Topics ranging from SEO to Oreos (and of course Grumpy Cat) were covered at the Community Managers’ Swap Meet last week where GCAi clients and representatives from leading brands gathered to discuss social media, digital marketing and online reputation management.

GCAi alum Kaitlyn Bigica kicked off the event with an insightful presentation covering her work in the realm of social media. Kaitlyn now works as a Senior Social Media Associate at MEC in New York City, where she has managed successful campaigns for several large corporations.  Kaitlyn was able to offer a glimpse into the intricate process of managing social media accounts for multi-national corporations. She illustrated the importance of creating a consistent brand personality, as well as the nature of social media’s insatiable appetite for fresh content. Kaitlyn also identified a couple brands that are “killing it” on social media; Urban Outfitters, Skittles and Oreo.  
Dave Sweeney, creator of video production company Viz-Bang in Springfield, followed with a presentation on the growing importance of video content on the web and in social media. Starting with a history of content production covering everything from the printing press to the viral video “Numa Numa,” Dave highlighted the growing demand for short, entertaining video that is shareable across many online platforms, especially if those videos contain cats or Justin Bieber.

The Community Managers’ Swap Meet concluded with a Q & A aided by survey responses that attendees had completed prior to the event. GCAi found that all the community managers reported having a strategy for their social voice, a daily monitoring system for addressing customer care inquiries, and an active presence on Facebook and Twitter. Many of the community managers contributed to the round table discussion which sparked some interesting questions and helpful answers.

GCAi is already planning another Community Managers’ event which will run more like a potluck than a swap meet. Guests will contribute innovative digital ideas and case studies and share experiences and community management secrets with the each other.

If you are interested in taking part in future CMSM events, feel free to email me. – John