I was recently asked to speak on the topic of digital marketing and social media strategy at the third annual Walsh College Small Business Conference.  Walsh has always been known as one of the region’s top business schools, and their continued commitment to providing local companies with the tools and counsel for growth is definitely commendable.

This year’s conference focused on “The Big 3″ for small business: marketing, management and money.  Numerous breakout sessions where available that shed light on a variety of topics including cash flow management, tax strategies, H.R. regulations, business succession planning, electronic payments and marketing communications.

While floating among the conversations and seminars, I noticed that social media was a hot topic of discussion.  Even Jim Hiller, the conference’s keynote speaker and founder of the uber-successful Hiller’s Markets, regularly referenced the use of free social technologies as a way for small businesses to cope with the “post-advertising marketplace.”

However, with all this talk of social media this and social networking that, small businesses often get caught up in the technology before developing their strategy.  Companies need to create a plan that aligns with core business objectives instead of trying to repackage their goals so they can fit them into a certain network or community.  It just looks messy… and not in a good way.

As digital technologies evolve and continue to gain more traction, will we see more companies stating “we have Facebook” instead of “we have a strategy?” Are we already at that point?  What do you think?

I was lucky enough to get ahold of a ticket for last Friday’s Ignite Lansing, which was the first Ignite event ever held in Michigan.  For those who are not familiar with Ignite, here is a quick summary:

If you had five minutes on stage what would you say? What if you only got 20 slides and they rotated automatically after 15 seconds? Around the world geeks have been putting together Ignite nights to show their answers.

Ignite was started in Seattle in 2006 by Brady Forrest and Bre Pettis. Since then 100s of 5 minute talks have been given across the world. There are thriving Ignite communities in Seattle, Portland, Paris, and NYC.

While I always try to attend as many Metro Detroit-based events as possible, it was refreshing to step outside of my usual geographic boundaries and visit another growing digital community.  I was able to meet plenty of new people and finally shake hands with @nicklucido and @mattfrendewey, two smart guys I have been following on Twitter for awhile.  I also want to give a special shout out to @kaseyincharge for quickly organizing a post-event tweetup.  To view the attendee list, search the hashtag #ignitelansing or check out my Twitter stream.

However, the best part of the evening had to be my buddy David Murray’s hilarious, informative and Oscar-worthy presentation – “Who Wants To Be Adopted.”  I followed Dave around with my Flip camera for most of the night (primarily because I couldn’t present my proposed topic about the elements of a perfect Arnold Schwarzenegger movie) and captured his evening of triumph for all to see.  Enjoy.

Side note:  A few weeks ago at Startup Weekend Detroit, many of us were discussing how the Detroit community could benefit from an Ignite event.  Based on the phenomenal reception I witnessed at Ignite Lansing, I think this is something we need to explore ASAP.

Interested in helping me organize an Ignite event in Detroit?  Leave a comment, drop me a tweet or shoot me an email.