Another Rocks Digital Conference has successfully wrapped up. The wonderful speakers have spoken, and we have all done our best to absorb their wisdom – which is a bit like trying to get a sip of water from a fire hose! As a live blogger, I trust that I’ve successfully distilled this knowledge and presented it in accessible, bite-sized morsels for you.
One of My Biggest Rocks Digital Takeaways This Year
I was thinking about my very first Rocks Digital conference five years ago, and how nervous I was. The very first connection I made was with Dean Lindsay, and I’m glad I get to see him at the conference every year. There are other folks, too, that I look forward to seeing, and even when we don’t have a chance to really connect, we smile and wave. Plus, I even had a great conversation in the parking lot as I was leaving, and it was the highlight of my day.
And here’s the thing – No matter what topics the speakers cover, it’s all about connections. And if you get to the heart of almost every presentation, you will find that it’s about connections and conversations – and even when we’re employing automations, the goal is to connect. Connect customers with your brand, connect people with information, build relationships, and it will help your sales numbers.
Even though we live in an increasingly automated world where we can now order products just by saying a few words, and we can actually conduct business globally without having to leave our homes (something that I am personally very grateful to do), when you pay attention, you will find that people are still impressed when a great connection is made.
Connection Is Everything
Rachel Chang talked about LinkedIn and video, and how there are millions of people using LinkedIn – and only a handful are creating and sharing video. Oh yes, video is a “hot” thing right now, and I think that for all of the convenience that we get from automation and voice search, people are still looking to make connections – and video seems to foster that connected feeling. And yet the perfectly produced, heavily-edited videos are not what draw people – it’s the videos that show people being authentic and flawed and relatable that get views. Why? It’s because people see themselves reflected, and have that feeling of “yep, me too.”
So, my “last word” this year is connections. I’m delighted to have made new face-to-face and social connections courtesy of this great conference. I’m so very grateful for the opportunity to attend Rocks Digital every year, to reconnect with past-year conference attendee friends and colleagues, and to be there to make new connections. A special thanks to Lissa Duty for having me back each year. And you bet – I’m already looking forward to next year!
