social media conferenceWhat could possibly be better than a trip to Tampa in February? How about a trip to Tampa in February to listen and learn from some of the leading thinkers and (perhaps more importantly) doers on the social web?

SocialFresh Tampa takes place on February 8th, and amazing, top-notch speakers like Best Buy’s John Bernier, Spike Jones from Brains on Fire, AdRants publisher Steve Hall, Amber Naslund from Radian6, Shashi Bellamkonda of Network Solutions, NBC’s “New Media” Jim Long, Josh Hallett from Voce Communications, Marc Meyer and GM’s Chris Barger will be on deck to deliver insights and intelligence generated from feet-on-the-ground actual execution of social media programs for some of the biggest brands in the world.

I’ll also be there – and am honoured to have been asked to deliver the keynote, “The Art and Science of Scaling Social Media”, during which I will blather about:

Bringing together earned social media and paid media, when done correctly, can generate a perfect storm of credibility and reach – in many ways, the Holy Grail of the social web. Earned media is incredibly expensive to generate, and it’s difficult to get it to a mass audience, regardless of how credible it is. Paid media reaches tons of eyeballs, but does it really win hearts and minds? SMG has worked with clients on a number of very successful programs to marry the two using social ad platforms. Results include average click-through rates of over .8% and as high as 4.11% and re-ignition of conversations around important brand issues. While we can’t completely open the kimono on this innovative new approach, I’ll share high-level insights and intelligence about how some of the biggest brands in the world have cracked a new form of dialogue with consumers.

I’m very much looking forward to sharing our insights with attendees, and would also like to remind you that tickets are going fast for this event; you can register online here.

I hope to see you there!