If you are looking for an opportunity to rub elbows with key influencers in your industry and build a networking community of like-minded, bright professionals, consider attending an industry conference, prepared, the right way. This doesn’t mean stocking up on new pens and stationary; this means doing your research, preparing your objectives and updating your contact information and online touch points. Attending a conference without proper preparation is a missed networking opportunity. 

More and more businesses are discovering the value of using visual content and video as an inbound marketing tool to help generate leads and create loyalty. It is now apparent that marketers do not need to be turned off by the common misconception that video should be produced in a costly way. The reality is, video has an important place in your marketing workflows and it can be quite easy to do – not to mention fun. By far, it is one of the easiest tools you can use to build an emotional connection with your website visitors, prospects and customers.

Most marketers understand the link between content marketing and branding, and the power it holds in regard to staying competitive and boosting your product or service. With the right mix of content marketing strategies, businesses will experience more traffic, engagement, lead generation and sales. Nobody understands this more than Chad Pollitt, VP of Audience and Co-founder of Relevance.com, an online publication dedicated to helping marketing and communications executives solve their online content visibility challenges.

Tasked with a goal to improve your online presence and increase website traffic, your small marketing team and limited budget may initially discourage you. The truth is -- growth strategies do not have to be complicated to be successful.

Inbound Wisconsin is a conference that will give sales and marketing professionals the opportunity to learn strategies with highly actionable instruction that is guaranteed to help businesses grow. The event is in collaboration with HubSpot, Google, Relevance.com and other leading technology companies.

If you want to capitalize on search engine marketing and optimization and develop your brand or business as a thought leader, you need to harness the power of online communities. Regular engagement with online communities is a great marketing and sales strategy, leveraging your existing expertise to build your brand reputation and expand your online reach.

The Stream Creative office is a magical place every spring as the team gears up for March Madness festivities. We complete our brackets and post them for all to see, the kegerator is filled with the beer of choice, Jason brings in his projector and screen, and some family members even join us to “work remotely” by setting up shop in our conference room. While many of our team members root for Wisconsin to go far, this year the majority have the Badgers going all the way. Not surprising considering the talent, heart and impressive stats the roster had coming into the tournament.

Scouring marketing conferences both near and far, we have compiled a list of the top 10 Midwest marketing conferences taking place during the remainder of the year. Finding marketing conferences that don’t blow your budget is important, so we’ve focused on conference destinations that are road-trip friendly.

Has your marketing and communication team identified the role content marketing plays in your public relations strategy? Producing relevant content that positions your business and its leaders and industry experts, along with collaborating with influential partners, can have a profound effect on your ability to expand reach, expand relationships and strengthen your brand. Part one ofNotable Ways Content Marketing is Making an Impression on PR focused on collaborative content – specifically guest blogs, influencer outreach and establishing partnerships. In part two, the focus shifts to four additional key areas that can improve your brand’s PR evolution and content marketing integration.

By now you’ve likely seen all of the data touting the importance and value of business blogs, statistics like: blogs on company websites result in 55 percent more visitors and blogs result in 434 percent more indexed pages. But if you find yourself struggling to find the time and resources to create exceptional blog content, you are certainly not alone.