Austin SEO and Social Media Conference Counters the Vibe of SXSW

At one Austin SEO event called the Social Business Summit, held by the Dachis Group, a social business SaaS solution and services provider, the theme this week was decidedly contradictory – contradictory to the highly produced, rock-star-CEOs-in-the-making vibe of its cross-town rival event, SXSW. This gathering had less young startups and more established, social business “thought leaders” brought together at the W Hotel in Austin.

Instead of bowing at the altar of Twitter or singing the praises of Facebook marketing (a good social media practice, but not necessarily the most important one anymore), this conference focused on what it means to be a social business in 2012, and provided attendees with practical strategies for becoming one. The theories discussed from the stage were balanced with reality checks and lessons learned from those who have tried it all. One speaker, Dion Hinchcliffe, outlined six social success factors:

1. Listen, analyze, and engage, continuously
2. Integrate social into the flow of work
3. Plan for change and the unexpected
4. Turn on the network effect
5. Remove barriers to participate
6. Enable everyone to participate

No, none of those are particularly sexy, but we’re betting that they work. It’s great to get excited about fresh new talent, innovative startups and hot new practices. But when we look at the list above, it occurs to us that what we previously knew as SEO fundamentals have given way to the unconventional – and what we previously called unconventional SEO has become the new fundamental. Wrap your head around that for a few minutes, and then take the time to analyze how these new SEO fundamentals can be applied to your overall marketing strategy.