Lessons Learned For Today and the FutureM

Last week, I had a great opportunity to mix and mingle with marketers as we navigated through the world of technology. Digital media will always be about bridging the gap between the real world and the virtual world, while contributing to the overall ROI, and making a true connection with the audience.

The forces came together to kick off the FutureM week of events at the Harvard Faculty Club with the Gravity Summit. It was located at the Harvard campus where the social media platform Facebook was born. The event broke new ground bringing a great group of speakers and attendees from across the country. People showcased their marketing stories using social media showing how big brands have made a few “Friends” and “Followers” along the way. Executives that contributed were from Bing, Mr. Youth, former CNN reporter Rick Sanchez, Audi, CFO of Hootsuite and others. I listened and tweeted away with new tips to share. Here is a link to a list of presentations that might be useful for you.

Respect, Recognition and Reward!

At the Gravity Summit, speaker Doug Clark, GM of Social Media and Customer Engagement for Audi, provided some solid advice to marketers. He shared a story of a woman that was a fan of the Audi TT Quattro sports car. Women are a great demographic for the brand. They made one woman’s wish come true with a car! Doug and his team followed the story of one special lady and listened to her interests and desire to drive the car. The company decided to drive to her door with the Quattro for her to take it for a spin! This is one great example using social media. Audi listened to its influencers and took the right action to create the right opportunity. As Greg Shove, CEO of Halogen Media shared also at the Summit, “Find the most interesting person, or activity that can take on a life of its own on your behalf and watch it grow.”

Stop. Collaborate. Listen to Your Audience.

Matt Britton, CEO of Mr. Youth said, “Friends want to connect with other friends, collaborate and have control of their privacy.” Why is that concept so hard for some companies to understand that same notion online? It’s how we want to connect and relate to each other in the real world so why should communicating online be any different?

As Audi’s Doug Clark presented his approach and I provided my comments:

• Offer a seat at the table - Welcome your audience
• Open doors – Make it easy for one to engage without barriers
• Create a win/win – Make it something rewarding for both parties
• Recognize a need – Determine your customers needs or wants
• Be quick to respond – Learn to take action and be agile
• Learn from audience – Take action based on new insights
• Listen and engage – Keep your ears/eyes alert searching for comments
• See yourself through the eyes of the customer – Put yourself in their shoes
• Be honest and authentic – Say it from the heart, and always be true to yourself and your brand

The Theme at FutureM was MOBILE
“Hi, I’m Human. Remember That?”

"App-tizers" to Choose and Make Real Connections with Customers

It’s not just about calling a friend, but rather a connection to “reaching out and touch someone” with new tools and social media tactics. Yet, so often I keep seeing marketing professionals trying to fit in with the wrong approach. Good examples include QR codes and checking in with Foursquare to check-out. Some disruptive technologies and changes are good, but remember to listen and learn from the natural daily actions, behaviors and what people want.

Chris Mahl, Chief Brand Alchemist of Levelup and SCVNGR, spoke at FutureM’s event and suggested for marketers to recognize, “What are the noticeable behaviors, what does your audience respond to, and make sure to treat your customer as an individual.” People need people, convenience and value – not a quirky gimmick or a link that just drives you to a website with no proper direction. You need to make it personalized to drive impulse and purpose.

John Caron, SVP of Marketing for Modiv Media, noted when marketing mobile, or for marketing anything for that matter, you must remember, “Reach, relevance and recognition.” When creating or defining the attributes of you product and/or service, be sure to consider those three aspects as part of putting together the message. Listen to what your audience seeks and the unique connection to you or your business. Regardless of the new toys we have available to play with today and into tomorrow, we all have strong emotions and there is a difference in how we all want to be treated, recognized and valued as human beings.

Google + and Minuses

A New Form of “Virtual Pressure”

I predicted this to happen and do we really need more circles of friends in cyberspace? There is a lot more online peer pressure which I have coined as “virtual pressure.” It’s defined as a strong desire to belong to a larger online community and become an early adopter of new technology. First it was MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, FourSquare, Google+ and whatever else to add to the list. Plaxo, Digg, Flickr, Klout, Godwalla etc. In this new virtual world we live in today, if you don’t accept it and jump on the bandwagon you’re going to be left out of the crowd.

Google took everything they already offer and put it into a different interface to appear as a social media tool. This improves one’s reliance on their search, as well as better monetizes their data and ad exchanges. It makes the platform a significantly better way for others to share and integrate numerous Google online products and services such as Google Docs, offers “plus” recommendations, Google AdWords, and accessibility to Android, etc.

Each day is a new tech trend to follow while some are more useful than others. Companies seek to create more services to monetize social media, stir up competition and figure out how to collect more data to target you. Too many options can be overwhelming and cumbersome for one to juggle in his/her life. The introduction of the fax, mobile phones, internet and other new technologies was a way to make our lives easier, but it also caused in some cases more work to communicate. Things will continue to fall by the wayside and new options will continue to emerge. This new digitization of the world takes commitment and can cause much stress and emotional strain for some. It is also opening up new ways to discover information, reach people across global continents to exchange ideas, as well as learn a new perspective on each others’ lives.

Check out Vincent Wong’s presentation about the new Google site and you decide the pluses and minuses of what it has to offer and what’s ahead next for you and your business.

A Blast From My Past to Believe For The Future

I’m proud of my accomplishments and the people that I have met in years past. Along this journey of life one is never too sure of the people you will meet, the places you will go, and you never know that next detour to take you on an exciting adventure. Each and every experience helps one to build who they are today and what they will be tomorrow.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

My aspirations as a child was to be a performer on stage. I use to sing and dance, write songs and work with many talented producers in the recording industry. Later in life, I decided to pursue behind-the-scenes working for radio, publishing, television and film to make a career in the entertainment business. At an early age, I had to turn down opportunities with MTV and David Yurman because of the expense to live in New York City. Yet, I took advantage of an opportunity to work for an internet start-up in Boston. It was a chance to get out there and perform similar to my days on stage, and I yearned for a connection to the audience to use my creativity.

Keri Singer Interviews George Clooney while shooting the Perfect Storm in Gloucester, Massachusetts

Today, it’s about attracting and engaging the audience through various mediums that allows people to show off their talents, but also care for their concerns with the best customer service. Although I still have a passion for the arts and entertainment, I’ve learned along the way that the skills gained throughout my career could be applied to a variety of areas.

Some of the people, places and pictures in this sample of my portfolio shares the stories and experiences of others to inspire you.

A Blast From the Past

I never thought one day that I would attend my first baseball game walking on the field of Fenway Park interviewing celebrities and the top players in the league across the country. I was able to accomplish more goals such as interview George Clooney, Matt Damon, Britney Spears and more! I made it happen and I was determined to get the job done. I believed in myself and others believed in my capabilities and talents.

Keri Singer Interviews Britney Spears Early On in Her Career at the Kiss 108 Concert

1999 All Star Game: Keri Singer Gets Up Close with Matt Damon

I’m grateful to those that gave me the opportunity to put my talents into action. Today, I continue to knock on many doors to make it happen for my personal growth, as well as help others gain the exposure to develop their own connection with the audience.

I wanted to take a trip down memory lane to share some of the pictures from encounters that I’ve had in the past with a few faces that you may recognize. It’s interesting to see where many of these top performers had their start. It was through hard work, as well as someone that believed in their talents which helped them to reach stardom. I’m not sure the next chapter in my life, but I certainly work hard each and every day to make myself a success.

Teen.com Audience Picks Christina Aguilera as a Favorite: Keri Singer Helped to Make it Happen

Christina Aguilera Captured on Stage Photographed By Keri Singer

Each day is like an audition as you step on that stage of life. Show off your many talents so one believes in your ability to entertain the crowd.

Don’t be afraid to take unfamiliar steps, or believe in someone else that brings something different to the performance. You might be surprised that it could lead to an exciting new journey that builds a foundation for greatness tomorrow.