Top Social Media Conferences for Retailers [2017-2018]
There are 4 million advertisers on Facebook.
That’s a lot of competition for retailers and brands, and other social ad platforms such as Snapchat are on the rise.
It can be tough to keep up with all of the changes on social media ad platforms, let alone compete for valuable feed space.
The biggest problem, however, is far less conspicuous. It’s when you fall prey to day-to-day tasks and forget the bigger picture. That’s how you fall behind.
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That’s where social media marketing conferences can come in handy. You’ll learn new ideas, brush shoulders with some of the brightest minds in social media marketing, and hopefully, you’ll come back with actionable strategies you can implement right away.
You didn’t miss the social media conference boat for 2017, but if you’re swamped, there’s always 2018. We’ve added all of our favorites below.
Social Media Strategies Summit
October 17-19, 2017
New York City, NY
The Social Media Strategies Summit proudly owns the title of “longest running social media conference in the United States” and is also a highly comprehensive event that should not be passed up. Social media, digital marketing and communications professionals flock to get the latest information on marketing ideas, social media mastery, and to learn from interactive talks. Their agenda is full of experts sharing applicable knowledge and tips that attendees can share with their team at the office.
Social Media Marketing World 2018
February 28-March 2, 2018
San Diego, CA
According to their website, this event is highly encouraged for any “social media marketer, blogger, live show host, vlogger, or podcaster,” and is touted as the “world’s largest social media marketing conference” at 5000 attendees. You’ll get to meet the industry’s top pros, creators, and network with thousands of others in a fun atmosphere right on the San Diego Bay.
Content Marketing World
September 5-8, 2017
Cleveland, OH
In 2016, Content Marketing World played host to 3,600 marketers from over 50 countries and they expect even more for 2017. Content Marketing World attendees will have their choice of 80 sessions and workshops with “leading brand marketers, from around the world covering strategy, integration, measurement, and more.” They will also have 225 speakers, over 550 companies representing various industries, and over 123 hours of “keynote speeches, networking events, and entertainment.” With so many options to choose from an attendee could really customize their schedule and explore for the entire 3 days. Filter the agenda by “social media”.
PubCon
November 6-9, 2017
Las Vegas, NV
PubCon is a conference for professional digital marketers that features “the industry’s leading businesses, start-ups, speakers, keynotes, exhibitors, and sponsors involved in social media, digital marketing, search engines, and outline advertising.” With all that they have going on it’s good that the event lasts a week so that attendees have plenty of time to network with the world’s top innovators and companies such as Google, Microsoft, Trakur, and Seer Interactive.
Content Marketing Conference
May 2-4, 2018
Boston, MA
The Content Marketing Conference is a fun and upbeat conference with a superpowered theme, 30 amazing speakers, and 11 keynotes from a diverse group of professionals. With 6 different tracks in this conference attendees can learn about different tactics, hacks, and techniques used by pros through in-depth workshops, networking, and content.
Digital Marketing World Forum Expo Global
June 19-20, 2017
London, UK
Attendees can explore the “future of digital marketing technologies” at this fun conference that showcases over 40 exhibitors to over 1000 attendees. This conference is also packed with high profile speakers from companies like Mattel, Ryanair, and TomTom, and has sessions on topics such as virtual reality, E-Commerce, Artificial Intelligence, and digital content marketing strategy.
CMX Summit
September 19-20, 2017
Los Angeles, CA
CMX Summit is the opportunity for community-driven professionals to learn new tactics and techniques from leading professionals in the industry and has brought together quite the list of speakers for 2017. Arielle Tannenbaum from Buffer, Christina Shorter from National Geographic, and David Spinks from CMX Media are just a few in the diverse line-up on the agenda.
Social Media Camp
May 2-3, 2018
Victoria, B.C.
As Canada’s largest social media conference, Social Media Camp offers attendees the chance to network with spectrum of professionals and pros within their renowned coaching program designed to help you walk away with new ideas and a plan of action.
The Social Shake-Up
May 7-9, 2018
Atlanta, GA
This social media conference focuses on “your business, your brand, your future” and is a fun event with a variety of speakers including Paige Farrow from Char-Broil, Doug Busk from Coca-Cola, and Stephanie Chan from CISCO. There will also be a large number of companies in attendance such as Samsung, evite, Ogilvy, and CNN. The networking opportunities at this conference are huge and should not be missed by any digital, social, or marketing professionals.
Corporate Social Media Summit
June 15-16, 2017
New York City, NY
This brand focused social media conference ropes in big companies like Domino’s pizza, Unilever, Comcast, HP, and Microsoft to name a few. They invite attendees to join them to discuss keys to success over world-class case studies, interactive sessions, and new conference tracks. Attendees from larger companies would benefit most from this conference and the opportunity to network with senior professionals.
INBOUND
September 25-28, 2017
Boston, MA
This super fun conference attracts all kinds of attendees in marketing, sales, and business and this year, even Michelle Obama will be one of the speakers. Other speakers include Chef Mario Batali and Elaine Welteroth from Teen Vogue. Expect nightly happy hours, food truck lunches, and entertainment when you’re not attending one of the 300 breakout sessions from some of the best and brightest minds out there.
Unbounce Call to Action Conference
June 25-27, 2017
Vancouver, B.C.
Technically, this isn’t just a social media marketing conference. Instead, this conference will provide you with a solid foundation in CRO, SEO–and yes, there is a fantastic session by the Queen of Facebook, Mari Smith. The discussions will focus on actionable tactics, candid lessons, and anecdotes from a variety of founders, marketing executives, and industry experts. In addition to awesome experts, there will be fully catered meals, tons of networking, and after parties.
Ad:tech
November 1-2, 2017
New York City, NY
Many will already be familiar with ad:tech as it is an established name for social media conferences, and is celebrating 20+ years of amazing events with a network that reaches across the US, UK, and Asia. This fun event focuses on all the ways that technology has completely transformed the marketing industry with this year’s’ theme being “Innovation in the Post-Advertising Era.” Speakers include Rob Schmults from Talbot and Joshua Palau from Johnson & Johnson.
Did we miss your favorite social media marketing conference? Add it in the comments below.
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