I had fabulous intentions of writing this blog on the red-eye back from San Francisco, but well – we know how those flights usually go. #snoreeee
Being a social media professional isn’t just about all the backend work that keeps me nestled in front of my computer with finicky hair and no makeup, it requires occasional networking events to meet other pros and stay educated on new tools and tech in our field.
But some events are definitely more awesome than others!
So when my friend Michael Kawula, the SelfEmployedKing, told me I should join him at the Facebook Marketing CreativeLive workshop with Nathan Latka, the CEO of Heyo – I said, heck yes!
Not only was the workshop set to teach me more about Facebook marketing, but also introduce me to many social media professionals I’ve tweeted with or known about for years.
And let me tell you, the 2-day course did NOT disappoint.
I didn’t know about CreativeLive classes before participating in this event, but will definitely be keeping my eyes out for new and relevant courses on the way – they are excellent.
I learned some new insights on Facebook marketing, and fell in love with the teaching styles of Kim Garst of Social Boom, Joshua Parkinson of PostPlanner, Justin Brooke of IMScalable, and Carrie Wilkerson, the Barefoot Executive.
Enjoy these pics from the class!!
Mike and I arrived super early on the first day ready to go and wide eyed from our normal early east coast morning routines. The CreativeLive office is gorgeous! Airy, light and full of big tables – my heaven on earth.
Nathan came to snap a picture with us before the workshop started.
I was a bit nervous about being on live TV in such a small audience – getting called out was going to be a definite! So I chugged my coffee and mentally woke up. After the second break I had to switch to water because all the caffeine had me close to vibrating off my chair.. oops!
Nathan is an exquisite orator. I was surprised at how well he stayed on task and made sure to include the TV audience in the discussions. Plus, his energy was contagious. One can’t be bored in his presence.
This was my favorite quote of his workshop – “Hesitation is the enemy of hustle.” Solid.
Sean Malarkey came on to talk about webinars and the awesome ways we can utilize them for growing and teaching our online audience.
I don’t necessarily think that webinars are a fit for every industry, but like Sean said – push the limits and be the first. Loved it!
Joshua Parkinson from PostPlanner put on a spectacular presentation about curating content and the importance of sharing valuable and relevant content. He also broke down Facebook EdgeRank like a BOSS!
Kim Garst joined him on stage to discuss Canva and repurposing content for our brand use. She used an example of a funny quote she turned into a quote card for her Facebook page that blew up to over 700,000 shares!!
Truly enjoyed meeting Kim. She’s one of the most genuine social media personalities I’ve met thus far.
The lovely Lynn Abate-Johnson took this picture of me on TV during the show when I was asking a question. Love how embarrassingly fun it is! I’m calling it my frog lips 😛 #ribbitribbit
The presenters were anything but boring. They all brought tons of energy and excitement to every aspect of the show.
Showing left to right, Carrie Wilkerson, Sue B. Zimmerman, Nathan Latka and Kim Garst getting goofy on break for photos.
I had never heard of the final guest, Carrie Wilkerson, but was THRILLED to be introduced to her and her straightforward, no BS business approach.
Full of sass, but packing major smarts – I walked away with this golden nugget that may seem like a duh! for some folks, but for me, is always something to keep at the forefront of everything I do for my business and clients: NEVER apologize for being in the business of selling something.
Boom.
And yes, she called what we do on Facebook stalking, too!!! Happy I’m not the only one.
The last person I want to call attention to is Justin Brooke who covered Facebook ads and blew my mind with his awesome philosophy and breakdown.
Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take a picture during his presentation, but chatted with him afterwards about the new Local Awareness ads that Facebook recently released. REALLY excited to begin following him online.
All in all, making the decision to go to San Francisco at the last minute was a MAJOR win for me. I learned some incredible new Facebook marketing tricks and met many incredible people.
Thanks to the CreativeLive team for putting together such an excellent class and inviting me!
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