Here at Octopus, we're fans of talking and innovative technologies, so what better way to spend a jam-packed day in London than at Connections 2010?  The Grosvenor Hotel played host to ExactTarget's inaugural event in the UK for top industry experts and marketers from the world's leading brands to come together and talk all things email, mobile, social and websites.  With 13 breakout sessions and keynotes from Twitter and ExactTarget there was plenty of material to fuel the conversation.

ExactTarget were first to the floor to talk us through the challenges facing today's marketers now that customers are able to control brand conversations through social networks, while highlighting topline data from their latest Subscribers, Fans and Followers research.  Followed by a live demonstration of the company's shiny new Interactive Marketing Hub which enables organisations to engage in integrated, real-time conversations with customers across social media, multi-channel marketing, on-demand data management and process automation - all from one single platform!

The most awaited keynote of the morning, however, came in the form of Elizabeth Weil, Product Marketing and Corporate Development at Twitter, especially with the news late Monday evening that Ev Williams had stepped down as chief executive in order to focus on the site's product strategy.

As you'd imagine, Elizabeth is frequently asked "Why should we get on twitter?" she says the answer is simple.  "You can really wow your customers.  Jump in and answer their questions with speed and directness".

With over 160 million users, and over 90 million tweets per day, here are a few of @elizabeth's top tips on how your company can leverage Twitter to drive business for now, and the future:

• Listen: monitor your brand, competitors and sales opportunities
• Build relationships: engage your users, build trust and foster conversations.  Twitter is not just an e-commerce platform, so show your expertise
• Customer service: Address concerns, respond to praise, be a live FAQ
• Conversation: Leverage your followers as a live portable focus group - tailor the conversation
• Expertise: dispel unique and relevant information that you care about
• Rewards: promote offers, specials, coupons and giveaways
• Integrate: weave your Twitter presence throughout your on and offline strategies
• Be creative: Have fun!  Make people want to follow you
• Advertising platform: Enhance what you're already doing.  Who knew the Old Spice campaign was kick-started by a promoted trend on Twitter?

The last breakout session of the day saw an open panel discussion with ExactTarget, CoTweet, Twitter and customer reps providing fascinating insights into how email and social can work together to boost engagement and response.  The verdict? "Facebook is where you lie to people you know. Twitter is where you're honest to strangers. Use Twitter as a focus group, people can handle more bite sized tweets than emails. Test concepts in Twitter for use in email."

After a lot of conversation, furious note writing and tweeting (and mass retweeting by the whole Octopus team), we settled down to a movie themed dinner complete with a band fronted by SpongeBob Squarepants and a healthy a dose of Marcus Brigstocke, who shared his own Twitter strategy with the crowd.  But that's a story for another time...

Naomi