It is human nature to view, question, trial and experience as part of the mind’s learning process. This week’s SMEX15 – The Social Media Exchange 2015 was one of the year’s most important conferences for people working in social media, digital content creation, online communications for charities, not-for-profit organisations and media. In every way, this diamond event is helping improve the digital output of every organisation that implements just one piece of learning they gain at SMEX.

The Social Media Exchange 2015 – Being The Story was a perfect example of an event that delivers everything someone needs to gain passion, inspiration and training in the ideal learning environment. The masterclasses in use of digital media, content creation, marketing communications planning and delivery were delivered by mix of platform providers and users. Talks from influential staff at YouTube, Mind, Save The Children, BBC Radio and Just Giving gave real insight not just into how media can be used, but how to get the most out of it.

Case Studies and success stories were visible from start to finish. The day started with a lightning talk form Darren Murinas of Stoke Expert Citizens – it summed up the ability of attending this event and gaining enough insight to be a star of the same conference 12 months later. For someone that considers themselves only recently fully immersed charity and not-for-profit sector, that was inspiration enough. My focus is on helping to bring about system change in the area of service provision for those with multiple needs within four sectors of society: The homeless, those in addiction recovery, those with mental health issues and those with a history of offending behaviour. SMEX15 gave me a huge amount of insight into a variety of different ways to use media I am already working with, as well as introductions to some of the very latest social media crazes and how to use them immediately to help the online communications of organisations such as IF Group Bristol.

Some of the ideas for creating viral YouTube content were in evidence with the Australia Enters 2015 Eurovision Song Contest  news release that took place just 24 hours after SMEX. The news was picked up by BBC Radio 2 (a speaker provider at SMEX15) and quickly spread to BBC News – where the Australian broadcaster’s short YouTube video release was used as part of the news show. One small Eurovision announcement on YouTube was broadcast into millions of UK homes. This technology is only 10 years old. It can change organisations with a single viral success.

SMEX15 helped provide vision and clarity to both the importance and the ability to use creative visual content, audio, video and copy to integrate and form a full marketing campaign to change opinions, spark viewers into action and react to the messages we create. As marketers in an industry that will never compete with commercial business in terms of our resource, we rely on our ability to fight finance with creativity. SMEX15 provided a perfect setting in which to do that and I look forward to SMEX16.