Last February 25, I had a quick meet up with Norelyn Babiera of Fiera de Manila as we finalized the necessary logistics for the upcoming Social Networking & eBusiness Conference this April 23 & 24, 2009 at the ballroom of Hotel Intercontinental, Ayala Center, Makati City.
In times of economic challenges, relationships are vital for business survival. Social networks play an important role in building, maintaining, and even strengthening it. This includes our peers, business partners, and most especially to current & potential customers.
As you noticed, social networking is becoming a critical tool for traditional Internet marketing and an important component in search engine marketing. If the present is all about being seen in search engines, social networks are playing an important component to ensure that those who rank high are indeed chosen by real people who deemed them as relevant and are therefore its most powerful influencer.
Social networks are now seen as alternative to your usual e-commerce shopping sites with products & services gradually being pushed through this medium. Although very rare would you see overnight success, consistency in terms of content & brand-building are strategic steps to establish one's identity. There is also a different style and approach in marketing or selling products & services through this medium.
In the end, those who embrace and have a well-rounded approach in creating a social network-empowered presence are likely to succeed.
I hope that the Social Networking & eBusiness Conference, that will continue in the years to come, shall be able to share new technologies, developments, and best practices in this field. Let this event be a venue for us to learn from each other.
As of to date, the conference program is final and our flyers should be sent out by next week. The early bird rate, that entitles sign-ups to a 10% discount, can be availed up to March 16 and I hope companies will take advantage of it.
DigitalFilipino.com Club Members are also entitled to 15% discount either as an exhibitor or delegate. The same perks has also been extended to members of SME.com.ph.
In addition to campaigning for exhibitors & delegates, my attention is now focused on monitoring the following:
- Nomination & judging for the DigitalFilipino Social Networking Awards.
Deadline for campaign nomination is on March 31. We need more entries and hope you, as a user or developer, can nominate those whom you believe are deserving. - Vote for the User Keynote Speaker.
This is the 1st time that we have opened to the public the nomination and voting of a user keynote speaker who will have the opportunity to share his or her insight & vision as to what social networking should be all about.
