Friday, July 22, 2016
8:30-9 a.m.
Registration
9-10 a.m.
Keynote Address: Creating Content That Engages and Converts
Good content is at the center of every successful social media campaign. But what makes “good content” and how do you go about creating it? In this presentation, you will learn how to design a content marketing strategy that aligns with your target audiences’ online behavior, your available resources, and overall business goals. You will also learn how to design content so that it performs well on social media. Content types we will look at include blog posts, photos, videos, and infographics. Lastly, we’ll talk about how to solicit outstanding user-generated content from your followers and how to use that content in your future marketing campaigns.
Keynote Speaker: Tracy Samantha Schmidt
University of Illinois alumna Tracy Samantha Schmidt (MS ’06, journalism) is the founder and principal of the social media consultancy Socially Authentic. A journalist by training, she has worked for the nation’s leading media companies as a reporter, innovator, and social media strategist.
As the youngest reporter at TIME, Tracy covered the rise of Facebook and was among the first journalists in the world to use social media as a tool during breaking stories. Tracy later developed the idea for and co-founded ChicagoNow.com, the Chicago Tribune’s network of hundreds of local blogs. She then led the global social media strategy for Crain Communications, which publishes Advertising Age, Crain’s Chicago Business, and many other business titles.
A passionate educator, Tracy has taught thousands of people how to use social media to achieve their personal and professional goals. She is currently on faculty at the University of Chicago.
Tracy earned her masters in journalism from the University of Illinois in 2006. Her master’s thesis on the surprising resurgence of young nuns was published in TIME and later picked up by The Today Show, Oprah, and MTV. You can follow her @tracysamantha.
10-10:45 a.m.
Planning the University of Illinois Sesquicentennial
Beginning on Tuesday, February 28, 2017, the University of Illinois will kick off its Sesquicentennial Celebration of 150 years. Hear an overview of our plans, then get ready to brainstorm how your unit can participate in this major Illinois milestone. Ideas from past Illinois anniversary celebrations will also be shared. See 150.illinois.edu for more information about the Sesquicentennial.
Presented by Pradeep Khanna, Associate Vice Chancellor for Corporate Relations and Economic Development; Moira Nolan, Sesquicentennial Coordinator, Corporate Relations, @MoiraNolan28; and Meaghan Downs, Editorial Associate for Social Media, Public Affairs, @writemegwrite.
10:45-11 a.m.
Break
11-11:45 a.m.
What the Hunger Games Taught Me about Storytelling: A Guide to Understanding Revolutions, Viral Videos, and Starting Your Storytelling Journey with Video
In this session, we’ll talk about getting started with video on social media. Video is hot right now and will only continue to gain steam in the years to come. As attention spans decrease, the need for good storytelling in video becomes an even higher priority. But good storytelling doesn’t necessarily require a lot of resources, a big budget or a team of people. We will look at why video has seen a spike in attention on social media and how we can take advantage of the tools available to us to create video content that reaches our target audiences. We’ll look at pop culture, viral videos, and other visual storytelling examples to breakdown what they teach us about launching into our own storytelling strategies with video.
Presented by Carl Catedral, co-founder of Adjacency, a creative agency based out of downtown Urbana, where he works on social media, video, and other fun creative things. When he’s not working, Carl likes to play soccer and watch Casey Neistat’s daily vlog. You can follow him @carlcatedral.
11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m.
Lunch
Please note that lunch will be on your own.
1:15-2:15 p.m.
Should I Live Tweet My Dissertation? Case Studies in How Faculty and Staff Share Their Research through Social Media
Six expert faculty and staff members from Illinois will share their insights on how they use social media to communicate the importance of their research and collaborations in art, science, engineering, and history.
Panelists:
- Ben Grosser, assistant professor of art and design, @bengrosser
- Adrian Burgos, professor of history, @adburgosjr
- Derek Attig, assistant director of career development for the Graduate College, @bookmobility
- Marianne Alleyne, research scientist in entomology, @Cotesia1
- Ritu Raman, mechanical engineering PhD candidate, @raman_ritu
- Vishal Sachdev, director of Illinois MakerLab and lecturer of business administration, @vishalsachdev
2:15-3 p.m.
Using TED to Capture ROI
Learn how you can document social engagements in the TED database, work with development officers to identify enthusiasts for your unit, and how this can help demonstrate your ROI for social media.
Presented by Katie Blum (assistant vice president for strategic innovation and interim director of development research, University of Illinois Foundation, @KathrynLBlum), Lauren Dodge (associate director of advancement, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering), and Holly Rushakoff (associate director of marketing, College of Veterinary Medicine, @hollyrushakoff).
3-3:15 p.m.
Break
3:15-4 p.m.
You’re More Interesting Than You Think
Every brand has a good content marketing story. Your unit does too–and by looking at your content through a different lens, odds are you’ll find that it’s more interesting than you think. The key is to identify the sweet spot of your expertise and the content tilt that differentiates your story. In this presentation, you’ll get the creative juices flowing and be inspired by examples of companies that have used this content marketing technique to build audiences by making the typical feel atypical and turning the expected into the unexpected.
Closing Speaker: Dave Wischnowsky
University of Illinois alumnus Dave Wischnowsky (BS ’98, print journalism) is a Chicago-based content marketing strategist, award-winning journalist and published author. Formerly a Chicago Tribune Metro reporter and sports columnist for CBS Chicago, Dave made the transition to marketing in 2008. As Director of Content for agencies in downtown Chicago, he has developed and executed strategies leveraging content, storytelling and social media to help brands build communities, increase engagement and better connect with their target audiences.
In addition to discussing all things Illini (and plenty more) with his active Twitter and Facebook followings, Dave writes the Wisch List, a Chicago-centric newspaper column that runs weekly in Kankakee and Ottawa. You can follow him @wischlist.
4-4:15 p.m.
Twitter Awards