2015 was a monumental year for digital marketing. The year began with the most popular digital marketing conference of the year, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. This year’s edition of CES was the biggest yet with over 150,000 attendees which is huge. One of the major events that took place in 2015 was the rise of blockchain technology and how it’s changing the financial world. Over 500+ companies attended the World Digital Business Summit (WDBS) in April to learn more about blockchain technology and how it can be applied to their businesses. These are just a few examples of the many transformative topics that were covered during this year’s digital marketing conferences.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
When it comes to SEO, you might wonder where you should attend to get the best training and to network with other marketers. While it’s true that there are a lot of great SEO conferences and webinars available, you might be better off attending smaller local SEO events so you can get more hands-on training and make valuable connections. Bigger conferences mean more competition for training and speaking slots which can lead to a less effective learning experience. The advantage of smaller events is that you can meet people who are interested in your SEO cause and have the opportunity to give them some guidance and help them out.
2. Email Marketing
Email marketing grew by 23% last year to $16.45 billion in retail ecommerce alone. One of the most prominent email marketing conferences is the DMA (Digital Marketing Association) where you can learn all about inbound email marketing. One of the distinguishing factors of the DMA is that it’s the only marketing conference that’s not about pitching sales pitches. The DMA conferences aim to educate marketers about the inbound methodology which focuses on educating buyers through content and providing them with relevant, personalized information.
3. Paid Search Advertising (PPC)
Paid search advertising, otherwise known as pay per click (PPC) marketing, is another one of the biggest industries in digital marketing. Over 80% of businesses are estimated to use PPC marketing, either directly or indirectly through a managed service. That’s a lot of businesses! The popularity of PPC marketing is undeniable with regards to both advertisers and publishers who all want a piece of this lucrative pie. One of the most prominent PPC conferences each year is the Affiliate Marketing Conference (AMCon) in November, where you can hear dozens of speakers from major brands such as Google, Facebook, and HP who promote affiliate marketing. If you’re looking for training, the Affiliate Summit is where you want to be in early November.
4. Content Marketing
Content marketing, or creating content to attract, engage, and convert people to customers, continues to grow as a marketing channel. The Content Marketing Institute held a major conference last year where they predicted that content marketing will be the dominant marketing platform in 2021.
5. Social Media Marketing
The rise of TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat meant a decline in the use of social media for simple sharing and an increase in its use for engagement and retention. The LinkedIn Marketing & Strategy Summit is one of the top marketing conferences that focuses on creating compelling content for consumers.
6. Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing, or the marketing of goods and services to people using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, grew from $14.27 billion in 2014 to $16.45 billion in 2015. This is primarily driven by the growing number of people using mobile devices to access the internet.
7. E-commerce Marketing
E-commerce marketing, or promoting products and services for sale online, grew from $14.27 billion in 2014 to $16.45 billion in 2015, primarily driven by the growth of online stores such as Amazon.
8. Email Marketing Optimization
Email marketing is a powerful tool in a marketer’s arsenal. However, not every email marketing program is efficient or effective. To succeed, you need to know how to optimize your emails like a pro. Some of the most prominent email marketing optimization conferences include the Email Marketing Conference (emCon) in July and the Email Marketing Summit (emailmas) in November where you can learn about the art of efficiently sending out promotional emails and increasing engagement and click-through rates.
9. Web Analytics
Web analytics, or the analysis of internet traffic on websites, continues to grow as a marketing channel. Google Analytics, one of the most popular web analytics platforms, holds conferences in August and December. These are a good place to learn about web analytics and how to implement it into your practice.
10. Content Promotion
Content promotion, or getting content in front of potential customers, is another important aspect of digital marketing. Content marketers will often create compelling content for website owners, product marketers, and salespeople to share with everyone they know. Some of the most prominent content marketing conferences are the BloggerCon and Yacht Sales conferences in April and October respectively. These conferences aim to teach content marketing insiders the techniques and strategies for gaining maximum exposure and securing maximum engagement.
While these conferences each have a specific focus, the one thing they all have in common is that they’re valuable opportunities to learn, network, and grow.