SXSW is boiling pot of ideas, experiences and information. Processing, sharing and filing away all the good stuff can be overwhelming. So, for me, I try to focus on the stuff that sticks. Here’s what stuck with me: 

Session: Social Media Comes of Age Without the Help of Porn (panel)
Overview: Thought leaders discuss social intelligence and measurement.
Sticking Points:

• Social intelligence means understanding what the audience wants.
• Social data is people just talking — unfiltered information not biased from survey setting. 
• Social should be driven by where your customers and stakeholders actually are — not the tool, platform or measurement.
• The key is to attach what people want to their behavior. They may want a new car, but do they actually go buy one?
• What’s the viral loop? Does it influence others around you?
• Convert people. Understand what an individual is saying and move them up the engagement ladder to a brand advocate.
• Use relevant marketing via social context — tailor content based on gender, location, etc.
• Generalizations are dangerous. No one likes being considered a target audience — they want to be viewed as an individual.
• Aspirational intent — aspire to want things and connect to behavior.
• Facebook is great, but it isn’t the answer. Find your customers and go where they are.
• Social ROI – measure money saved, costs avoided, risks mitigated, resource efficiencies found, etc. to place a value on social.

Session: How to Harvest Consumer Intent from Social Web (panel)
Overview: How brands can play a role in interest graphs (mainly Pinterest).
Sticking Points:

• Social graph = who I know. Interest graph = what I know.
• Interest graphs are a place for brands to inspire consumers (especially lifestyle brands).
• Interest graphs allow you to connect via a mutual interest for a more relevant and genuine connection.
• Interest graph content can be found and consumed by topic vs. a running stream that disappears on social graphs.
• Brands can market to an individual via interests rather than by segment to be more relevant.
• Find qualified leads by connecting people’s expressions of interests and their intent for the brand.
• Interest graphs offer a more seamless transition for an integrated experience (even without an official platform, brands are participating via consumers).
• Consumers are creating a wish list for brands via interest graphs. Brands can learn and inform content strategy based on data.
• Use interest graphs to drive social conversation.
• Must foster discovery and learn to engage to be successful.
• Market to the data — learn from interests to make content worth sharing.
• Interest graphs can be a win-win. Brand provides utility. Consumer provides insight.
• What’s true success? Still early in the game, but…1. Web traffic 2. Brand awareness and engagement (followers, repins, 1:1 engagement). 3. Outcomes in purchase and action ROI (relevant content leads to higher conversions).
• Think APIs – brands need to make sense of this information to be useful.

Retailers have always tried to create the ultimate shopping experience. More than 100 years ago, pioneers in luxury shopping, like Neiman Marcus, paved the way with unparalleled service and superior attention to details beyond the store visit. Whether shopping at the flagship boutique, browsing the catalog from a sitting room, or slipping on a favorite couture gown, the experience was meant to indulge and delight consumers every designer step of the way.

Not much has changed, really. Retailers still want to cultivate lasting relationships and loyal patronage. However, the ways (the tools) in which retailers can pamper and intimately get to know their customers have evolved.

It can be overwhelming to think of all the amazing technologies at our fingertips and how to efficiently and effectively utilize the right ones. My advice: Stop and think like our predecessors. How can you make every customer feel special and important?

Sure, personalization is nothing new — knowing your customer is good practice and business. But as our human workforce is less invested and brands keep expanding, the meaning of getting to know your consumers is becoming shallow.

More than just a name, a size or a even a favorite color, retailers have an opportunity to truly connect. Not just what someone likes, but why.

Thoughtful curiosity and helpfulness + cutting-edge technology is how we can get back to what’s good and genuine while taking advantage of innovation.

As we kick off 2012 and make our New Year’s resolutions, one resolution on everyone’s business agenda should be to develop an ongoing social strategy. As social media platforms become mainstream and your industry competitors settle in for the long haul, there’s no better time to get organized.

Here are few tips for structuring your ongoing social program:

Start with a business plan.
Think of social media like you would a business plan. What are your objectives, KPIs and measures of success? Based on your answers, you can determine a level of investment that makes sense for your marketing mix.

Turn on the right channels.
Find your audience first. With a bevy of social outlets to choose from, you can dilute your brand and overwhelm your resources if you dive into too many too fast. Make the most of your budget and staff by selecting the channels with greatest reach to your target audience.

Think big (and small).
At all times you’ve got to keep your eye on the big picture, as well as the fine details. Determine how you’d like to see the yearlong conversation evolve, and then develop a monthly cadence to serve as a blueprint to further dialogue. But don't get too caught up in the plan—you'll need to be quick to adapt to events and your audience's needs on a daily basis.

Connect the dots.
Integrating all the pieces of the social puzzle is essential to a healthy ecosystem and your success. Consider traditional media, online display media, digital, special events, mobile, e-mail marketing, coupons, contests, etc. These moving parts should all work together and tease and support each other for greater impact.

Get the right tools.
Engage social media tools that will make your process more efficient and your program smarter. The costs of tools can offset the need for additional resources and provide more intelligent reporting to advise your next steps. Some tools are free and a no-brainer.

Get creative.
Experiment and be resourceful. A shiny, expensive app isn’t always the answer. Employ clever, easy tactics to gain awareness without over extending your budget and resources. And remember, quality over quantity — valuable content + utility is key. 

Be ready for real time.
Once you start it doesn’t stop. Have a plan for monitoring and responding to your audience. How often will you chime in? How will you handle negative comments? Who’s on point to respond? These are questions you should know the answers to. Consumer expectations are high. Not being prepared could ultimately damage your brand image.

Measure and optimize.
Last, but definitely not least, you’ll need a strategy for tracking, reporting and optimizing. ROI in social is debatable, but the benefits can be clear. There are several ways to measure success (and failure) to help guide your efforts, develop best practices and gain significant insights.