Treehouse Internet Group team members, Melissa and Kristina, spent two days at ClickZ Live New York learning the latest strategies, tips, and trends in digital marketing from industry experts like Google, Yahoo, Coca-Cola, About.com, American Express; and even some unexpected industry players like Playboy and Whitehouse.gov. The event covered all aspects of digital marketing, including search, social, analytics, email, data, mobile, and content marketing.

Over the two days spent emerged in all things digital marketing with keynotes, panels, training workshops, roundtables, and networking events, there were many takeaways relating to things we are already doing and things we should be doing.

Be proactive

"SERP changes to Google algorithms are as inevitable as death and taxes," said Melissa Walner, director of SEO at Hilton Worldwide. By taking a holistic approach and looking at all metrics, we can uncover low-hanging fruit opportunities that can help us stay ahead of SERP changes.

Mobile rules

It's not surprising that 67 percent of consumers are converting on mobile - and that 61 percent of them will move to another site if your site isn't mobile friendly.

Mobile is local

Google tells us that 94 percent of mobile search has a local intent. Jori Ford of SpotHero suggests using schema to show customers what they're looking for - before they find it somewhere else. "When you are in trouble, you want a listing with good ratings that has some credibility – right now."

Ignore your gut

Experimentation is good, but be able to back it up with data. Testing just five users will uncover 85% of a site's usability problems. Every $1 invested in UX yields a $100 return.

Know your audience

It's important to deliver content that captures customers from each stage of the sales journey. Some customers are looking for an immediate solution, while others are looking to do a little more research before they contact us. Dr. Susan Weinschenk suggests "7 Principles That Will Make Your Site More Engaging;" two of them being: don't give visitors too many choices, and ask for a small commitment first.

It doesn't matter who you're target audience is, whether it's an American Express cardholder, a registered voter, or a homeowner looking to fix their roof, we must take a flexible approach to digital marketing - be prepared and make changes - we might be surprised by the outcome (in a good way)!