From my Brain to yours

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I took a Webinar yesterday from Gary Vaynerchuk called “How to Fully Commit to Social Media”.

ya, I know. Brenda, could you BE more committed (addicted) to social media? But I knew he had a good rep and I wanted to hear him speak and his thoughts on marketing. His talk was on how old school thinking can leave you in the dust.

Here’s some point form things I took away from it. My thoughts are in italics.

  • What to automate on social media? ZERO. People think I’m crazy when I tell them this. IF you’re automating, you’re not present.
  • Engagement changes the relationship. Actually talking to people, using their names, giving a shit. Important stuff.
  • Being romantic in business is the easiest way to go out of it: don’t hold on to how things were! Saying “we’re doing fine without social media” is resisting change. Change is GOOD people! Embrace it 🙂
  • Social Media sites have the cleanest data that exists. Nielsen has low sample sizes and doesn’t represent the actual #’s
  • The way we need to reach people is not a 30 sec commercial. Must be more creative, less salesy – you have to actually care now. People need to connect, need an emotional attachment.
  • Your message is getting spammy, unless you show that you care. If all you do is promote your services and never engage, you are spam my friend.
  • Social media is connecting us like we are in a small town. This makes me SO FREAKIN HAPPY!
  • World is changing quickly – Need to get dramatically more creative by actually giving a crap.
  • Social Media isn’t a short-term platform, but a long-term investment. You won’t see results in a week, a month. Got to be in for the long haul.
  • Google+ is in trouble, but don’t bet against Google. Maybe they’ll buy Twitter. WHAAATTTT??

And my absolute favourite quote of the session?

While we are getting more Jetsons, the Flintstones are winning.

Tell me that isn’t awesome. Technology, technology, technology, if you aren’t building relationships, you may as well fly off in your bubble.

 

Gary is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling author who is also a self-trained wine and social media expert. Check him out here. (did you catch that? Social Media AND wine!

Awesome is Calling…ANSWER IT!

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Needless to say, when Shelley Boston told me she was talking with Scott Stratten about coming to Red Deer, I was inappropriately giddy. This is not only huge for a nerd like me, this is huge for Red Deer. This national best-selling author of UnMarketing, this guy that is ranked one of the top twitter influencers in the WORLD, is coming here. HERE! And I get to meet him. Unbelievably AWESOME.

November 1st, for a half day seminar – UNAWESOME IS UNACCEPTABLE – where we get to pick his brain about all things social media and marketing. And this will not be a blow smoke up your butt or put you to sleep seminar – Scott tells it like it is – no bullshit, straight up solutions and advice to how to market your business on social media. Oh, AND we all get signed copies of his new book coming out later this year too – The Book of Business Awesome.

If you own any business – small local business, home-based, large corporation, charitable organization – anything, this guy can teach you how to market it the RIGHT way from how to address complaints, how to re-recruit your employees, how to re-court your customers, to how to avoid trainwrecks.

And if there are still some of you out there that are non-social media fans? Well firstly…WAKE UP, IT’S 2012!!!! Like it or not, it’s how to reach people. If you don’t adopt it now, you are missing out on a huge market. What better way to start then to learn from the best?  He gets 60,000,000 hits on his client videos. SIXTY MILLION PEOPLE!

Tickets went on sale Monday, this is his ONLY Alberta stop this fall and tickets are going quick. I don’t want you to miss it. Be Awesome. Be there.

My all time favourite words from Scott? There is no such thing as tweeting too much.

Amen brotha.

The Right Way to Market

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I had an experience a week or so ago that I HAVE to share. Why? Because it’s IMPRESSIVE, and smart, and should be shared.

I saw a tweet from Dan Ouwehand…I can’t remember what it was now (sorry Dan!) but it had something about Laebon Homes in it. I didn’t hesitate to tweet that Laebon built my first home & the experience was great. I was a young single girl, no idea what the hell I was doing or what I wanted, just knew I wanted a home that looked good and wasn’t going to require maintenance that I couldn’t afford.

From the Sales Guy to my Project Manager, every one of them treated me with respect, like I was as equal as a family of 10 walking in the door. I think that’s huge, and over the past 11 years, I’ve shared that story a million times.

Point of my story…not even 10 minutes after I tweeted that? An email from Laebon’s marketing department, thanking me and asking me to come by and pick up an Earl’s GC they had for me in thanks for my ongoing support.

AWESOME.

There is nothing unawesome about that. THAT people is how it’s done. What review would you rather hear? Which review would you trust? One that was prompted or paid for, or a genuine unprompted one?

I know which one I’d choose. Lesson here? Reward those who promote you because they love your product. Those people are your billboards.

Thank you once again Laebon Homes for being awesome.