior to the pandemic, you might have attended the occasional webinar or virtual training session. However, since COVID-19 first made its way into the United States, we have seen a significant increase in all things digital—and events are no exception. Northstar Meetings Group surveyed 805 event planners and found that they are seeing an increase in demand for virtual events for the next 12-18 months. Event planners aren’t the only ones taking notice of the new trend—the technology sector is cashing in. In […]

How SEO Can Boost Your Marketing Automation Efforts
SEO can boost your marketing automation efforts in these three ways: Build leads and lists through qualified organic traffic Utilize existing organic data to optimize conversion points Use keyword research to send targeted content to specific lists Click on the links above to jump to that section. I recently discussed this topic at the And Then Some emfluence Conference 2018. Here is the video and SlideShare of my talk: How SEO Can Boost Your Marketing Automation Efforts from emfluence But if you’re more into reading/scanning, the meat of the […]

How to Convince Your Boss to Send You to the 2018 And Then Some Conference
You know the value in attending the emfluence And Then Some Conference. But how do you relay that effectively when asking for your company’s support in sending you? Getting time off and budget approval can be a real challenge sometimes, so here are three things you can share with the budget-boss in your life to help elicit a successful send-off: It’s designed to enhance your skillset. It presents an opportunity to connect with Kansas City’s brightest digital marketing minds and a variety of local, regional and national organizations. You’ll be […]

How to Run a Million Dollar Sweepstakes
A Dirty Word? Let’s start with a bit of education on the topic. When I hear the word sweepstakes the first image is the memorable moment when an unknowing winner opens their front door to be greeted with a life-changing check. For those of you younger than me… you can google it. Per Wikipedia, Sweepstakes are “a type of contest where a prize or prizes may be awarded to a winner or winners.” Who doesn’t want a prize, right?! Well when sweepstakes began, they started as a lottery related […]

5 Things You’ll Learn How to Do at the And Then Some Conference
Haven’t bought your ticket to the annual emfluence And Then Some Conference yet? There’s still time! We’re officially two weeks away from this all-day digital marketing summit. Tickets are still available (for now), and we’re counting down the days and honing our basketball skills in preparation for August 25th at the College Basketball Experience. This year, we’re building the conference around takeaways—things you can start applying as soon as you get back to the office. Let’s look at 5 things you’ll learn how to do if you attend […]

7 Reasons to Attend the Marketing Platform Conference
It’s that special time of year when email and digital marketing enthusiasts gather in Kansas City for smart strategy and new features in the emfluence Marketing Platform: the emfluence Digital Marketing Conference! We’re back at the snazzy Gallery event space for another year of best practices, feature announcements and of course, user feedback. We invite all marketers (users or not) to attend the emfluence Marketing Platform Conference… and we have some pretty sweet reasons why you should! 1. Email Marketing Insights: Creating the Perfect User Experience The “Trends in Email […]

emfluence Wins 9 Awards & Best in Show!
The 2016 KCDMA AMBIT's Award show was a great night for the emfluence team and our wonderful clients! This year, the gala was held at the Overland Park Convention Center and was themed with Broadway musicals. Our team selected the musical "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" because…why not, it's important to have a little fun when celebrating all that hard work! Best in Show! Tyler and I took home the Best in Show award for our social media campaigns and analytics dashboard work for the Center For […]

8 Reasons to Attend the emfluence User Conference (even if you’re not a user)
Every year, emfluence hosts our Marketing Platform User Conference to share valuable marketing knowledge, best practices and tools. We have found that when marketers all get together to talk smart strategies and lessons learned, the marketing community as a whole benefits. We invite all marketers (users or not) to attend the emfluence User Conference… and we have some pretty sweet reasons why you should: 1. Register for the emfluence conference by Friday, April 10th for the chance to win a FREE pair of tickets to the SOLD OUT Boulevardia Taps and […]

Fall Conference Roundup: From digiSTORY to BMAKC
October was positively stuffed full of marketing knowledge and valuable insights, thanks in large part to two conferences brought to the Kansas City area. The digiSTORY conference was first up on October 22nd, focusing on the power of digital storytelling. The following week, BMAKC hosted a half-day “Create / Curate” content marketing conference on October28th. Though the conferences had different focuses, I found three common themes for marketers to keep in mind as they tackle holiday promotions and beyond to 2015: The Importance of Entertaining Content Speakers at both conferences […]

SMX East Recap: The Art of SEO in Google’s (Still) Rapidly Changing World
Taking the stage on the first day of SMX East is Marshall Simmonds, famed CEO of Define MG and longtime SEO professional. I am excited to be reporting from New York all of the excitement and adventure surrounding this years Search Marketing Expo! Blog posts will be coming rapidly and I frantically try to share all of the valuable information shared for the next four days.

Trends in Email Marketing in 2014
At the 2014 emfluence Marketing Platform User Conference — dubbed "RE:one-to-one" — I shared the big trends I see in my day-to-day work in email marketing. (Check out the full Prezi "Trends Email Marketing in 2014" to see all 17 trends!) First, I revisited some of the trends I called in 2013 that are still growing or finally hitting. For example: 1. Mobile Email Accessibility – Upgraded in 2014 – Templated, re-usable responsive email designs have taken over… but only for brands that can prove that they have a high […]

Photos from the Conference are up
Thank you to our speakers, our Platform team and, of course, our users (clients) for another great user conference! Photos of the day are up on our Facebook page. Give us a like and see the photos here.

emfluence Marketing Platform User Conference – June 18th in Kansas City
Join us for the emfluence Marketing Platform User Conference Read more at the EventBrite Page: Agenda | Speaker Bios | Parking Info We're back for our 6th year of best practices, feature announcements and, of course, Platform user feedback. This year, we're hosting at the gorgeous Gallery event space in the heart of Downtown Kansas City, including swanky cocktails at the end of the day, next door, at KC's Rum Club, The Kill Devil Club. From Hallmark Baby's all-digital product and […]

emfluencer Dave and client Mercedes-Benz of KC to speak at EEC14
emfluence CEO, David Cacioppo and our client Kris Nielsen from Soave Automotive Group/Mercedes-Benz of Kansas City will be speaking at the 2014 Email Evolution Conference in Miami, January 23.
what’s in store for the 2013 Marketing Platform User Conference
It’s almost summer which around emfluence means it’s time for our annual emfluence Marketing Platform User Conference! A full day of sessions on best practices, training on new features in our Platform and case studies from our savvy clients. We’re brewing a lineup of super powered content for this year’s conference and we thought we’d let you sneak a peek at the sessions:
sxswi hangover: 5 takeaways on responsive web design
Responsive web design was a popular topic in many sessions. One in particular I attended “What You See Is What You Spec’d” touched on not just the importance of a flexible web design but the how-to. Here are my five takeaways from the session.

sxswi hangover: social media customer service
In a fantastic SXSWi panel on the growing area of social customer service, the people behind the social media voices of Southwest Airlines, Chase Financial and Samsung spoke to a packed room about how the big guys handle (and learn from!) social media. My 3 favorite quotes:

sxswi hangover: learning to learn fast
Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Workweek & The 4-Hour Chef, insists, “You can become word-class in something in 6 months or less” if you learn to learn the right way. In his many experiences, he’s broken down the process of successful learning and shared a few key tips with session attendees:

sxsw hangover: 7 super-cool promotions I saw at SXSWi 2013
I’m finally getting through some of my notes, tweets and photos from South by Southwest’s Interactive Conference in Austin just over a week ago. I’ve found more good tidbits than I know what to do with, so for the next few days I’ll post some of the juiciest content. In this pic-filled post, check out some of the coolest promos and giveaways I ran across.

sxswi hangover: 10 of my favorite takeaways from SXSWi 2013
I’m finally getting through some of my notes, tweets and photos from South by Southwest’s Interactive Conference in Austin just over a week ago. I’ve found more good tidbits than I know what to do with, so for the next few days I’ll post some of the juiciest content. First up: 9 of my favorite takeaways from various sessions.
SXSWi – Rockin’ Email ROI Presentation
A big thanks to all who joined for my Future15 session at South by Southwest Interactive, “I Want My $28! Rockin’ Email Marketing ROI.“ As promised, I’m making the slides available with the stats and sources I used. Click through below or open on SlideShare here. If you have any questions or want to chat email marketing best practices (in longer than 12 minutes), I’d love to chat! Find me on Twitter @bestofjess or give me a call at emfluence: 877-81-EMAIL. See you next year!

emfluencer Jessica Best to speak at SXSWi 2013
This year, our Community Director, Jessica Best won’t just be attending South by Southwest, she’ll be presenting! Among the top notch speaker line-up in Austin this March, you’ll find our emfluencer speaking on how to make your email marketing really… well, *rock.*
integrating – not just adding – social media to your marketing mix
In 2012, SocialIRL hosted half a dozen full-day conferences on using “Social Media for Nonprofits” and I've had the pleasure of being among the line-up, talking about really integrating — not just adding — social media. Ben Smith who puts on the conferences, truly believes – as do we at emfluence! – that social media is a great outlet for nonprofits. It’s easy (as in, it doesn’t take a degree to learn) and fast to create an account. Each post and interaction is trackable. Using social media is cost-effective, though […]
social media marketing for trade shows
Last Thursday, emfluence CEO David Cacioppo presented a Lunch ‘n’ Learn at Skyline headquarters on best practices in social media for marketing at trade shows. In the last few years, it’s almost impossible to attend a conference that doesn’t have a hashtag and a Twitter strategy. And with good reason: social media enhances your visibility, brand sentiment and leads to more conversations than standing on the booth floor alone. Here are a few ways Dave highlights that marketers should be using to increase visibility and traffic before, during and after the show.

top 9 coolest things I saw at SXSWi 2012
South by Southwest Interactive (SXSWi) felt like “Disney World for Geeks” in 2012: All the well-known characters from the Tech world were there. Souvenirs and tchotchkes were out of control, and around every street corner: something completely mind-blowingly cool and innovative. Here are easily the 9 coolest things I saw at SXSWi 2012 from Aurasma to Chevy to Google.
top 12 takeaways from SMX West
Search Marketing Expo (SMX) West took place last week in downtown San Jose, California at the McEnery Convention Center. This was “the biggest and best SMX show ever” according to Chris Sherman, Vice President of Event Programming for SMX. I agree! This show featured honest conversation, open sharing, and interaction between experts and novices alike. Deciding which sessions to attend was tough – there were many great options. I focused heavily on SEO, with some local search and social mixed in. Here are the top 12 takeaways I brought back to Kansas City with me.