As written for Technorati
Hands-On Social Media Training…With a Piña Colada
So the July 4th celebrations are over if you’re in the States. It’s back to “the grind.” The paperwork is still there, and, oh yeah, your boss needs you to figure out this whole “social media” thing and how to do it like the pros.
But who’s got time for that? You’ve read all my blog posts about how to do it. You don’t really feel like reading another “7 Steps to Social Media Success.” That horse has been…well, you get my drift.
And you’re right, because in reality social media mastery is experiential. It’s one thing to read an interesting “how to” article or case study, but entirely another to actually implement the lesson into your own practice. “Practice” is the operative word, and clients I work with can’t ever seem to block out enough time to truly learn social media.
That was part of the inspiration for Engage Mexico, according to the social media event’s founder, Robert Seco. “After our first four conferences, we realized people really wanted the practical steps about how to actually do social media, not just a bunch of disjointed keynotes from the usual gurus,” recalls Seco about the conference.
Now in its fifth year, the Engage Mexico Social Media Conference (scheduled for November 14th – 17th 2013) is unique in focusing on hands-on tutorials and workshops for the beginning and intermediate social media practitioner. “The conference is ideal for SMBs because we’re mixing keynotes with workshops. Social media luminaries will give their keynotes, then roll up their sleeves and join a smaller group to walk them through the step-by-step processes to use Twitter, blogging or Facebook for micro-enterprises,” Seco explains. “Our schedule this year will include four keynote sessions, as well as workshop-style breakout sessions in both English and Spanish,” he continues.
Engage Mexico’s breakouts are designed to teach business owners and community managers practical steps in things like:
- How to increase your social media following to start engaging with prospects in real-time
- How to design and implement a content marketing strategy, including how to set up a content calendar and how to create blog, podcast and video content
- Specifics on how to engage prospects using Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and newer tools such as Pinterest, Instagram, Vine and social media aggregation tools
This year there will be a special emphasis content marketing, which conference organizers have punctuated by launching the Engage Mexico blog earlier this year. Keynote Speakers include Lon Safko, Andrea Vahl, Jamie Turner, and Viveka Von Rosen the “LinkedIn Expert,” and a hands-on “Twitter Simplified” workshop by yours truly, Social Marketing Fella.
Mexico – the Fastest Growing Social Media Market
It’s no accident the conference is set in awe-inspiring Puerto Vallarta. Voted as Mexico’s best Mexican Vacation Destination by USNews.com in 2010, Puerto Vallarta is ideal for families, couples, singles as well as retirees. “I’m going there to speak, but also to celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary with my wife,” shares Fernando Labastida, one of the conference speakers.
But for the North American or South American budding business seeking to get a tan, relax, and learn social media all at the same time, the location is equally ideal. The Latin American region itself has a voracious appetite for social media. In fact, social media has seen faster penetration in the Mexican market than in the U.S. market.
From a 17.8 percent penetration in 2010 it has grown to 30.3 percent in 2013, a 70 percent growth in just three short years. Twitter reached 10.7 million users in Mexico last year, and according to Socialbakers, the top performing Twitter profile there gains over 50,000 followers a month.
