Title: “Social Media: Today’s Word of Mouth Phenomena”

Where: Hickman Student Union Building located @ 715 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Atlanta, Georgia 30314

Date: Friday,  May 27th 2011

Time: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.   (Refreshments will be served.)

Seating is limited, please register for FREE by reserving your seat today.    Click here to register.

By Larry Weintraub

The coffee industry is an incredibly competitive space. So, the first question you probably ask yourself on a regular basis is, “How do I distinguish myself from the competition?” Right? Wrong. The first thing you need to ask is, “What is my customer saying about me?”

The great thing about social media is that you can find out the answer to that question…immediately.

Social media is the term used to describe the way people are conversing, openly on the Internet. It includes well known places like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and hundreds of others. It also includes the countless blogs and Web sites where people openly discuss topics that interest them. Millions of people are having conversations on the Internet through these social media outlets, and the best thing about it is that you can actually see what people are saying. Read More

Guest: Larry Weintraub, CEO of Fanscape
With his extensive years of entertainment marketing experience, Larry Weintraub, CEO of Fanscape and along with his partner, Terry Dry, have replicated the music industry marketing models to help well-known brands like Chili’s, MTV, State Farm Insurance, NBC and M&M Racing, to connect with their fans and customers to drive word of mouth.

Building a Following:
A two-way communication strategy is essential for building a following of an audience who loves and supports your brand. Since this marketplace is highly competitive, differentiating your brand and consistently staying in touch with your audience is crucial to survive in your industry. Asking for feedback and comments from your followers, along with your response, is a two-way communication line. “You talk to one person, make them feel really special and they will tell someone else about you” said Larry. That is how you will grow a following and an audience. Unfortunately, the relationship building process does not happen overnight. You must allocate a large amount of your time to this one-to-one communication.

Using Multiple Platforms for Communicating
Nan: A large part of my audience consists of artists and creative people, ranging from music producers, graphic/web designers and book writers. What communications tools would you suggest for my audience for promoting themselves and their work?

Larry: It is less about the tools and more about the communication. You do not need to go to tons of other places, but you need to keep up and manage all the big ones that are happening, for example email marketing, Facebook, Twitter and a blog are all crucial to the success of any promotion these days. The reason why I say all is because you will have fans that will follow you everywhere on Facebook, Twitter and/or Myspace, but on the other hand, you may have some that will only stay on one platform. Therefore, you have to cater and communicate to them as well. There are new and groovy tools that come out every single day. Do not feel the need to do everything – stay with the basics.

Practice Giving Value
Everyone loves a gift, especially in social media. Larry says, “Give more and things will come back to you”. When true value comes from the heart, it can be the momentum for your success. Giving away a chapter of your book or having a blog as a resource for information is an example of giving value. The more you give something away free the more your followers will come back. The more you become successful, the more you look for ways to help others. With that in mind, Larry has set a fine example of giving value by generously providing his keen insight and passion for social media to his clients and his audience.

Setting Goals
Success in what you do in life is geared around goal setting. If you want to become successful in social media personally and professionally, take some time to set realistic goals. For example, set a goal to “have ten people who listen to your show, turn into ten more”. Setting goals will help determine if your strategy is working for you. However, to achieve your goals also involves consistency. Whatever strategy you choose for your digital marketing plan, set goals, make a commitment and stay consistent.

I am not a social media big shot, nor did I ever claim to be one.  However, I am passionate and enthusiastic about giving to my audience and about the authentic aspects of social media.  So, whatever digital strategy you create for your brand, for yourself, or for your business in 2010, social media is about meeting interesting people and learning new ideas from your followers.  Love what you do, broadcast it – and rock the world!

To listen to the show – Fire Up Your Digital Marketing Strategy.