From newbies to experts in 24 hours

We’ve completed day two at SXSW and we’re pretty much experts now. Between asking for advice on social media and making friends with strangers, we found free coffee and donuts from McDonalds, St. hung out with Bernard puppies at the Mophie lounge, got tats and rode the Katy Perry liger at the Mashable house, loaded up on candy at the Spredfast social suite and met the real grumpy cat. And that was all before 5 p.m.

Did we say how much we love SXSW?

In addition to checking off so many amazing activities off our bucket list, we still managed to make it to some seriously awesome panels. Here are our key takeaways from day two:

– How do you cut a cake into eight slices with only three cuts? The solution is to think laterally and take a new approach. Shane Snow enlightened us to take a step back and think sideways. At some point, you are going to plateau and if you can’t find creative solutions, you’ll become irrelevant.

– We also learned why super successful people one wear one outfit. It’s because making decisions lowers your willpower. One less decision about what to wear frees their mind for more important decisions that can accelerate change.

– In the most “colorful” panel of the day, “Screw F*ck No, Say Sh*t Yeah,” we took a step back to think about why we give clients so many options. We are here to give them what they need , not necessarily what they want . We don’t question mechanics when we take our cars to the shop, so why do people question creative professionals when we present solutions? BE the expert.

– Nothing comes from no, but if you say “yes” something WILL happen next. For better or for worse… We have to take risks in order to prove we know what works and what doesn’t.

– From a panel featuring major social media power players including the SM editors of Wall Street Journal, The Associated Press and The New York Times, we learned how important credibility is on social media. The rules of professionalism do not change just because it’s digital. Credibility, verified information and integrity are all just as important, if not more so, on social media.

– Stick to your guns. If you know what you’re doing is right, don’t listen to the ones who want you to change. No matter how loud they shout.

– We sat in on a panel discussing the fine line between personalization in marketing and invading the privacy of consumers. Thanks to technology, brands are now able to create hyper-relevant messages and distribute them directly to their target audiences. While brands can now connect to consumers more directly than ever before, the fine line between being helpful and creepy lies in transparency. Brands need to let consumers know where they are collecting information from and what information is being collected.

– In our crisis communication panel, we were reminded that your brand’s reputation is a journey and it must be cared for every single day. Also, there is never a better time to look closely at your brand’s values and ideals than when everything is under attack.

– SXSW has some incredible panelist, but we quickly learned that people on the street have just as much knowledge to share. We were reminded today to LOOK UP every now and then. You might see something amazing (like grumpy cat coming out of this suburban), or you might save yourself from tripping over a median.

While we know you are dying for more tips, tricks and advice, that’s it for today. Follow along on Twitter for even more great SXSW info. Peace, love and hammocks until tomorrow, y’all. (Our house has a hammock in the living room. No joke.)

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