Richard Laermer

Richard Laermer, who is known as a Future Provocateur, has developed a popular trendSpotting program and discusses, plainly, why it’s so important for each of us to recognize trends and stay informed on more levels than ever before. He shows (rather than merely tells) audiences how to recognize and affect trends in their and their customers' industries, illustrating the value of in-depth understanding of why the future is closer than you think, using real-world examples specific to the breathless crowd.

Richard Laermer, author of Full Frontal PR, which Entrepreneur magazine called the "PR handbook," explores and explains the bond between today's PR and the coveted bottom line of sales, examining why this relationship is all-too-often tenuous. The one-hour program examines the why of modern PR and where it fits into large corporate budgets (not to mention what return should be expected from PR investment). As sales professionals continue to look to marketing to generate not only leads, but also on-message media and influencer coverage for a company, executive, or product, Laermer provides specifics of what to look for—and what to avoid at all costs—in a successful corporate campaign of epic proportions.

A common problem many companies run into as they try to manage a social media presence is what Richard Laermer calls "GMOOT," or "Get Me One of Those!" Too often marketers are looking directly to their competitors – the so-called "cool" companies – to determine how to dive into social media. But the key, says Laermer, is developing a presence that is above all active – and always authentically so. Laermer will help your organization identify, from a PR/marketing standpoint, which social media strategies will actually work for your company – regardless of latest fads and media popularity.

As a nine-year social media veteran whose 20-year-old PR firm launched Flickr and the very first social networks (Word.com, Internet.com, and Fortune City), Laermer can teach and entertain you about the keys to social media strategy that will inspire your consumers while constantly supporting every bit of your brand message.

After a consultation (and some jokes), Laermer will prep and present a compelling one-hour program tailored to your organization. Marketers and energized executives will walk away with a social media strategy that will hit users over the head and make them say, "That’s something I’ve got to engage in."

What's the difference between marketers and politicians? According to Richard Laermer, author of Punk Marketing and the CEO of RLM Public Relations, not a whole lot: both have the primary objective of selling a message. But while politicians are master marketers, gifted at forcefully selling their platform, marketers oftentimes have no mastery of the skills required of a politician – namely, conveying vague information while still being blunt about what they're selling. The solution, says Laermer, is for marketers to begin thinking of themselves as "candidates" by gathering their constituency and starting a movement that forces them to action.

In this presentation, you will learn how examples of modern movements borrowed the tenets of labor, voting, zoning, and other rights issues. You will learn how anyone with a product can get creative and take their message to the people in a manner that connects with – and gets them talking about – what you have to offer. Attendees will leave this presentation with an understanding of how a non-politician can become a powerful force around which followers congregate, prompting them to invest their thoughts and energies (and, yes, money) into your message and ultimately your product.

Richard Laermer, author of Full Frontal PR, which Entrepreneur magazine called the "PR handbook," explores and explains the bond between today's PR and the coveted bottom line of sales, examining why this relationship is all-too-often tenuous. The one-hour program examines the why of modern PR and where it fits into large corporate budgets (not to mention what return should be expected from PR investment). As sales professionals continue to look to marketing to generate not only leads, but also on-message media and influencer coverage for a company, executive, or product, Laermer provides specifics of what to look for—and what to avoid at all costs—in a successful corporate campaign of epic proportions.