Five Takeaways from DOYO Live 2016

“There is nothing to do in Youngstown.”

“Nothing good ever happens in Youngstown.”

“You have to move out of town if you want to be successful.”

Sound familiar? If you’re from Youngstown, Ohio, you have most likely heard this at some point in your life, however, Youngstown is always surprising us as a place that is not only close to the hearts of many, but in the successful revitalization of this once mecca of the Midwest. The latest testament to this was the city’s first ever digital conference called, “DOYO Live.”

The brainchild of Youngstown-area native and marketer, Dennis Schiraldi, this conference brought together local marketers and business owners, as well as attracted some of the world’s most well known content marketers to Downtown Youngstown.

The first annual DOYO Live conference featured two keynote speakers, Joe Pulizzi and Nate Riggs, as well as the many others who offered valuable insight in their breakout sessions. If you weren’t able to make it, have no fear. The DOYO Live conference will be back next year but, until then, I thought I might share with you some of my favorite takeaways from DOYO Live.  While there are too many to list, I narrowed it down my top five and, I think after reading, you will see that Youngstown is alive and well, especially when it comes to the digital content world of marketing.   

“You can’t be everything to everyone.”

Joe Pullizzi, founder of Content Marketing Institute and internationally renowned content ninja (that last title I gave him), opened up the conference and focused his keynote speech on his area of expertise – content. He had so many great points, but a quote that really made an impact was, “You can’t be everything to everyone.” Rather than trying to do everything, but not being great at anything, find a niche where you can be a leading expert. The average company communicates with customers in 10-15 different ways, but focusing on what is most effective and what you’re good at may lead you to success.  Focus on 3-5 main communication channels and own your customers through perfection of those.

Be Human

This is something we highlighted in our 2016 Marketing Guide for Growth, so when I heard Amanda Changuris, Social Media Marketing Analyst at Highmark Health, talk about it, I knew we were on the right track for our own clients.  Her  breakout session focused on managing social media complaints, where she discussed the importance of humanizing your responses. When people get frustrated with a company or brand, they often take to social media. Being prepared to quickly respond to a customer is extremely important for your company’s social media strategy. Angered customers do not want a generic, canned response that gets automatically sent to every complaint. Instead, Amanda discussed the importance of showing some personality, addressing the customer by name, and considering using I rather than we. Besides showing you’re not a robot, Amanda stressed that being quick is everything. 39% of social media complaints expect response in 1 hour, however, the average response time is actually 4 hours.

Schedule Social Media Posts

The importance of scheduling social posts was mentioned many times throughout the day, but the SocialEyes Media Group, a social media management company from Youngstown, did a great job in their breakout session of showing the best ways to do this. Consistency is key when it comes to social media, and by planning out your social posts and scheduling them ahead of time will keep your posts consistent. Your audience will get used to your consistency and will keep them from hitting the unfollow button.

Be Patient

If there was one thing I took away from DOYO Live, and it is sometimes hard to remember, is that content marketing, and any other form of marketing, takes time. You are not going to develop a content strategy and have thousands of subscribers overnight. Building an audience will take time, and Joe Pulizzi stated that it will likely take at least 13-18 months to build some type of audience. We know patience is a virtue, and in marketing you definitely need a lot of patience!

There IS something going on in Youngstown

The last takeaway from DOYO Live is not marketing related advice or a surprising statistic.  No, it’s that there ARE great things happening in Youngstown. This conference showed just how many great minds there are in our city that should come together more often to combine talents and show what the city has to offer. By educating each other and learning from some of the greats, we can come together to continue to revitalize the city we love.

The first annual DOYO Live was definitely a success, and it was great to hear from local marketers, network with other business owners and professionals in the area and be a part of a great event in the city I love to call, “Home.”  There is something happening in Youngstown, and I was honored to be a part of it.  I hope you will be a part of it next year.

To learn more about DOYO Live, visit, www.DoYoLive.com.

About the Author

Cailyn_Chrystal_ProfileCailyn Chrystal is a Project Manager at 898 Marketing.  Cailyn develops strategies and manages implementation of content through social media channels for 898 Marketing and it’s clients, as well as optimization strategies for websites and content. Cailyn is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and a graduate of Duquesne University where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing Communications.

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