KahenaCon emerged as a fascinating one day seminar in Jerusalem on inward bound marketing. For the non experts, this combines the fields of SEO, online advertising, social media, and apps.

Sometimes I feel politically or socially incorrect, because I am no whizz on these subjects. So I went along to find out more, and learn is just what I did. If nothing else, I emerged with three interesting takeaways, which act as ‘warning lights” for those involved in the industry.

First, if you wanted to dummy down the world of SEO, you could describe it as lots of clever people trying to direct the general public to specific sites and content. In other words, instead of scrambling over the minds of TV viewers, they are looking to grab the attention of owners of computers and smartphones. And as the software tools become more sophisticated, the question has to be asked if the pliers of these applications actually end up “cancelling each other out”?

This links me up with a blog, which I wrote recently. What do you do in an industry, where your unique selling point – that marketing position which keeps you ahead of your competitors – has a shrinking shelf life? SEO operators only succeed in ensuring that your competitive advantage remains ‘out there’ that extra bit longer. However, SEO cannot put off the issue of transience. In other words, SEO does not afford you the luxury of preparing the move towards the next stage of commercial development.

Second, it is no secret that the world of social media is increasingly cramped. To develop a new platform that is both useful and is commercially viable has become more like a hunt for the Holy Grail. At KahenaCon, Waze – being sought by Google and by Facebook – was mentioned several times. Another popular Israeli app is Magisto and which was represented at the conference. The company has already raised US$8 million, as it enables customers to create home videos in real time.

However, there was a clear message for people who wish to follow these examples. Creating a product or service that will be required by a billion users is becoming less and less easy.

Third, for all the wonderfully clever tools and apps available to those engaged in digital marketing, there often seems a gap between the industry and their potential customers. To paraphrase a question rasied by Charlie Kalech of J-Town: How is a small business, which barely understands the concepts of social media and is struggling with day-to-day cash flow, supposed to visualise an sms campaign through a website that he can barely operate? There is often a misfit, a gap that the industry should address, if only for its own benefit.

To end on a positive note, the buzz at Kahena was wonderful. In many ways, it was encapsulated by the personality of Mr Tomer Hen. At the mature age of 19 years old, he runs an operation of 18 people called the Israel Mobile Marketing College, which provides advisory services to leading Israeli multinationals. Welcome to digital marketing, where you can live your dreams.