August 2009 – Feature: E-Mail, Social Media and the Ultimate Roadtrip

A conversation with Aaron Kahlow–digital marketing barnstormer

By Heather Fishel

Earlier this summer, the Online Marketing Summit Whistlestop Tour swept through 18 cities and 15 states in just two months. With its unique focus–solely on education and knowledge sharing; no booths or sales pitches allowed–the tour has become a legitimate success story and is still growing, even in a shaky economy. Aaron Kahlow, the Online Marketing Summit’s founder and chairman, is primarily responsible for its success, and makes the latest online marketing techniques accessible, bringing it all straight to the frontlines in the marketers’ hometowns.

Online Strategies spoke with Kahlow about his time on the road this summer. The conversation ranged from important online marketing lessons to the humorous and unexpected moments that sprung up along the way.

Online Strategies: What was the original inspiration for conducting a multi-city tour?

Aaron Kahlow: It really came out of the frustration that I–and others–felt with other conferences and shows that were making the tradeshow, exhibits and sponsors the main attractions and the education kind of a sideshow. I thought there was a huge need for people to really learn what the best practices are versus just hearing a quick pitch from industry leaders. I saw at many other shows, including ones where I was speaking, that we could do a better job of this. So I approached a bunch of my friends in the industry and some of the big vendors and said, “If you guys can work your sphere of influence and give us your best content, I’ll put on the show.”

OS: When you’re conceptualizing session ideas and choosing speakers, does your strategy change at all when conducting a local event, as opposed to the main OMS event you hold in San Diego, which is more national in scope?

AK: The strategy changes quite a bit when you do a regional event. I work with regional associations and do my best to leverage regional speakers who understand the area. Also, the structure of a one-day event is far different than what you would use for a national, multi-day event. You need to pay close attention to pacing and topic coverage.

OS: Logistically, planning the tour has to be a nightmare–all of the headaches regarding space reservation, accommodations, food, AV set-up…how do you do it? Is it done in-house?

AK: I have a team, and I kind of keep an eye on things and make sure the preparation’s going well. I handle most of the speaker and content selection as well as the general look and feel of each show. We outsource logistics to a few partners and have some folks that do marketing for us. So we do have a lot of outsourcing along the way to make sure we adjust with the demand as opposed to trying to do it all in-house. We have a staff of five and probably three external partners that handle the rest of the logistics.

OS: As the economy has worsened, what changes have you noticed among attendees? Has attendance dropped? Have marketers’ concerns changed?

AK: Surprisingly, attendance was up by about 37 percent, even though we had to raise our prices slightly. I think the economy benefited us for a few reasons: First, there’s a much larger emphasis on expanding one’s knowledge base these days, with marketing departments asked to do more with less. And everybody knows how competitive the job market is–any chance one has to add insight and information to their repertoire helps. Second, we’ve introduced the Online Marketing Institute, which has certification programs and has helped drive the increase in attendance. Certification is a strong resume builder and a trusted verification of people’s skill sets. Finally, I think we’ve benefited because we bring the show to people’s backyards as opposed to asking them to get on a plane and stay in a hotel, which is a hard proposition for many budgets these days.

Despite the dreary economy, we were very impressed with the energy level of the attendees. People are so eager to learn. Everyone was fired up.

OS: Looking back at this year’s tour, what were some of the common issues or concerns you heard digital marketers express?

AK: Some of the main concerns people have are prioritizing budgets. How much of the overall marketing budget should go online? Or, within online marketing, do I devote more to search? My website? Should I go to integrated social media marketing? There’s an awful lot to do and a very finite budget number.

Also, the return on investment generated by social media is a very hot topic. How can I get ROI out of Twitter if I have someone spending five hours a day tweeting? People wonder if social media is really about ROI or is perhaps more of an ego play.

Finally, integration of marketing strategies is another issue of great interest. For example, how can you efficiently integrate your e-mail marketing with your social media, website and analytics systems?

OS: Let’s turn the question around: what were a few of the lessons you might have learned as a digital marketer from this tour?

AK: It was such a privilege to spend so much time around the true thought leaders in our industry–people like Rand Fishken, Eric Peterson, Kevin Lee and Catfish ">SEO guru Ray "Catfish" Comstock. I learned valuable lessons at each stop.

To be specific and general at the same time, one of the most important lessons I took away from the tour was to be sure to focus on online marketing’s foundational elements, and not to fall prey to chasing the latest “shiny object,” which can be tempting.

What are the foundational elements? Making sure you’re website is truly user-centric and fully search-engine optimized. Leveraging a cohesive e-mail campaign strategy rather than deploying a series of one-off e-mails.

These elements are foundational for a reason: they have the highest potential impact on ROI. Once you have the foundation in place, then you can begin to think about things like social media. Look at social media as a supportive element to your online efforts and your website, not as an element unto itself.

OS: Were there any surprises you encountered along the way?

AK: What was surprising was the reemergence of e-mail as a hot-button issue. There was a greater fervor than I’ve ever seen before regarding getting e-mail done right. People’s lists are getting hit hard; they’re saturated and return on investment on e-mail is getting weaker and weaker.

In fact, this was the approach from discipline to discipline. People want to “do things right.” It’s not, “How do I implement a search campaign,” but “How do I implement a search campaign without making mistakes or suffering the pains of the learning curve?”

There’s a burning desire for quality, for content to help people leapfrog that learning curve.

OS: I imagine that one city tends to blend into the next a bit, but that some cities really stand out. Which ones really stand out in your memory and why?

AK: (Laughs) If I answer that, then I will be a marked man in 17 other cities! New York and Texas will always stand out because they are areas with a dense population of online retailers and service providers–we always are able to get truly great content, and great brands come to talk to us. I have to say this, though–Seattle really stood out to me as a sophisticated market that is clamoring for educational content. Houston had a great showing for us despite being what one might think of as a secondary market, one that doesn’t immediately come to mind as a digital marketing hub. But it is really very sophisticated, as well.

OS: How did your experience this year change your mindset as a digital marketer or your plans for next year’s tour?

AK: Despite what I alluded to before about social media not being a fundamental aspect of online marketing, it is evolving at a breakneck pace. Look at search engine marketing. It took some companies five to 10 years to jump in and then refine their efforts. It’s just the typical maturation process. But the pace is much, much faster now. Last year we were just talking about what social media is, defining it and discussing ways to begin an initial experiment with it. This year we’re already talking about set practices and how to execute at a higher level. The pace of the maturation process is so much faster and is really fascinating to me. It’s really got me thinking, “Hey, it’s not about just conceptualizing any more; it’s really time to execute.” That was a huge takeaway for me–the different timelines from concept to advanced execution.

OS: What are your future plans for the tour and for your other initiatives?

AK: A couple things are top-of-mind. We have an OMS all-star webinar and webcast series that we’re launching in early September. We’re getting the best of the best speakers from around the country to be a part of this series. It’s also integrated into the Online Marketing Institute, and credits for the certification program will be available.

We will also launch a social media integration and execution program in late September. And of course, our annual national conference is coming down the road. It’s the second week in February. Those are the big things on our plate right now.