2010 Business Technology Symposium Emphasizes Importance of Online Presence, Marketing

As a part of SEMA’s Leadership Days, the 2010 Business Technology Symposium (BTS), sponsored by SEMA's Street Performance Council (SPC) and held Friday, July 23, at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, California, drew 113 specialty-equipment industry attendees, from business owners to IT professionals.

A host of industry experts presented eight sessions, including panel discussions, which provided attendees with the knowledge and skills needed to move their businesses forward in the Internet age.

“The 2010 SPC Business Technology Symposium has definitely been one of the highlights of the year for SEMA,“ said Nathan Ridnouer, SEMA’s vice president of councils and membership. “Not only has this fourth annual event taken on a slightly new direction by expanding beyond online marketing and the Internet, but it also has found an audience that thrives on cutting-edge subject matter presented by our members.”

Check out these eight tips attendees took away from the symposium:

1. The opening general session, entitled “Mobile Devices: The Future of Mobile Marketing,” was presented by Nathan Sacco of eBay Motors. According to him, by 2013, 40% of Internet traffic will be mobile.

2. “Reaching Your Customers on Forums and Blogs” was presented by Tyler Tanaka of PostRelease, Mike Martinez of izmocars, Stewart Lawson of VerticalScope and Adrian Harris of Internet Brands. In this session, attendees learned how to create and manage Internet forums and blogs to interact with customers so they can bring maximum exposure to their brands.

3. Matt Bailey of SiteLogic Online Marketing presented “Grab Market Share with SEM & PPC,” where attendees learned about Keyword Research, the Five Budget Busters and Six Simple Sales Techniques.

4. After the networking lunch, Michael Kelly of ClickMail Marketing presented “Getting People to Read Your E-mails,” in which he provided tips to ensure that your e-mails were not only opened but also compelled the recipient to act. This session explained the optimum techniques for small business owners by focusing on case studies and best practices, software tools and templates for success.

5. “Market Research in the Digital Age” was presented by Tom Myroniak of SEMA, Famous Rhodes of eBay Motors, Michael Cooperman of J.D. Power & Associates, David Parcell of Harris Interactive and Dan Hall of AutoPacific. These industry experts provided tips on how to use market research to support your business goals and objectives.

6. “Converting Leads to Sales with CRM,” was presented by Jeff Scott of C-Level Management, who offered tips on topics including Leads vs. Opportunities; Defining a Simple, Yet Effective Sales Process; Knowing Your Customers; and High-Impact Sales & Marketing Tools.

7. Famous Rhodes of eBay Motors, Gigi Ho of Digital Performance, Rob Eberhart of DCi, Matt Gold of RPMware and Cameron Evans of Red Line Oil presented the “Good Data=More Sales” session. The panel highlighted the fact that 70% of online buyers are do-it-yourself (DIY) customers and 60% of shoppers use manufacturer sites to get information before buying.

8. The closing general session, entitled “Social Media for Your Business,” was presented by Tyler Tanaka of PostRelease, Mike Martinez of izmocars, Bryan Elliott of SoCal Action Sports Network and Mark Davidson of Shift+One Media. This session dealt with the Big Three in social media: Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Attendees found that 60% of consumers interacted with companies via social media and 93% of consumers believed companies should have a presence in social media. Businesses should become involved to improve communications, generate leads and reduce costs.

Michael Kelly of ClickMail Marketing spoke to attendees about “Getting People to Read Your E-mails."	Jeff Scott of C-Level Management presented the session “Converting Leads to Sales with CRM.”
In the "Social Media for Your Business" session, Tyler Tanaka of PostRelease (far right) defined "The Big Three" as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.	In the “Grab Market Share with SEM & PPC” session, presented by Matt Bailey of SiteLogic Online Marketing, attendees learned about Keyword Research, the Five Budget Busters and Six Simple Sales Techniques.
According to Nathan Sacco of eBay Motors, 40% of Internet traffic will be mobile by 2013.	According to Famous Rhodes of eBay Motors (far right), 70% of online buyers are do-it-yourself customers.