Staff Report

ROCKFORD – Best-selling authors and digital strategists will return Rockford for a fourth year Monday, May 20, for the #socialROCKconf Digital Marketing Conference at Prairie Street Brewhouse, 200 Prairie St., Rockford.

The all-day conference will again feature expert national speakers who will help attendees to enhance their business presence and visibility online. Presentations will cover digital paid advertising strategy, story-driven social media, content marketing, and more, which can be used to enhance positive outcomes from using social media for business needs.

This year’s conference, features two keynote speakers: “The #GivingDayGuy” Chris Strub and best-selling author Jeff Goins. In addition, there will be sessions from Mike Kim, marketing director of the John Maxwell Team; podcaster and paid traffic expert Dorothy Illson; national-brand digital marketing strategist and speaker Zachary Walker, and a returning favorite from last year, author and video content creator Valerie Morris.

“Since 2010, we’ve found that an unavoidable need for the local and smaller business is a way to connect with their customer base in a cost-conservative manner,” said Winnebago Buy Local’s Director Lauren Davis. “This is where social media can play a great role. With three successful years and hundreds of people attending in the past, it was a no-brainer to make #SocialROCKconf 2019 even more valuable.

“We have curated some of the best speakers from conferences across the country for a one-day conference geared toward building your unique voice, gaining followers, and attracting visibility through social media, right here in the city we love: Rockford Illinois.”

New for 2019 is the opportunity for conference attendees to purchase VIP Tickets. These include the brand new #socialROCKconf Pre-Party, which is an “evening before the conference” gathering at Cliffbreakers Banquet Center. VIP Ticket Holders get an opportunity to mingle with conference speakers, as well as an opportunity to view a screening of the exclusive documentary featuring keynote speaker Chris Strub, titled 50 States in 100 days. VIP attendees will receive additional perks with their tickets, all of which are outlined at SocialROCKconf.com.

Winnebago Buy Local’s mission is supporting and cultivating local independent businesses while focusing on the transformation of our local economy towards green jobs, sustainable industries and practices, and buying local first. Because local businesses are the bread-and-butter of every city, Winnebago Buy Local helps our local economy keep local wealth local while also making our region a unique place to live and visit.

Studies mention that shopping with a locally owned business keeps about sixty-eight cents of every dollar spent in the local economy, versus much less when shopping with non-locally owned businesses. Through the past seven years, Winnebago Buy Local has held several large, yearly, events (including A Local Holiday Market and Totally Local Ice Cream Social); has given back to the local non-profit community; and has continuously held valuable and educational gatherings for locally owned businesses to network and help each other succeed in the constantly changing business landscape.

Our presenting sponsor is RyCOM Creative Corp, along with other local business sponsors: Lauren Davis Creative, Lucha Cantina, Inc, Food 4 Fuel Inc, Rockford Art Deli, and PC TECH 2U.

For tickets and more #socialROCK 2019 event information, visit SocialRockConf.com or contact Lauren Davis at 815-222-0756.