It’s a fact: 85% of consumers in the United States are on a social media platform. That’s according to the MarketingSherpa Consumer Purchase Preference Survey, which also found that 58% of consumers also follow their favorite brands on social media. Knowing this, it’s time to ask yourself a crucial question: Is your social media marketing ready to capture your target market?
Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry. There are plenty of resources online, but if you want a more traditional learning experience, why not attend a conference? The list below features the top social media conferences—or digital marketing conferences with a social media component—that are the places to go to learn about social media in 2017.
Social Media Week New York
Run by Crowdcentric Media, this annual digital media conference will teach you all about current trends and best practices in the industry. You’ll hear from experts from Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and others on how to harness the power of social media marketing. And don’t forget all the networking opportunities — thousands of digital marketers attend, and you never know what you’ll learn from them!
The next conference is February 22 through March 3, 2017. Find out more about the conference at their website here.
MozCon
Where’s great place to learn about social media, along with SEO, content marketing, and analytics? MozCon! Held in Seattle by Moz, a SEO consulting company, this annual conference is a jam-packed three days. You’ll have speakers from every part of the industry giving tips on how to boost your digital and social media marketing. There’ll be awesome networking opportunities and plenty of opportunities to explore the Seattle area.
The next conference is July 17 through 19, 2017. Find out more about MozCon here.
Inbound
Pack your bags, because you might be “Inbound” to Boston. Puns aside, Inbound is sponsored by HubSpot, a marketing and sales platform. This is your opportunity to learn from industry experts, celebrities and best-selling authors — past speakers have included Serena Williams, Alec Baldwin and Ta-Nehisis Coates, for example. Everything you need to know about inbound marketing, branding and of course, social media, you’ll learn at Inbound.
The next conference is September 25 through 28, 2017. Find out more information here.
IGNITION: Future of Digital
Business Insider’s conference IGNITION brings together industry pioneers to discuss the future of media and technology. Past speakers have included Arianna Huffington of The Huffington Post fame; Jeff Bewkes, the CEO of Time Warner; James Murdoch, CEO of 21st Century Fox; and more.
The 2017 conference has yet to be announced, so keep an eye on Business Insider’s website for updates.
Social Media Strategies Summit
Declaring itself the “longest running, most comprehensive social media conference in the U.S.,” the Social Media Strategies Summit (#SMSsummit) is put on by the Global Strategic Management Institute. Though more than 7,000 people attend, you can expect a more personal experience than other conferences. As one person said, it’s “not a big, get-lost-in-the-attendees type of conference so speakers/presenters are approachable and sessions are geared toward your social media needs and questions.”
The conferences are held at various time of the year in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. For more information, go to the #SMSsummit website.
#SocialPro
Put together by Marketing Land, a digital marketing publication, Social Pro will teach you everything you need to know about paid and organic social media marketing. Past speakers have included experts from Twitter, Microsoft, Facebook, WordStream and other big names.
The 2017 conference has yet to be announced, so keep an eye on the SocialPro website for updates.
MarTech
MarTech covers “marketing, technology, and management” for executive- and senior-level professionals interested in digital marketing. MarTech is put on by Third Door Media, which is the parent company for Marketing Land. (See #SocialPro.)
Their 2017 conference will be held May 9 through 11 in San Francisco, California. Find out more information here.
Social Media Marketing World
Get ready for surf and sunshine when you head to the Social Media Marketing World conference, held each year in San Diego, California. There are more than 120 plus sessions and workshops at this event, with experts from Google, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and Google attending. Hosted by Social Media Examiner, more than 30,000 people have the conference over the years.
Social Media Marketing World offers something unique compared to other conferences: Virtual tickets. Get access to all the sessions, PDFs and MP3 files from the conference, all from the comfort of your home.
The annual conference will be held March 22 through 24, 2017 in San Diego. Find out more information about the event here.
Content Marketing World
Content Marketing World, a conference and expo put on by the Content Marketing Institute, will not only teach you about content marketing, but social media has well! With more than 4,000 attendees and 225 speakers expected in their 2017 conference and expo, you’ll learn how all about content marketing—often an essential part of your social media strategy.
The next conference is September 5 through 8 in Cleveland, Ohio. Find out more about Content Marketing World at their website here.
B2B Marketing Forum
Marketing to businesses is a lot different than marketing to consumers. Figuring out how to navigate consumer-friendly social media can be a challenge when you’re trying to reach businesses. That’s why the B2B Marketing Forum is a great conference to go to if you are in the business-to-business world.
Put together by MarketingProfs, the B2B Marketing Forum will be October 3 to 6, 2017, in Boston. Find out more information about the forum at their website.
What social media events will you be attending in 2017? Let us know your favorites in the comments!
Updated 2018: Top 10 Digital Marketing Conferences of 2018