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Arianna Huffington, chair, president, and editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Media Group, delivered a keynote at Vocus's Demand Success 2013 on "The Brave New World of 'New Media.'"

She'd just arrived in town at 4:00 AM because of a series of missed connections, but the audience would never have known it from her polished, entertaining, and informative presentation.

Here are some of the insights that Arianna shared during her remarks, and a bonus video from a reception afterward in which she graciously took a few minutes to answer a question for MarketingProfs.

According to Huffington, marketers need to follow "megatrends" and tell stories that are in keeping with the zeitgeist of the "new media" era.

Engagement

First, every communication needs to engage your audience. "Marketers need to listen, as well as talk," urged Huffington. Since the Huffington Post launched online, users have posted 260 million pre-moderated comments. The site invests in sophisticated technology with an algorithm that filters most spam and vitriol, but human moderators still review comments. At this point, most of the trolls have left for greener pastures: 90% of comments posted receive approval.

Authenticity

"Marketers cannot hide behind a press release or a perfect ad and disappear," said Huffington. "You have to be willing to be in the arena." Businesses need to respond to customer complaints, ideally before they escalate to Twitter, but as quickly as possible. Acknowledge mistakes immediately—the sooner, the better.

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Marketing Megatrends: Observations From Arianna Huffington at Vocus's Demand Success Conference

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Kerry O'Shea Gorgone

Kerry O'Shea Gorgone is senior editor and writer at Appfire. She co-hosts The Backpack Show LIVE with Chris Brogan and Punch Out With Katie and Kerry, and serves as Consigliere and Showrunner for Chris Brogan Media. Once upon a time, Kerry was a lawyer (number one in her class at Suffolk University Law School).