Skip to content

Social Media Camp back in Victoria for 10th year

Learn how to make money, build community and do social good
16407452_web1_180515-MRN-M-SocialMedia
Vicki McLeod with founders of Social Media Camp, Paul Holmes, Chris Burdge, and Beverley Theresa. (File Photo/Black Press Media)

In this day and age marketing is simple and complex all at the same time. We know social media is a tool with the ability to transcend audiences and build a brand, but how does one use the full power of their feeds?

Social Media Camp (SMC) is returning to Victoria for the 10th year with hundreds of marketers live and in person ready to connect you with the answer.

While social media can be daunting for some and annoying for others, Paul Holmes, co-producer of the event, says it’s important people stay engaged online to help foster not only a better business, but a better world.

“Social media has lots of aspects to it that can create these negative experiences, so I think there has to be broader conversation,” he says. “There are people who say I’m going to get off Facebook or Twitter and I don’t think that’s the solution because if you abandon the platforms because they’re too negative then all that’s going to be left is negative.”

READ ALSO: Greater Victoria’s school of magic is back

This year’s event themes centre around making money online, building a community and using social media for social good.

“No question, social media has revolutionized communications … so when we have Social Media Camp we’re not going to ignore the negative impacts but we’re going to obviously talk about the positives as well — connecting people from around the world around important causes,” says Holmes.

For all entrepreneurs, small business owners and marketing managers who use social media to sell goods and services, SMC pulls together social moneymaking techniques while teaching you how to leverage your online connections. The camp also offers ‘actionable’ tips from more than 40 of the world’s foremost professionals specializing in building community through social media. Finally social good is any action that provides a measurable benefit, from increasing awareness to crowd funding for a social project — SMC has you covered.

READ ALSO: Vaccine wars: Social media battle outbreak of bogus claims

“Interestingly the message we shared in 2010, when we had our first event, was just get out there, put out some content and see what happens — and for 2010 that was pretty good advice,” says Holmes. “The problem is we’re not in 2010, we’re in 2019 and social media has become the most measurable platform for marketing ever.”

Along with the strategies and techniques attendees will learn, SMC also offers a unique coaching experience attendees can sign up for to help navigate the teachings from the camp.

“If you’re a small non profit — you need to spread the word about your cause, you need to raise funds and keep your community engaged — you can do that with the tools that are available,” says Holmes. “And the way you would have done that five years ago is very different from how you would do that now.”

Social Media Camp takes place at the Victoria Conference Centre on April 25 and 26 with speakers such as Mari Smith — dubbed the Queen of Facebook — Zack Nelson from JerryRig Everything, Rand Fishkin, founder of SparkToro and Scott Stratten the president of UnMarketing.

“We have an absolute solid lineup [of speakers] so it’s going to be literally the best year we’ve ever had in terms of speaker quality,” says Holmes.

Tickets to the two-day international event are $599 and can be purchased online at socialmediacamp.ca.



kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca

Follow us on Instagram Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

kendra.crighton@blackpress.ca