We’ll kick off the day with a spirited Q&A that provides an overview of how social media strategies are evolving in a post-organic era. We'll look at the powerful combination of artificial intelligence/machine learning and social media. But this session is really all about you, serving as the start of a conversation between audience and speakers that will extend throughout the day, as we identify and offer solutions to your most pressing future-focused social media challenges.

Over 90% of consumers trust word-of-mouth and user-generated content more than traditional advertising, according to Nielsen. So, it’s no surprise that influencer marketing has become a key part of many communication strategies. But it’s a young field and the rules are still in flux. How do you prove influencer marketing ROI? What’s the best strategy to find and build rapport with brand ambassadors? How are FTC regulations evolving? In this panel, we’ll teach you how to apply a multiplier effect through influencers who inspire consumers on multiple channels.

You’ll learn how to:

• Identify and engage the influencers most important to your audience
• Tailor your content strategy to a specific social media platform
• Use analytics to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of influencer marketing
• Manage and assist influencers throughout the content creation process
• Draft an influencer collaboration agreement

During this fast-paced session you'll have the opportunity to meet your fellow Social Media Summit attendees, share challenges and recommend solutions. You're guaranteed to experience the ultimate in non-digital, face-to-face encounters!

Is your brand getting all it can out of Instagram? The platform’s phenomenal growth in just a few years has made it a prime destination for millennial and Gen Z users—and a key marketing channel for many brands. But as Instagram matures, rolling out new features on a seemingly weekly basis, it can be challenging to keep pace. In this session, we’ll explain how to leverage the platform’s full suite of features to craft visual campaigns that drive engagement and tie back to your bottom line.

You’ll learn how to

• Leverage key Instagram KPIs, including conversions, follower growth, engagement and click-through rates
• Craft visual motifs (color, shapes, text) to tie to your brand identity
• Master video and vetical visuals in the content creation process
• Benchmark success using Instagram Stories
• What makes the ideal mix of photo, video, lasting and ephemeral content across Instagram and Instagram Stories

So much data. So many metrics. When it comes to measurement, separating the signal from the noise can be a daunting task. But at this session, analytics experts will illustrate how to identify the KPIs that spell success—and how to communicate and contextualize that success to senior leaders. After all, it’s not likes or shares the C-suite cares about. What they really want to know is how your efforts impact the ultimate KPI, your brand’s bottom line.

You’ll learn how to:

• Measure the impact your social media efforts have on your company’s bottom line
• Identify the metrics that really matter—and throw away the rest
• Use native and third-party analytic tools for Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram
• Measure the cross-platform success of your messaging--and the types of messaging that works best for each specific platform
• Collect data that lead to insights, and insights that lead to stronger content

PR News will recognize the first annual Social Media Luminaries, an all-star lineup of communicators who have been nominated by their peers for pioneering or furthering new methods of social media marketing. We’ll also sit down for a fireside chat and audience Q&A with our inaugural honorees.

Twitter’s real-time nature offers brands plenty of opportunities to “win the moment,” with great content. But it offers something else, something more intimate: a direct line to your audience. In many ways, Twitter has become the new customer care center, offering a one-on-one connection between brand and customer. We’ll illustrate what it takes to stand out in an ever-changing stream and showcase real-world examples of Twitter programs that delight and engage existing customers and attract new fans as well.

You’ll learn how to:

• Create videos and images that command attention on the platform
• Leverage targeted interest areas to grow your following
• Translate analytics into better content
• Use the platform as a customer care hub
• Emulate top brands whose tweets and real-world tactics get big results

During this session, you’ll network and brainstorm with your peers on one of five topics, from YouTube to LinkedIn. At the end of the day, the moderators of these free-form roundtable discussions will share one key takeaway from each group with the audience.

Among the topics:

• YouTube
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

The ever-changing rules of SEO can make yesterday’s best practices obsolete in a hurry. Don’t be left behind! In this session, we’ll explain what Google’s latest changes mean for your brand, how voice and image search is impacting SEO strategies and ultimately, how to optimize your images and words to ensure the best (search) results. We’ll also offer a rundown of tools and resources that can help your brand raise its online profile and keep your audience coming back for more.

You’ll learn how to:

• Optimize the content that matters most to your audience
• Align your website with Google’s new algorithm
• Analyze your website to determine whether it’s optimized for search
• Use the latest tools to uncover new SEO opportunities
• Ensure your site responds well to voice search

When it comes to social media, the conversation always finds its way back to the biggest of them all. During this moderated Q&A, our panel will illustrate how their brands have adjusted to Facebook’s constant changes. Which tried and true “best practices” of yesterday should be thrown out? What new skills are needed to ensure that your brand’s content breaks through to the News Feed? Is organic really dead? Get all of your Facebook questions answered here.

You’ll learn how to:

• Curate user-generated and crowdsourced content that engages a community
• Produce live video that humanizes your brand
• Create Facebook Pages and Groups that serve as a hub for your community
• Identify what makes a compelling story—then execute it
• Defy conventional wisdom by producing content that reaches your target audience organically

We’ll end the day the same way we started it—hearing from you! During this closing session, you’ll be given key takeaways on all of the social platforms from each Birds of a Feather moderator as we circle back to the beginning of the day to make sure we’ve addressed your most pressing challenges and opportunities.