LeadsCon

Monday, March 18th, 2013

Tuesday, March 19th, 2013

It would not be a LeadsCon without the 1000+ person standing-room-only, State of The Union. “Lead”ing CEO’s and thought leaders take the stage. Part prognostication, part explanation, 100% illumination.

Moderator: Jordan Rohan, Managing Director & Internet Analyst, Stifel Nicolaus
Panelist: Tom Evans, President & CEO, Bankrate
Steve Krenzer, CEO, CORE Digital Media

The internet of today is not the internet as we knew it. And, the internet of the future will continue to challenge what we think of as “the internet.” This new internet is not only going to change how we reach consumers, but it will be here sooner than we think.

Presenter: Stefan Weitz, Senior Director of Search, Microsoft, Inc.

That mobile would alter media and commerce was never the issue at hand. How and when was always the $64 billion question. In the past year alone, answers have started to emerge, but more importantly, use of mobile has tipped the way websites did a decade ago. Mobile is no longer something to think about. It is something that must be understood if one wants to stay relevant in this highly changing environment.

Moderator: JT Benton, VP, Mobile, DoublePositive
Panelists: Mike Anthony, VP Sales, MillennialMedia
Michael Bayle, SVP & GM Mobile, ESPN
Brian Mikalis, Senior Vice President of Mid-Market Sales, Pandora
Dipanshu Sharma, Founder & CEO, xAd

Another LeadsCon tradition, the Launch Showcase features four companies taking the stage for six minutes each. They have worked for months if not years on creating new products, platforms, and at times, entirely new businesses. We cannot wait to see what they unveil.

Presenters: Josh Reznick, CEO, Datalot
Frans Van Hulle, CEO & Founder, ReviMedia
Jason Wells, CEO, LogMyCalls

Presenter: Michael Ferree, Director, LeadsCouncil

A LeadsCon hallmark, the morning keynote transports attendees from the day-to-day into a world of thought-provoking possibilities. LeadsCon Las Vegas 2013 is no exception as we welcome Tom Wujek, Autocad Fellow. Tom’s session will forever change how you think about communication and collaboration, making you smarter and higher performing. And, it will also change how you think about spaghetti. Really.

Keynote: Tom Wujec, Fellow at AutoDesk & Author

Do you think you’re fast? They want you faster. Do you think you work long hours now? They want you available 24/7. From how to optimize your site for mobile to learning about mobile app store discoverability, this session will help you prepare your business for the future of mobile technology.

Presenter: Erin Lantz, Director of Mortgage Business, Zillow, Inc.

Sure, it’s great that mobile has evolved from a third screen to, in many cases, a primary screen. It is great too that today’s mobile devices can not only mimic their larger connected counterparts, but in many ways have increased engagement possibilities. But, you want to know what this really means for me. Right? Find out where mobile shines and what you need to do to make it work for you.

Moderator: Henry Tam Jr., VP and General Manager, mMedia Advertising, MillennialMedia
Panelists: Ed Chater, VP Media Operations, SOMO
Brenden Lane, Mobile Marketing Lead, Groupon
Shawn Scheuer, Co-Founder & CEO, Moolah Media
Alexander Tsatkin, CEO, MobAff LLC

With all the mobile apps out there, let’s not forget the original—text messaging. Text messaging has quickly become one of the most widely used forms of personal communication, but in business, marketers and sales professionals are still trying to figure out how to effectively integrate text messaging into their mobile mix. This session will provide insights into how high-performing sales and marketing professionals are boosting lead conversion and revenue with proven-to-convert text messaging strategies, based on recent Leads360 research of more than 3.5 million prospect interactions.

Presenter: Nick Hedges, CEO & President, Leads360

One of the most exciting trends within the online customer acquisition space has been the ability of internet- connected devices to drive scalable traffic that mimics offline behavior. Now, companies—be it individual buyers or large scale organizations—can buy calls, paying not just for a connection by for time spent. Great as it sounds, it might not be enough, and here’s why.

Presenter: Jason Wells, CEO, LogMyCalls

The shift towards mobile consumption has many implications. One of the biggest is actually the “smallest.” Mobile screens have decidedly less real estate. The reduced real estate correlates with increased issues when asking for information. In an ideal world, marketers could ask for as much information as they want, but in mobile, doing so comes at the risk of increased page abandonment. Less information required will assure a greater number of users, but does less information result in a less valuable user?

Presenter: Michael G. Samet, PhD, CEO, PriceQuotes.com

The “third screen” is a mighty one, but as mentioned, it isn’t a big one. Designing for mobile, especially when focusing on actions, is anything but easy or intuitive. Success means lots of testing, failing, and testing again. Here’s your chance to speed up that process by learning from other’s mistakes, we mean, tests.

Presenter:Pete Koomen, Co-Founder & President, Optimizely

An in-depth overview of the mobile environment, covering trends and tactics necessary to leverage, what is for many, not the “third screen” but the first screen would not be complete with a look into companies playing major roles across the spectrum of mobile.

Moderator: Jay Weintraub, NextCustomer, Founder
Presenters: Dan Boren, Head of Customer Acquisition Business Line, Velti
Fred Hsu, President & CEO, Manage.com
Momchil Kyurkchiev, CEO, Leanplum
Peter Oprysko, Vice President, Sales & Marketing, Clash Group

Facebook as a traffic source could take up weeks worth of discussions. From a performance marketing perspective, though, it’s all about the Facebook Exchange—a powerful new advertising product that allows advertisers to use off Facebook targeting within the Facebook ecosystem. The results are astounding and should be top of mind for any advertisers with scale.

Presenter: Zach Coelius, Co-founder and CEO, Triggit

Few things are as well known as the domain name. Yet, few areas are equally unknown as the group of publishers who own millions of domain names, not because they want to build their own business, but because of the value these names can bring to other businesses, namely yours. Learn about the internet that you never knew existed and how you might find untapped audiences.

Moderator: Braden Pollock, Owner, Legal Brand Marketing
Panelists: Chad French, President & Founder, Peerfly
Morgan Linton, President, Linton Investments
Frans Van Hulle, CEO & Co-Founder, ReviMedia

Of the roughly $35 billion yearly in internet advertising spend, Google accounts for almost half. That is the power of pay to play. If, however, there was no content to crawl, no algorithms to make sense of the trillions of pages, there would be no ads to show, and no billions of earnings. Content has been the key. In the past, there was no question about the value of trying to rank high organically. But, is this true today in a world with more frequent updates and ever confusing, if not conflicting, rules?

Moderator: Joe Deal, President, Degree Prospects, LLC
Panelists: Rae Hoffman, CEO, Pushfire
Ross Hudgens, Founder, Siege Media
David “dk” Klein, Founder, Purpose, Inc
Rob Voce, Founder and CEO, Project 7 Labs LLC / Voce Consulting LLC

What do Fab.com, Hautelook, One Kings Lane, Open Sky on the commerce side and A Place For Mom, Education Connection, Angie’s List, and LendingTree on the services side have in common? A quick adoption of television. While television will never be the inexpensive option, when judged on an overall ROI basis, especially its digital lift, television may just be the channel you cannot afford to leave out of the marketing mix.

Moderator: Brad Hargreaves, Co-Founder, General Assembly
Panelists: John Cecil, President & CEO, Innovate Media Group
Stephen M. Tucker, CEO, The iCan Group
Robert Yallen, President & CEO, Intermedia Advertising
Beth Vendice, President, Performance Division, Mercury Media

It happens to every company. Their marketing hits the proverbial wall, but that doesn’t stop the need to continue growing. Where do you turn? Search is the obvious answer, but it’s also the most expensive. Industry expert and performance marketing guru Amanda Currie shares how companies can scale without going to the Google well.

Presenter: Amanda Currie, Senior Vice President, Adconion Direct

Last but not least of this year’s Traffic Track, one of the original performance marketing channels has become among the most polarizing. After experiencing increased fraud and quality issues, some have abandoned third-parties all together, while many others have imposed severe limitations. Despite it all, there is a deep desire to make the channel work . . .if possible.

Moderator: Peter Klein, Senior Vice President, Media Services, MediaWhiz
Panelists: Andrea Hoffman, Vice President, GMAD/Globe Life And Accident Insurance Company
Chris McArdle, Executive Director, Neustar Information Services
Jeff McCollum, President, Cake Marketing
David Sendroff, Founder & President, CPA Detective
Dustin Wolff, V.P. of Sales, Telic

The largest ever research study on the topic of lead generation. Cutting-edge tactics presented from testing results, surveys, and over 5 years of data. See how your lead generation methods compare. You’ll learn not only the most popular strategies but also the most effective.

Presenter: Ken Krogue, President and Co-founder, InsideSales.com

This workshop provides powerful insight into using Artificial Intelligence to engage, validate, and nurture leads. We will present case studies from several industries and show results from over 20 million email messages. More than 4,000 sales professionals around the globe are currently harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence to get ahead of their competition: we’ll show you how and why.

Presenters: Benjamin P. Brigham, M.M.A., Founder & CEO, AVA
Kendall Billman, M.B.A., V.P. Sales & Marketing, AVA

Wednesday, March 20th, 2012

The insurance leads ecosystem has gone through a roller coaster ride over the past few years, beginning in 2010 with surging demand. In 2011, supply caught up with demand, and as the space entered 2012, it seemed poised to collapse as poor quality became the defining characteristic of the marketplace. A massive reset is now taking place, driven by continued consolidation, data sharing, and technology innovations. Learn about where things stand today and what to expect next as the Insurance vertical tries to avoid any more growing pains.

Presenter: Ian Smith, VP of Operations, QuoteWizard

In any transaction, online or offline, trust is key. Without trust, those involved spend more time dissecting others’ motivations instead of focusing on a mutual goal. When it comes to the online ecosystem, technology provides the promise of objective trust, reducing if not removing the risk for both seller and buyer. The world of online lead generation has reached the size, scale, and complexity where solutions to increase trust are being sought out by both buyers and sellers. Join buyers, sellers, and two purveyors of trust as they take the stage to discuss the latest advancements in removing risk from, and adding objective trust back into, the online lead generation ecosystem.

Moderator: Dave Scott, CEO, Marketfish
Panelists: Dale Leatherwood, Managing Director, CUnet
Steve Rafferty, Founder & CEO, ActiveProspect, Inc.
Ross Shanken, Founder & CEO, LeadiD

Hear from Allstate and Esurance about how they implemented call marketing automation. The two could be talking about the weather, and it would be interesting. That they share how call marketing automation helps them spend smarter, monetize better, and operate more efficiently makes that much better.

Moderator: Jaimie Pickles, President, WeSpeakInsurance
Panelists: Ryan Hartman, Manager of Digital Marketing and Partner Revenue, Esurance
Keary Phillips, Senior Program Manager – Digital Marketing & Lead Generation, Allstate Insurance Company
Jason Spievak, CEO, RingRevenue, Inc.

Building a business within a highly measurable universe such as vertical media and customer acquisition is. at times. a Catch-22. The very ability to run a profitable business can hinder how other companies perceive your business. Higher valuations mean bigger payouts, more outside investment, and a growing ecosystem. Our experts who have helped companies in our ecosystem create hundreds of millions of dollars of value, talk through the challenges and opportunities for companies throughout all stages of the growth/liquidity process.

Moderator: Ben Straughan, Partner, Perkins Coie LLP
Panelists: Sandy Kory, Managing Director, Horizon Partners
Michael Lyon, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Vista Point Advisors
Cali Tran, Principle, North Bridge Venture Partners

The LeadsCon ecosystem encompasses a wide range of companies, each playing a part in connecting customers and consumers. Additionally, some of the services upon which the ecosystem focuses can have significant financial ramifications. Not surprisingly, the claims being made are at the forefront of regulatory agencies focused on consumer protection. None are as well known as the FTC. Hear what has the agency’s attention and ways to avoid being its focus.

Presenter: Russell S. Deitch, Federal Trade Commission, Staff Attorney, Department of Marketing Practices

Solving complex problems is part innovation, lots of perspiration, mixed with a healthy dose of frustration. Here to showcase the fruits of their labors are four technology driven solutions, each with the belief that they can, at the very least, solve a major headache or two; ideally, they will prove to you that their technology will ultimately make you more profitable.

Moderator: Jay Weintraub, Founder, NextCustomer
Presenters: Bruce Bergwall, Vice President, iNovum
Taek Chung, CEO, Humanvest.co
Michael Lebor, Managing Director USA, Vee24.com
Brian Ocheltree, CEO, LeadCloud

Most people tend to assume that local marketing platforms fall into one of the following categories: an outdated directory model, promotion driven deals, or a good idea that cannot scale. The latter would surely include an attempt to offer local merchants the ability to pay only for real-time hot transfers, paying only for calls they want to accept, allowing them to hear what the user wants before being connected, to price each lead dynamically in real-time. Would you guess this business already has 3,000 paying customers and 10,000 in the pipeline? Local may no longer be perceived as a desert with respect to innovation.

Presenter: Daniel Shaked, Founder & CEO, No Problem

For many industries, the past three and a half years decimated both supply and demand. Not surprisingly, financial service offerings were among the hardest hit, especially those whose ultimate backing relied on the credit markets. While the current state of the economy has much room for debate, the return of prime credit products has less room for ambiguity. Join three buyers and sellers as they explain the opportunities emerging as the credit markets continue strengthening.

Moderator: Thomas McErlane, President & Co-Founder, RateSpecial Interactive, LLC
Panelists: Ethan Ewing, President, Bills.com
Mitchel Harad, Vice President, Marketing, Lending Club
Nichole Mustard, VP Business Development & Sales, Credit Karma

Insurance, for-profit-education, home services. These sectors have long dominated the LeadsCon ecosystem. While we are excited at the growth of each of these sectors, it is equally exciting when new sectors start to tap into digital as a means for educating consumers and connecting them with providers who can assist their needs. Now, you can learn about the world of attorney marketing from its pioneers.

Moderator: Joe Charlson, CEO & Founder, CallerReady
Panelists: Mitchell Allen, CEO, LeadRival
Paul Ford, CEO, Total Attorneys
Braden Pollock, Owner, Legal Brand Marketing

It looked as though healthcare reform would kick off a new wave of innovation and business opportunities in an industry sorely needing fresh thinking. That optimism has proven wishful thinking. Instead of new opportunities, it appears as though the next years will contain nothing but challenges. What will those servicing the health sector need to do and need to keep in mind as legislation dramatically alters the healthcare landscape?

Moderator: David Rodnitzky, CEO, PPC Associates
Panelists: Brandon Cruz, President, GoHealth
Keith Glatzer, Managing Partner, 936 Ventures, LLC
Bill Kimberlin, President & CEO, Medicare.com
Chris Weaver, President, Operation Insights

Not unexpectedly, discussion around for-profit education has focused on those who pioneered the industry. Not-for-profits, though, would seem to have many inherent benefits when it comes to creating equivalent offerings, but they have thus far entered relatively slowly. Wall Street analyst Paul discusses the increasing online offerings of non profit universities and how this is impacting the economic equilibrium of all of higher education, touching on the competitive response from increased access on brands, price, quality and marketing.

Presenter: Paul Ginocchio, CFA, Managing Director, Equity Research, Deutsche Bank Securities

Accessibility and innovation are the hallmarks of for-profit education, but an industry that was born out of a desire to equalize the education playing field finds itself on the defensive and under immense scrutiny. Operating in the education landscape is a privilege and responsibility, and it’s one that both legislators and schools feel that marketing services firms have not appreciated or respected. In a world of federal sensitivities and intense scrutiny, one where the term “leads” has become charged, ensuring a bright future for the for-profit education community and those who rely on it will mean treading carefully. We end the morning with a marquee discussion with senior leaders never before assembled on stage.

Moderator: Terrence Thomas, Co-Founder & CEO, Military Service Rewards, LLC
Panelists: Doug Brown, President & CEO, All Star Directories
Bruce Douglas, CMO, EducationDynamics
Steve Gunderson, President & CEO, Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU)
David J. Pauldine, President, DeVry University

Dave Scott, author of The New Rules of Lead Generation, will unlock the secrets behind marketing measurement and calculating ROI. He’ll then examine lead generation’s seven tried and true tactics through this mathematic lens. Attendees will leave able to measure and compare performance between marketing tactics, and track each tactic’s contribution to their organization’s bottom line.

Presenter: Dave Scott, CEO and Founder, Marketfish

Email is a tremendously powerful customer acquisition channel. Learn how brands, high growth start-ups, and lead generators are leveraging the email channel to acquire millions of new customers.

Presenter: Kevin Kennedy, Director of Business Development, Adconion Direct

Everything is now mobile. So why does it seem like lead generation is trapped in the desktop era? In this session, MediaWhiz and its industry partners discuss how marketers can design their websites for effective mobile lead generation. Gain insight on innovative practices in mobile and tablet lead generation and the challenges digital marketers face in converting leads as consumers increasingly give up their desktops in favor of the mobile-first Web experience.

Moderator: Daryl Colwell, Vice President, MediaWhiz
Panelists: Rebecca Madigan, Executive Director, Performance Marketing Association
Bruce Cornelius, CEO, MyFreeScoreNow
Steve Lombardi, CEO, Lead5Media

For lead generators and advertisers interested in improving their call campaigns. 1. Qualify: Interactive Voice Response and Call Centers, 2. Distribute Calls from One Number to Multiple Potential Recipients: Geography/Skills/Priority and Availability, 3. Resolve Hang-ups: Intelligent Abandonment and Overflow/Afterhours, 4. Track with CRM, pixel firing timers and emails and 5. Turn Mobile Leads into Calls with SMS, IVR and Local Presence.

Presenter: Joe Charlson, CEO and Founder, CallerReady

Learn best practices for call tracking that will increase the value of your web leads exponentially. Emphasis will be on powerful, easy-to-use tools that cost only pennies per lead. We will discuss potential implications for call tracking in a post-PC world, such as click-to-call from mobile devices that allow for instant and reliable communications.

Presenter: Casey Clegg, Director, Channel Development, Twilio

Find out how to drive the most value out of your marketing leads, purchased leads and the lists you are buying. Learn your specific industry metrics that drive real results – average cost per lead, average revenue per lead, response times, contact ratios, etc. and learn how to improve on every one. All attendees will also get a free ResponseAudit to test their sales team.

Presenter: David Elkington, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder, InsideSales.com

Take your customer acquisition from 0 to 60. Whether you’re a start-up or fast growth company, lead generation requires expertise and proven formulas to get results. This workshop, led by industry expert Rory Holland, will give you the tools and insight to build a successful and cost-effective lead generation program.

Presenter: Rory Holland, Chief Executive Officer, Holland Interactive, Inc.