Conferences are great. They give you a chance to learn the latest best practices while simultaneously meeting old friends and making new ones.
The only problem is that there are so many to choose from that it can be difficult to pick just one that you want to attend. That’s why many people pick their conferences based on the keynote speakers alone, and that’s often not a bad idea. After all, it’s an indication of the rest of their line-up, and the best keynote speakers can reinvigorate you and inspire you to achieve much greater things.
That’s why it’s usually a good idea for B2B marketers to partner up with external providers to take their lead generation programmes to the next level. Two heads are always better than one, and there are plenty of companies out there that are specifically designed to cover off parts of the lead generation process.
Here are just two of the keynote speakers that we recommend looking out for.
Tim Hughes
Tim Hughes is a social selling guru and bestselling author, and his pioneering keynote speeches help you to see digital marketing in a refreshing new light. Part of that is because Hughes is talking from experience, as you’ll start to see if you read some of his well thought out (and equally well written) blog posts for Social Experts.
Described as a “pioneer, innovator and speaker”, Hughes is also the co-founder of Digital Leadership Associates and a relatively rare example of a British thought leader. His book – Social Selling: Techniques to Influence Buyers and Changemakers – is a practical, hands on guide that you can immediately apply to your strategy, and he reflects this when he delivers his keynotes by providing useful takeaways.
Hughes has a powerful pedigree, with years of experience at Oracle before breaking out to make it on his own. When he delivers his presentations, he’s tapping into years of practical experience, and he’s only getting better now that he’s heading up his own consultancy. Definitely one to watch.
Find out more about Tim Hughes.
Jay Baer
Jay Baer is an “internet pioneer, entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author”, and his thoughts on marketing and customer experience have been helping to shape the digital marketing industry for almost as long as anyone can remember.
You can get a feel for what Jay is like as a speaker by checking out his YouTube channel, where he regularly posts Jay Today videos – daily updates in which he shares his thoughts on industry news, trending topics and more. But whether he’s sitting in front of a camera or standing in front of a 15,000-strong audience, he has a gift for engaging his audience’s attention while imparting his knowledge and encouraging marketers to rethink customer service.
Baer is an advisor to over 700 companies since 1994 including Caterpillar, Nike, the United Nations and 32 of the FORTUNE 500, and he’s also the founder of Convince & Convert – which runs the world’s #1 marketing blog. He also holds the unique distinction of being the world’s most retweeted person by digital marketers and the world’s second most retweeted person by B2B marketers. Catch one of his keynotes to learn how to Hug Your Haters and Talk Triggers.
Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.