Last week Litos sent two of our team members to New York City to attend the Inbound Marketing Summit, #IMS12. Organized by The Pulse Network, this conference was an opportunity for marketing professionals to network and hear experiences and ideas from some powerful movers and shakers in the new media marketing industry.  During the conference we learned a lot about what’s up next in the way of content marketing, inbound marketing, and mobile and social media marketing. After our two days there, we came away with three important messages that you should apply to your B2B or B2C social media marketing strategy:

1. Social Media has changed marketing…forever.

Gone are the days of broadcasting your brand message from the rooftops for all the world to hear. Social media has created an outlet through which brands can interact with the consumer to gain insights, feedback, and a better understanding of what the customer wants and needs. Marketing is now a two way street, where listening is just as important as talking.

Barry Libert (@barrylibert) presented a great case study on Nike that demonstrated the brand’s attempt to ‘be where the customers are’. Over the course of the past three years, Nike has reduced its spending on TV and broadcast by 40% while simultaneously enhancing its community engagement through social media programs, mobile apps, and interactive web software. The result? Increased revenue and a strong community fanbase that they can continue to draw from for future social media based marketing efforts.

2. Mobile optimization is a must

Are you reading this blog article on a mobile device? Chances are, for at least half of you the answer is yes. As Tim Hayden (@thetimhayden) pointed out, “at least 90% of Americans are within 3 feet of their mobile devices 24/7”. We are living in a mobile world, which means one thing for companies: if your site isn’t mobile friendly, you’re missing an important opportunity to engage your customer.

It’s important to keep in mind that optimizing your site for mobile is not just about quick load times and mobile technology. It’s about understanding the user experience and the way consumers interact with your site on a mobile interface. Don’t just take your current site and put it on a mobile platform. Condense your content and create a unique site that is tailored to the mobile experience. Doing so will make a world of a difference when engaging your customer on a mobile platform.

3. Content is still King.

Yes, social media has changed marketing forever. But fundamentally, social media marketing is still marketing. You can Tweet all day every day, but if you’re not employing an effective content marketing strategy, you might as well not be Tweeting at all.

So what’s ‘good content’ for social media? Ask your customer. Or, better yet, let your customer create the content. Chris Brogan (@chrisbrogan) phrased it best when he advised companies to “make the customer the hero”. By using the customer experience to create great content, you are creating social media marketing that engages the customer and that will likely result in a high level of fan or follower activity.

The message that we took away from IMS is this: marketing isn’t just about pushing a message anymore; it’s about customer interaction and brand reaction. The most effective marketing campaigns today use insights gained from social media to drive a reactive and targeted comprehensive strategy.

Visit The Pulse Network’s YouTube channel to view recordings of the presentations at Inbound Marketing Summit 2012.