The Ungagged 2015 conference is happening in Las Vegas from November 9 – 11, 2015. I’ll be going — and I wanted to share my top 7 reasons for why every entrepreneur serious about success online should go:
1. Hear from the smartest people
These are some of the most respected speakers in the world in their specialties. You hear from people like Duane Forrester (of Bing’s Webmaster program); Loren Baker (a contributor here at Small Business Trends and founder of Search Engine Journal); Ruth Carter (a lawyer who knows social media law); Kaspar Szymanski (formerly with the Google spam team); Luke McCormack (of Flippa, the website-selling marketplace); Debra Mastalar (who knows more about how to earn links than anyone I know); Brian Massey (a conversion expert); and many more.
They’ll be talking about topics like:
- mistakes that kill the value of your business
- how to get PR for your startup
- streamlining your content marketing
- tying SEO into the wider business
- social media horror stories and how to avoid them (from a legal standpoint)
- how to successfully launch a software-as-a-service (SaaS) business
- how to scale your business to a multi-million valuation in 12 months
- SEO myths debunked
and a lot more…. Can you see why I want to attend Ungagged?
2. Get best-kept digital marketing secrets
Some of the world’s most successful digital marketers and entrepreneurs will be telling their best-kept secrets. That’s why the conference is called “Ungagged.”
Today, few professionals write their most valuable insights on blogs the way they used to 5 or 7 years ago. There are lots of reasons for that. First, there are concerns that strategies become abused and worthless once shared. Second, professionals who spent years learning their trade fear they will simply educate competitors who will copy what they’ve learned without investing the time. Third, the digital marketing world is now so complex that you can’t simplify digital marketing into 500 word posts — things are more nuanced.
The only way you can learn is from people willing to open up a bit at conferences.
Oh, and I understand there will be no tweeting without speaker permission and no video recording. That way speakers are more open to sharing the knowledge they’ve worked years to learn.
3. Discover “what’s working now”
The changing world of search, the stunning growth of content marketing, the explosion of mobile devices, and the popularity of social media — all have pretty much turned the digital world on its head.
For those making a living from online properties (like we do here at Small Business Trends) the pace of change is mind boggling. Google now makes over 500 algorithm changes each year. That’s 1 or 2 a day! Social media platforms and huge marketplace sites like Amazon have begun to rival search engines as a way to reach an audience.
Staying up on what’s working today is a full-time job. How can you keep learning unless you rub elbows with others who are at the top of their game?
4. No sales pitches
Tired of attending conferences where the speakers give 10% useful content, and 90% sales pitches? With Ungagged the focus is on content, not pitches.
5. Limited size means better networking
Ungagged is not a mega conference with thousands, even tens of thousands of people.
With an intimate size, you will have a better chance for in-depth networking. Wouldn’t you want the chance to get to know some of the world’s best and brightest in more than a three-minute conversation?
6. Learn how to execute
One of the most frustrating things for me is to hear big strategies — but not know what to do with them. If someone says “improve the technical SEO of your site architecture” or “optimize for Google News” in theory I agree 110%. But unless I know how to do those things, it’s of no value to my business.
7. Learn how to hire digital marketing professionals
And now we come to the crux of the matter. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you can’t do everything. Even if you execute some things, you’re also going to need to hire professional help eventually.
You know what my number one secret is for hiring good professionals?
Knowledge.
You have to know enough to ask the right questions of a professional — and assess whether they know what they’re talking about. Otherwise, you can spend tremendous amounts of money hiring professionals who talk a good game, but in the end don’t move the needle in your business.
Attend Ungagged 2015
So those are my 7 reasons for going to Ungagged 2015. Here are some testimonials from last year’s event. If you’re going I hope you’ll introduce yourself — I’d like to get to know you. Here’s a discount code to get 20% off the Ungagged ticket price: SBT.
Aira Bongco
You really need to keep attending events if you are to know the latest trends and tips. What’s working then may not be working now. There are simply too much information on the Internet that is not applicable today. So it is best to always update your knowledge base.
Sounds like a great conference.