This piece is presented by Click Rain.

By Chris Prendergast, partner and chief strategy officer

Marketing is more difficult than ever. The modern marketer spends more time with spreadsheets than with customers, and the volume of data that marketers need to wrangle has grown exponentially in the past five years. There are thousands of tools that claim to help manage this data and make us more efficient — but how are we expected to keep track of it all?

That’s where Trendigital comes in.

Jan. 19 is the sixth annual Trendigital Summit, presented by Click Rain. Trendigital is a conference where marketers, businesspeople and forward thinkers from across the region will meet up for one day of learning about the future of marketing, technology and marketing technology.

What is marketing technology? 
Confused about the term marketing technology, or “martech”?  You’re not alone.

To help answer this question, we’ve invited Scott Brinker to open Trendigital as our morning keynote speaker. Brinker is the author of “Hacking Marketing,” and he is considered the foremost expert on marketing technology. He also founded the Chief Marketing Technologist Blog and serves as a vice president at HubSpot in Boston.

Brinker is joining Trendigital with his presentation Marketing Technology: Taming the Digital Beast. If you work in marketing or have any interest in the trends that will be shaping our digital lives in the next decade, you won’t want to miss his talk.

Exclusive research into digital trends

Our second keynote presentation will be important for anyone doing business in the upper Midwest. Every day, we read about national studies and data skewed toward coastal consumers and their digital trends — but what about people here in our region?

Click Rain commissioned a study of how consumers in the upper Midwest use technology in their daily lives. Join me at Trendigital’s closing keynote where I’ll present the findings from our landmark study. What are the right marketing channels for businesses to use in 2018? How are your customers’ mobile habits changing? Where should you be focusing next year’s marketing budget for the greatest impact? Make sure to stick around for the answers with insights from this exclusive research.

And so much more

In between these two huge keynotes is a day full of breakout sessions with presentations for whatever your experience level. We’re offering sessions on content strategy, digital video, search engine optimization, website testing, cyber law and much more. Gain advanced knowledge and actionable takeaways to make your marketing smarter.

Who should attend Trendigital?

Curious if Trendigital is right for you? Here are some of the groups that have benefited from the conference in the past:

Marketers: From CMOs and vice presidents to marketers just starting out, Trendigital offers something for everyone. Whether you are a dedicated marketer or in another role and are just curious about marketing, our two-track conference will accommodate.

Business owners: Marketing is increasingly becoming the hub of your business data, and data is what drives revenue. Want to make better sense of that data, and make smarter decisions about your business? Trendigital will help you prepare for what’s to come in 2018 and beyond.

Students: In the years ahead, some of the fastest-growing job areas will involve marketing technology-related fields. If you’re studying marketing now or looking to better use technology and data in another major, Trendigital is the ideal learning and networking event.

Conference details

When: Friday, Jan.19, 2018

Where: Sioux Falls Convention Center

Who: View the Trendigital speakers

Cost: $59 (lunch is included)

Tickets: Buy Trendigital tickets

Space is limited, and tickets will sell out. Act now so you don’t miss out on this impactful event.