Pubcon Florida took a bit of patience and persistence to be one of the first in-person marketing conferences in 2021. 

While the pandemic kept us home, Pubcon showed us how digital marketing, brands, and audiences have changed.

Digital marketing does not occur in a vacuum. It is a web of constantly evolving components, assets, and influences. For marketers, learning is at the forefront of every role and class is always in session. So it’s a good thing we have Pubcon, a digital marketing conference where consultants and businesses build relationships and learn the latest SEO and PR strategies.

In this episode of the Social PR Secrets podcast, Kassie Meiler and Lisa Buyer exchange Pubcon 2021 takeaways. From neuroscience in ad copy to conquering Facebook updates, this year’s keynote speakers expertly tackled all things relating to SEO, content, and Google, and the G.O.A.T. has 13 pages worth of notes ready to be implemented!

Meet the G.O.A.T, Kassie Meiler

Kassie Meiler’s passion for social media and digital marketing began in high school when she held the webmaster position for her drama club. After completing undergrad at Florida State University, she furthered her education at the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, where she earned a Master of Arts in Mass Communication. 

Prior to starting the program, she had already founded Goat Social Media, LLC. In a way, the classes were similar to a practicum course. Kassie readily applied in-class skills to her very own business to increase leads and create engaging content for clients.

Kassie’s Pubcon Takeaways

Kassie got to soak up a little bit of everything social-related during the three-day conference. And she even reconnected with Lisa who was actually one of her graduate professors at UF.

One takeaway made a deep-rooted impression on Kassie. So much so that she implemented the tip to her website almost immediately. 

Social PR Secret

Add media logos on your homepage to indicate publications that you’ve been featured in. 

Kassie said that many marketers and brand owners don’t realize the amount of content they have in their toolbox. Lisa agreed, adding that when she posted her first 50 SPS episodes it was much easier than expected, having pulled valuable content from previous lectures and media she already had in her back pocket.

• Roger Dooley on Neuroscience in Ad Copy: Roger explained the liking and unity principle. An example of the Liking Principle would be Tito’s Vodka for Dog People, where they include dogs in ads to appeal specifically to dog owners. The Unity Principle is "liking on steroids." It moves beyond surface-level similarities, promoting the human nature of wanting to belong. Kassie related this to being a Florida State University Seminole and acquiring an attachment to specific on-campus bars or restaurants. Knowing this and applying a sense of familiarity and belonging to campaigns can create substantial success.
• Alex Houg on Facebook Advertising: Alex’s session tackled the daunting iOS14 update and what it means for Facebook ads. From this session, Kassie’s biggest takeaway was to optimize for on-platform events. If the data is restricted, collect leads right on Facebook and Instagram as well as encourage actions directly in the platform, such as the Instagram Shopping feature.
• John Lawson on the COVID Consumer: John’s session covered how the consumer has evolved drastically since lockdown. Kassie said that marketing budgets during COVID are not as profitable or necessary and your customer has probably changed in the last three years. She shared that Airbnb realized that they didn’t have to funnel so much of their money into marketing in order to succeed. Pulling back on the ad budget ended up resulting in their best year ever.

Lisa’s Pubcon Takeaways

PR and SEO go hand-in-hand to ensure brand visibility and success. This was Lisa’s 12th year attending and speaking at Pubcon and her first social media conference since the COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020. She hopes to attend Pubcon’s Las Vegas convention if it permits.

• Lily Ray on E-A-T (Expertise Authority Trust) - Lily tied in PR with EAT content on websites, explaining the importance of linking the author’s name on a blog to its own author page. This allows Google to give credit where credit is due. If your blogger is an authoritative expert in the topic that they are writing about, then that should be disclosed on their separate information page. Kassie says that simply adding a bio, link and headshot goes a long way in the search engine world.
• Michael King on the Ultimate Brief Template: The founder of iPullRank discussed creating an optimal stream of content. He showcased templates and guides for businesses of any size, whether you have a marketing team of two or 50 people. 
• Stephan Spencer on Social Proofing: Stephan explained the need for social proof and how to apply it to your website. Social Proof includes highlighting interviews, videos, links, publications, and testimonials in your digital media. This authentic proof can make the difference between gaining and losing clients.

Some Topics Discussed in this episode include:

• Pubcon 2021
• Expertise Authority Trust (EAT)
• Neuroscience Marketing and Ad Copy
• Liking and Unity Principle
• How PR and Ad Budget Has Changed During COVID-19
• The Chain of Communication
• Utilizing Influencers During a Crisis
• Keywords and Hashtags for Organic Exposure
• Subscribing to Google Alerts
• The iOS14 Update and Facebook Marketing
• Social Proof and Testimonials
• The Ultimate Brief Template

Connect with Kassie Meiler

• Personal LinkedIn
• Kassie’s 10 takeaways from Pubcon 2021
• Goat Social Media LinkedIn
• Personal Instagram
• Goat Social Media Instagram

Links Mentioned

• Goat Social Media Website
• Pubcon 2021
• Michael King
• Stephan Spencer 
• Lily Ray
• John Lawson
• Alex Houg
• Roger Dooly