Bertha's Blog: Three Powerful Lessons I Learned at ResponseCon

Wouldn’t it be great if you could learn how the world’s most successful marketing executives solve some of their biggest challenges? And wouldn’t it be nice if you could talk to them face-to-face to get their insights on what you can do to grow your business?

That’s the experience I had last year when I attended ResponseCon in the United States. GetResponse, the company that organizes and hosts the events, took special care to invite and recruit the best and brightest minds in marketing so that audience members would have close, intimate access to them. The result was an event that was a completely unique – think of it as having an important business conversation with some of the biggest names in the business.

So, what are some of the things that I learned last year? And what are some of the things I hope to learn at the next ResponseCon?

Glad you asked. Let’s take a look at 3 of the surprising insights I learned while sitting in the audience.

Lesson #1: Marketing is less about strategy and more about execution.

We all know how important a good marketing strategy is for your business. Just ask Coca-Cola, or Apple, or AirBnB. Each of these organizations have extremely well-thought-out marketing strategies that differentiate their brands from others. But they also have something else, which is a relentless dedication to executing the plan.

I learned about the power of execution from Alaina Nutile, the managing editor at OnlyInYourState.com. What Alaina does – and it’s the same thing that Coca-Cola, Apple, and AirBnB do – is that she executes. By that, I mean that she focuses an appropriate amount of attention on her business and marketing strategy, but then she follows through with the details. Every. Single. Last. Detail.

The result? Alaina has experienced phenomenal growth over the past couple of years. At last count, she was getting over 30 million visits to her website each month. How? Not just by setting goals. Not just by having a good strategy. But by focusing relentless attention on metrics, follow-through, and accountability.

That was a very powerful lesson indeed.

Lesson #2: Marketing is less about branding and more about metrics.

Okay, okay, before everyone falls off their seats, I’m not saying branding isn’t important. It is. The point I’m trying to make is that a brand is nothing without the metrics to back it up.

That’s what I learned from Michael Brenner, the founder of Marketing Insider Group and one of the speakers at last year’s ResponseCon. Michael led sales and marketing for software companies like Nielsen and FullTilt. Today, he spends his time traveling the globe helping Fortune 500 companies break down silos, create cultures of innovation, and build engaged workforces. The result is that he can share inside information on how you can use marketing technology to track metrics and grow your business. One of his techniques is to use BuzzSumo to do content research on what topics are most likely to generate engagement. The result? Massive growth for his blog and for his client’s blogs.

Another powerful lesson. And one I wouldn’t have learned had I not participated in ResponseCon.

Lesson #3: Marketing is less about persistence and more about personality.

We all know the value of persistence – the idea that you build an audience over time by consistently sharing and distributing content. But what do you do when everyone is being persistent. In other words, how do you stand out in a field that is overloaded with smart, hardworking, and dedicated marketers all of whom are sharing great content with the same people you’re trying to attract to your blog or newsletter?

That’s where I learned the value of personality – from two of the largest personalities I’ve ever met: Andrew Davis and Owen Video. Andrew spends a lot of his time on airplanes flying all over the world sharing engaging, fun, and important lessons he’s learned as an author and a business owner. Owen Video does the same thing, although Owen usually does it via his phenomenally successful YouTube channel.

Both of these guys showed me the value – and the importance – of letting your personality shine through in all of your content. After all, if you’re not doing everything you can to stand out, then someone else is standing out for you. And that’s a prescription for losing the attention of your audience.

The bottom line

If you feel like you missed out on last year’s ResponseCon, don’t worry – GetResponse is continuing the tradition with events in the U.S. and elsewhere around the globe. (In fact, if you’d like to register for ResponseCon in Boston, you can do so by clicking here.)

Whether you attend ResponseCon in Boston, Moscow, Warsaw, or wherever, one thing is for sure – if you attend, you’ll learn a lot of great things from some of the best minds in the business.