When Brands & Bloggers Collide

July 26, 2012 11:39 am CT

I enjoy the opportunity to get out of the office and into the real world. And, I relish any chance to ketchup with my Chicago pals (…see what I did there?) and to make new connections.

I had the perfect storm occasion last weekend at the second annual Brands & Bloggers Summit (BBSummit), a power-packed conference organized by Social RevUp bringing both sides together to build relationships with the right individuals. Isn’t this truly the power of social media? Connecting with people one-on-one, as opposed to the mass-market approach of traditional media?

Sponsored by GMC and Driving the Midwest’s Our Town, Our Heroes program, BBSummit attracted 150 influential bloggers from the Midwest (and beyond) for a full day of panel discussions, networking, presentations and great prizes and giveaways. I was honored to be part of the “Taking it to the Next Level” panel, moderated by the incomparable Liz Strauss, one of the top social media thinkers. Spending an hour talking with Liz equals six months of social media research – read her blog; it’s chock-full of irresistible ideas.

This conference is all about bringing together top brands, bloggers, consultants, influencers and traditional media to learn about each other. It’s the reason Driving the Midwest and General Motors are here for the second year. It doesn’t disappoint and totally delivers on its promise to connect the right people and idea-swap.

It gave bloggers a chance to get to know our vehicles as well as how to start partnering with us, namely by getting involved with and helping to promote the Our Town, Our Heroes program. It’s a great way for bloggers to use their online influence to help promote the effort while strengthening their own reach.

If you’re new to blogging or are simply interested in expanding your current audience, consider connecting with us either through Driving the Midwest or by attending one of Social RevUp’s next events. You just might end up in a sweet GM vehicle for a week.