I attended the LinkedOC Event at Oakley HQ in Foothill Ranch with Bryan Elliott, Chris Brogan and a lot of the OC and LA Tech crew. The headquarters in a word: AWESOME!! The product and the story behind the product is amazing. Basically, my next set of sunglasses are gonna be the Oakley Brand.

Chris Brogan Speaking (and takeaways):

• Humankind’s greatest need is the need to feel wanted. That’s what customer’s want from most businesses. So think about how you can make your customers feel like they’re more than just a number and a transaction.
• Social Media is the new phone. Every department should be a part of it. It’s lead generation, sales funneling, content marketing, and support.
• Social Media in it’s Evolution:
  • Two Frames:
    • Experiment, execute and expand the community. That’s how great ideas become business. Try new things. But don’t be afraid to fail. Pick yourself up and try something new again applying what you learned from your mistakes. “Do or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda
    • CCM Theory – Content, Community & Marketplace
• Build a Homebase. Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are not your solution. Any site that’s not your own site is a borrowed network and is not your own. Build your OWN site. Then use social networks to drive traffic there.
• Community: You live or die by your database. (Advise from Jeff Pulver) Build lists and add value. Then, it’s what you do with it where the magic happens. What are you doing to build and cultivate relationships? Are you checking in with people frequently and often?
• Outposts – Spend time on networks and talk about them, not you. When people are ready to buy, they’ll think about you because they know that you care. It’s a cafe type business. People (clients) want to know that you care. This is called: “Being there before the sale.”
• Think up a media presence. Story-telling sells. Make videos about your buyers. Customers want to hear about themselves.
• Preferrential Treatment matters. Why the hell aren’t you massaging the top 20 percent of your customers?!

To Do’s:

• Revamp your LinkedIn Profile. Update your profile across all other networks. The Networking status link is a gold mine!
• Revisit your site for conversion and community. Ask yourself: “How am I doing the community thing? Am I making visitors feel welcome?”
• Look at your website’s “About” Page and put a face on it.